The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Central Government has instructed the Office of the President to provide a detailed breakdown of Shs5 billion spent on the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit.
This directive was issued during a session held on Wednesday, 7 May 2025, chaired by Muwanga Kivumbi. Senior officials from the Office of the President, led by Secretary Yunus Kakande, appeared before the committee to address audit concerns related to the Shs61.7 billion allocated for the NAM Summit, all of which was reported as spent. The summit took place in Kampala in January 2024.
Kivumbi emphasized that the Shs5 billion allocated to State House and the Special Forces Command (SFC) was not classified as confidential expenditure and therefore must be fully accounted for.
“This is not classified. So, what was it? Are we paying for SFC? Were they paid allowances?” Kivumbi asked.
In response, Emmanuel Walani, the Under Secretary for Finance and Administration in the Office of the President, stated that the funds supported activities under the accommodation and security subcommittees, both chaired by State House.
“State House chaired the accommodation subcommittee, which handled deployments, including feeding arrangements for the personnel involved,” Walani said. He further clarified that deployed personnel were paid a daily allowance of Shs11,000 and that part of the funds also covered fuel expenses. He emphasized that the nature of the expenditure did not fall under classified spending.
Despite the explanations, Kivumbi demanded a comprehensive financial breakdown. “Can you give us a detailed schedule, a breakdown of the Shs5 billion?” he asked. The officials committed to submitting the requested documentation.
The committee also flagged an additional Shs3 billion in unaccounted funds—Shs2.6 billion linked to the Ministry of Works and Transport and Shs390 million to the Ministry of ICT.
Defending the delays, Permanent Secretary Hajji Yunus Kakande said, “We disbursed the money to various subcommittees in different ministries, including Works and ICT. When the audit took place, they had not submitted their accountability.”
However, Kivumbi criticized the delayed response, pointing out that the ministries had a full year to report to the Auditor General, whose findings were released in December 2024. “They waited until 2025 to respond to issues from a summit that occurred in 2024,” he remarked.
The committee also expressed concern over the Office of the President’s continued failure to title its land. Kakande assured the committee that the process would be completed within two years.
