KAMPALA, UGANDA – Kabarole District Woman Member of Parliament Hon. Annet Pamela Kirungi has questioned discrepancies in the valuation of property, plant and equipment amounting to approximately Shs1.29 billion during a parliamentary committee session in Kampala.
Kirungi raised the concerns while scrutinising financial statements, drawing attention to figures presented under Note 32 on property, plant and equipment (PPE). She questioned why the adjustments recorded against the assets did not correspond with the figures reflected in the financial statements.
According to the figures she presented, adjustments relating to property, plant and equipment amounted to approximately Shs1.413 billion, while the adjustment reflected in the PPE assets section was only Shs115 million. She argued that the difference of about Shs1.29 billion left the asset position understated and made it difficult to establish the entity’s actual financial position.
The legislator pressed for an explanation of the variance, emphasising the importance of accurate financial reporting and proper disclosure of public assets. She sought clarity on how the adjustments had been accounted for and why the figures were not consistently reflected in the relevant financial statement notes.
In response, an explanation was given regarding 200 tablets donated by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), which were subsequently reorganised and distributed. The explanation also referred to transactions associated with the statement of stores, although further clarification would be necessary to establish how these transactions accounted for the full discrepancy raised by the MP.
Kirungi also turned attention to budget execution, referring to figures on page 17 concerning the utilisation of warrants. She noted that the entity had received Shs69 billion and recorded an absorption rate of 99.8 per cent, prompting further scrutiny of whether the expenditure had translated into the planned outputs.
The discussion also examined audit findings on the implementation of non-payroll activities. The audit assessment covered outputs with expenditure amounting to Shs8.337 billion, with 17 outputs valued at Shs2.012 billion reported as fully implemented.
However, Kirungi and the committee sought explanations for why 21 other outputs remained only partially implemented despite the resources allocated to the activities. The concern pointed to the need for public institutions to demonstrate not only high budget absorption but also tangible delivery of planned programmes.
Through her questions, Kirungi placed emphasis on accountability, accurate asset valuation and effective implementation of government-funded activities, calling for explanations that would help the committee understand the financial and performance gaps identified during the examination.
The committee engagement in Kampala highlighted the importance of parliamentary oversight in ensuring that public resources are properly accounted for and that reported expenditure reflects actual service delivery.
