The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The management of Makerere University Business School-MUBS has failed to explain the source of 9.9 billion shillings that was spent over and above the institutions’ allocated budget.
The University officials had appeared before Parliaments Public Accounts Committee yesterday to respond to queries raised by the Auditor General in his report for the financial year 2017/2018. The institution’s financial statement indicated total receipts of 67.2 billion Shillings for the financial year under review, yet expenditure stood at 77.1 billion shillings.
MUBS bursar Michael Ruhigwa explained that the 9.9 billion shillings extra expenditure was arrears accumulated in the previous financial year.
However, this explanation was rejected when MPs pointed out that the total arrears indicated were only 6.4 billion shillings. According to the MPs’ part of the arrears, was a 3.9 billion Shillings remittance from the treasury to pay an advance from the previous year, but the recorded debt to the treasury was much lower at 3.1 billion Shillings.
PAC chairperson Nathan Nandala Mafabi demanded to know where the extra funds had been obtained from. Mafabi suggested that the MUBS team is given more time to reconcile their accounts and come up with a balanced statement by close of business on Monday.
This is the second time that the authenticity of MUBS accounts is questioned. In August, the University officials were turned away by the committee for presenting inconsistent Statements of Accounts.
The officials then could not explain why they had received more money than they had budgeted for from the treasury as highlighted in their Statement of Accounts.
Out of the total appropriated a budget of 74.8 billion Shillings as highlighted in their statement, the institution received 87.7 billion shillings well over the budget approved by Parliament. But MUBS Principal Wasswa Balunywa had no response as to the fate of the unspent and retained balance of 3.4 billion Shillings.
However, on their return yesterday, these figures had been reportedly reconciled but to the surprise of the committee, the officials could again not defend them.
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