Commerce PS struggles to explain why officers undertook a trip when funds were unavailable

MINISTRY of Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary Mushuma Mulenga yesterday had a tough time responding to questions posed by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on amounts totalling K73,166 paid to eight officers as refunds. The latest Auditor General’s report revealed that amounts totalling K73,166 were paid to eight officers as refunds for using their personal money on payment of visas and subsistence allowances for travelling abroad. Mulenga also failed to clearly explain how a motor vehicle belonging to the Ministry was involved in an accident on July 11, 2018 but was nowhere to be seen after an audit was conducted in June 2020 and July 2021. The Committee also noticed that there were a lot of inconsistencies in...