SHINYANGA: SHINYANGA Regional Commissioner, Ms Mboni Mhita, has requested the Office of the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct a special audit at Msalala District Council to uncover the root causes of financial management flaws that triggered an unprecedented qualified audit opinion for the 2024/25 financial year.
Ms Mhita made the call during a special council meeting convened to deliberate on the CAG’s report, which was presented by Council Treasurer Daniel Kidana on behalf of District Executive Director Rose Manumba.
Ms Mhita expressed concern over reports that internal auditors had been prevented from carrying out their duties, including being denied access to offices and facing a lack of cooperation from some officials.
“Msalala District Council has experienced serious audit challenges. There have been constant confrontations. Internal auditors have reportedly been locked out of their offices, and even office door locks have been broken. Is this really happening in a public office?” she inquired.
“Even I, as Regional Commissioner, cannot prevent an auditor from entering my office because it is not my personal property. It is a public office. But in Msalala, some people have become excessively confident, abandoning the principles of public service and turning against one another.”
She stressed that both internal and external auditors pursue the same objective of ensuring accountability.
“If you dismiss the advice of an internal auditor or undermine them, the external auditor will eventually identify the same shortcomings,” she said.
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According to her, the qualified audit opinion indicates that earlier concerns raised by the internal auditor and experts from the Regional Administrative Secretary’s Office were not adequately addressed.
“The issues the internal auditor tried to prevent, and those highlighted by the RAS expert, have now culminated in a qualified audit opinion. The internal auditor pointed out problems but was suspended, while the RAS expert was denied cooperation. Today, we have received a qualified audit opinion,” she said.
To establish the facts, Ms Mhita called for a special audit, “To avoid unnecessary speculation and finger-pointing, I want this council to undergo a special audit. I request the CAG’s Office to conduct a special audit so that we can determine what is happening in this council and identify weaknesses in financial controls and the use of public funds. At the same time, all relevant authorities should follow up the matter to safeguard taxpayers’ money,” she said.
Ms Mhita said that the government has continued allocating substantial resources for development projects, making it imperative for leaders and public servants to ensure the funds are managed with integrity and reach the intended beneficiaries.
she also urged councillors to play a leading role in overseeing public expenditure and ensuring that internal audit systems operate independently and effectively.
She revealed that since President Samia assumed office, Shinyanga Region has received more than 1.7 trillion/- for various development projects, stressing that the funds are intended solely to address citizen’s needs.
Meanwhile, Msalala Member of Parliament Mabula Magangila said the council had already responded to some of the issues raised in the CAG report, while work on the remaining queries was ongoing.
“We have received the report. Some audit queries have been addressed, while others are still being worked on. We have also received the Regional Commissioner’s directives and recommendations, and we will cooperate to ensure they are fully implemented,” he said.
Msalala District Council Chairperson Mibako Mabubu said the council had accepted the Regional Commissioner’s directives and was committed to implementing them.
“We have received the Regional Commissioner’s instructions and will act on them. Since this council was established, receiving a qualified audit opinion is unprecedented. The main challenge we identified was the availability of the documents and supporting evidence required during the audit,” he said.
Isaka Ward Councillor, Mr Pazi Majuto and Bulyanhulu Ward Councillor, Mr Musingi Sabaganga, both said the qualified audit opinion stemmed largely from technical matters beyond the direct control of councillors, while pledging to cooperate in implementing the directives issued by the Regional Commissioner.