Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The education ministry paid N$1.68 million to a supplier for emergency procurement of tents without following the required procedures, the auditor general’s 2022/2023 report shows.
The audit found that the Procurement Management Unit (PMU) and the procurement committee were not involved in the process.
“The procurement process did not involve the Procurement Management Unit or the Procurement Committee. The planner of the directorate did the sourcing of the quotation at the regional level,” Auditor General Junias Kandjeke stated in the report.
The payment, flagged during an audit of general expenses in the Otjozondjupa region, was not authorised by the regional council.
The audit also found that required procurement documents were missing.
“There are no bidding documents and other mandatory documents such as certificate of good standing, tax certificate, good standing certificate from the Social Security Commission and affirmative action compliance certificate or exemption,” the report reads.
The PMU compared the price of the tents to a previous purchase and found the cost to be higher.
“The PMU compared the prices from other suppliers of the same tents that cost N$779 400; thus, the quoted price from the said supplier is double the actual amount from the last supplier,” the report stated.
Despite this, the supplier was paid N$1.68 million.
The report also noted that there was no official award letter issued to the supplier.
“There is no award letter signed by the Accounting Officer communicated to the supplier,” the report added.
The ministry’s head office had transferred N$1 million to the Otjozondjupa Regional Council to pay for the tents, but the quote exceeded the budget.
“Head Office transferred an amount of N$1milliom to the Regional account to procure tents, but the quote was higher than the budgetary provision,” the report said.
The accounting officer failed to show any evidence of disciplinary action taken against the officials involved.
No proof was submitted confirming that the N$1 million was transferred to the regional account.
“No proof was provided on the amount of N$1 million that was transferred to the Regional Account to procure tents, since the payment was made by the head office,” the report added.
Questions sent to the education ministry about the payment, disciplinary steps, and the status of the tents were not answered by the time of publication.
