Mbale District has on Wednesday May 20, 2020 sworn its new District Public Accounts Committee members (DPAC).
DPAC is a statutory committee appointed under the provisions of local Government Act cap 243, sections 88 and 89, to provide an oversight role over public funds and follow up accountability reports from the Auditor General on the district.
A team of five prominent gentlemen led by Mr. Abdu mutange (Former Electoral Commission Returning Officer) Mr. Wanono Amuza, Mr. Wananda and Mr. Buyela was sworn in by the District Deputy Chief Administrative Officer in the presence of Chairman LCV Mr Benard Mujasi, who challenged the team to concentrate and begin on the accumulated work and above all desist from corruption.
The concern by the LCV Chairman follows numerous complaints raised by members of the public and some District staff over the previous DPAC who were variously described as apack of thieves
Asurvey that was carried out by the Good Governance Centre Mbale a Local Community based Organization and published by new vision, Redpepper and Uganda radio network, established that about 90% of the efforts of the previous DPAC were aimed at fighting the very district politicians that employed them since some of the members belonged to various political parties and had interest to unseat the incumbent chairman.
The principal investigator Steven Masiga in the survey titled” performance of public accounts committees in uganda “case study of Mbale district published in August 2019, established that the work methods of the departing Dpac were military in nature, sitting more less like a military tribunal to scare those appearing before them and above all discussing their committee findings on the streets of Mbale and malwa joints contrary to the oath of secrecy of office.
The public in Mbale has welcomed the new Dpac members and encouraged them to work with dignity, Mr. Akim a member of UPC stressed.
