By Swift Reporter
Two senior officials from the Office of the Auditor General have been detained by police at Parliament following a directive by lawmakers investigating the controversial US$257 million Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) contract awarded to Russian firm Joint Stock Global Security Ltd.
The officials, Anthony Kimuli, Director of Value for Money and Specialised Audit, and Martin Bamulumbye, Director of Central Government Audit, were directed to record statements and remain in police custody until Auditor General Edward Akol appears before Parliament to explain why the audit of the project was not conducted.
The directive was issued by Mwine Mpaka, Chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure, which is examining the circumstances surrounding the award of the multimillion-dollar contract.
The committee is seeking answers over the failure to carry out the audit, a key issue as legislators scrutinise the procurement and implementation of the ITMS project.
The system, intended to support intelligent transport management, has attracted parliamentary scrutiny because of the substantial public investment involved and questions surrounding the contract awarded to the Russian company.
In a further move to advance the inquiry, the committee has summoned officials from the Ministry of Finance to appear before it on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
The lawmakers warned that the finance officials risk arrest if they fail to honour the summons, following three previous occasions on which they reportedly failed to appear before the committee despite assurances that they would attend.
The repeated absences have heightened tensions between the legislators and officials expected to provide information relevant to the investigation.
The committee is seeking explanations from the different government institutions involved in the project to establish the circumstances surrounding the contract and determine why the audit was not undertaken.
The Auditor General’s appearance is expected to provide clarification on the circumstances that prevented the audit from being conducted, while the Ministry of Finance officials are expected to respond to questions within their respective areas of responsibility.
The US$257 million ITMS contract has become a subject of parliamentary examination as legislators pursue accountability over the award of the deal and the oversight processes surrounding it.
The detention directive and the fresh summons signal the committee’s determination to obtain answers from the responsible government officials as the investigation continues.
However, the allegations and questions under investigation remain subject to clarification by the officials concerned and the findings of the parliamentary inquiry.