The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered the immediate arrest of Doreen Katusiime, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, for allegedly failing to attend the committee’s session.
Katusiime stands accused of consistently evading accountability queries by delegating her responsibilities to subordinates within the ministry.
MP Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala County), the Chairperson of PAC, revealed that Katusiime had commenced her annual leave just days before the scheduled parliamentary meeting.
Kivumbi explained that the Committee had resorted to issuing a summons for Katusiime’s arrest after the committee clerk disclosed that the Permanent Secretary had employed a similar tactic last year, leading the Committee to deliberate on the Ministry of Tourism’s audit report in her absence.
Expressing his frustration, Kivumbi emphasized his decision to curb Katusiime’s disrespectful conduct.
“This individual has a consistent pattern of evading Parliament and accountability committees. Due to her actions, the Committee had to proceed with its business without her presence last year, and now she is repeating the same behavior,” MP Kivumbi remarked.
He cautioned public officials against undermining Parliament’s oversight function, stressing that such behavior would not be tolerated.
“We will not tolerate this disregard for our time. This is a deliberate attempt to undermine the efforts of Parliament. MPs have made an effort to be present here during a recess, only to be treated with disrespect by one individual. We cannot allow this wastage of time to continue,” he added.
The committee is currently investigating fraudulent activities related to Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits within the Ministry of Tourism that occurred last year, leading to the summoning of several senior officials.
Comments are closed.