Officials from the Office of the Auditor General have been handed over to the Parliamentary Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to record statements over the controversial digital number plate project following concerns about the absence of an audit since its inception in 2022.

The officials, led by Anthony Kimuli, Director of Value for Money and Specialised Audits at the Office of the Auditor General, appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure, chaired by Mwine Mpaka, to explain why the project had not been audited.

During the proceedings, legislators questioned what they described as a failure to audit the project, raising concerns about accountability, financial oversight and the possibility of losses to government.

The committee established that no audit had been conducted since the project commenced in 2022, despite being implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

Lawmakers expressed concern over how revenue generated from the project had been monitored and managed in the absence of an audit, questioning the adequacy of existing mechanisms for ensuring accountability.

The proceedings took a significant turn when committee member Waluswaka moved a motion proposing that the officials be handed over to the Parliamentary Police CID to record statements regarding the matter.

The motion was seconded, after which committee chairperson Mwine Mpaka directed that the officials be handed over to the police unit and remain in custody pending the appearance of the Auditor General, Edward Akol.

The committee’s action comes amid growing scrutiny of the digital number plate project, particularly regarding its financial management, oversight and compliance with accountability requirements.

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