PAC: Ggoobi has failed Finance Ministry over Shs20.25b fuel, vehicle maintenance indiscipline

18.4 C Kampala FacebookInstagramLinkedinX Home Latest Politics World Africa Regional Opinions Our Take Money Games & Sports Arts Gossip Health Travel Entertainment Magazine Search Home Latest Politics World Africa Regional Opinions Our Take Money Games & Sports Arts Gossip Health Travel Entertainment Magazine Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account your username your password Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password your email A password will be e-mailed to you. PAC: Ggoobi has failed Finance Ministry over Shs20.25b fuel, vehicle maintenance indiscipline By Our Reporter October 6, 2026 Share FacebookXPinterestWhatsApp Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi. Must read Gov’t capitalises UDB to Shs2.2tn to drive industrial, export growth October 6, 2026 PS President’s office sent to CID over digital number plate saga October 5, 2026 Two gov’t officials arrested over Shs714,300 digital number plate pricing October 5, 2026 IG resolves 1,011 complaints, recommends Shs2.35bn in unpaid benefits October 5, 2026 Our Reporterhttps://eagle.co.ug Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has criticised the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi over Shs20.25 billion spent on fuel, motor vehicle maintenance and related expenses, questioning the ministry’s financial discipline and value for money.

The committee’s scrutiny revealed that the ministry operates 186 motor vehicles and 12 motorcycles, with Shs5.05 billion spent on vehicle maintenance, Shs13.9 billion on fuel and oil and another Shs1.3 billion on fuel and motor vehicle-related expenditure.

MPs demanded to know why a ministry responsible for enforcing financial discipline across the government was spending billions of shillings on its own fleet without providing sufficient justification for the expenditure.

“The committee needs to establish whether this expenditure represents value for money and whether the ministry can account for every shilling spent,” MPs told Finance officials appearing before them.

The committee also questioned an apparent discrepancy in the ministry’s vehicle maintenance figures. While the trial balance showed Shs5.05 billion, another figure of Shs6.878 billion was presented under vehicle maintenance.

PAC ordered the ministry to provide detailed schedules and supporting documents explaining the difference and showing exactly how the money was spent.

The MPs also turned their attention to Shs160 billion spent by the ministry under goods and services during the 2024/25 financial year.

The expenditure included Shs91.841 billion on professional services, Shs59.118 billion on travel and transport, Shs11.548 billion on supplies and services, Shs8.246 billion on utilities and property expenses and Shs3.028 billion on communication.

PAC demanded explanations for the expenditure, particularly the huge amounts allocated to professional services and travel and transport.

“The officials were required to provide supporting documentation to demonstrate that the expenditure was properly authorised, properly accounted for and represented value for money,”the committee said.

The criticism directly puts Ggoobi’s stewardship of the ministry under the spotlight because, as PSST, he is the ministry’s top accounting officer and is responsible for its financial and administrative management.

Ggoobi, however, did not personally appear before the committee during the latest session. The ministry was represented by Under Secretary Edward Sengonzi Damulira and Head of Accounts Hilda Nyamaizi, who responded to the MPs’ questions.

Damulira told the committee that the ministry had taken note of the concerns and would use the audit findings to improve its management of public resources.

The MPs’ criticism goes beyond the vehicle expenditure, with PAC continuing to question the ministry over wider weaknesses in public financial management, including the utilisation of borrowed funds and accountability for government expenditure.

PAC has previously raised concerns over billions of shillings borrowed by government but left unutilised, despite taxpayers continuing to meet interest costs on the loans.

The committee has also questioned the Ministry of Finance over Shs357 billion in tax incentive commitments contained in its financial statements, adding pressure on officials to account for decisions involving large amounts of public revenue.

Ggoobi has previously told MPs that Uganda’s problem is no longer simply the availability of money but how public resources are used.

“The issue is no longer money itself because even if we got Shs200 trillion as budget here, we might find that some of these areas remain unfunded,” Ggoobi told MPs.

These findings now leave the Finance Ministry facing questions over whether it is applying to itself the same standards of financial discipline and accountability that it demands from other government institutions.

PAC will consider the explanations and documents submitted by the ministry before making recommendations in its report on the Auditor General’s findings.

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