EDITORIAL: Act on Auditor General's report

The Auditor General (AG)’s report for the Financial Year 2013/14 presents a glimmer of hope that some public entities are on the right track to ensure tax-payers get value-for-money. The report, presented to both chambers of Parliament, on Monday, by the AG shows that 36 per cent of the audits were clean compared to 34 per cent the previous financial year. This is an encouraging trend. However, the slight improvement, also challenges the Ombudsman, the Judiciary, and other responsible organs to take bold steps to act on the AG report. Besides ensuring compliance, corrupt tendencies and wasteful spending should not go unpunished. As the report indicates, some public firms and agencies still engage in wasteful expenditure of government resources. Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) was, particularly, singled out as one of the public agencies that are involved in wasteful ventures, with the Fund on verge of losing Rwf16 billion on bad investments. This raises a lot of concern as RSSB is entrusted with billions of contributors’ money for the pension and corporate medical insurance, and lately, the national public health insurance scheme, Mutuelle de Santé. Bad investment decisions by officials at RSSB could put lives of Rwandans and economy at risk. So, RSSB and all the other public parastatals with gaps in their public financial management and ineffective corporate governance structures must hold accountable the culpable officials and put its house in order. The same efforts should be undertaken by the Rwanda Revenue Authority where gross irregularities were also unearthed by the AG.

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EDITORIAL: Act on Auditor General's report