Leader of Opposition Hon. Matthew Wale questions the long delay in government filling up the position of Auditor General which was vacant since March this year, and calls for immediate action.
The Opposition Leader says the position is established by section 108 of the Constitution as an independent office mandated to audit public accounts and monitor government finance related activities, adding that the independency of that office means only a substantive holder of the position can appoint other persons to carry out the functions of the office.
He says the ongoing absence of a substantive Auditor General raises questions on the authority of that office to discharge its functions especially under present circumstances where the government is operating under a state of emergency framework.
“This is a matter of great public concern. With drops in government revenue it is of paramount importance that government expenditure is tightly monitored so that spending is focused only in areas that really matter.
“The ongoing delay surely is not helping in this regard, and I therefore call on the responsible authorities to speed up the process and to have the position filled at the earliest,” says Hon. Wale.
Source: Opposition Press