The Parliamentary Cluster Committee on Budget and Public Accounts has expressed worry over the post of Auditor General (AG) which has been run by officers on acting basis for four years now.

The development follows revelation that the Office has been vacant for close to four years now and has been run by acting AGs.

The Cluster’s Chairperson, Gladys Ganda, has told YFM online that keeping such a critical office vacant for such a long period of time is a serious cause of concern.

Ganda said: “This issue has remain outstanding for quite some time now and the persons holding the position have been running it on acting capacity for a long time.”

She further said AG’s position is very crucial which requires informed decisions and it’s unappropriated to be run by an officer on acting basis.

Whilst acknowledging the challenges, Secretary to the Treasury, Macdonald Mafuta Mwale, said his office is finding it difficult to recruit a suitable candidate for the post.

“The challenge has been for us to get a suitable candidate to meet the requirements of that office,” Mwale said.

He admitted that government has already made two attempts to recruit the AG through interviews but the candidates who have been coming forth were not suitable.

Meanwhile, Thomas Makiwa is the current acting AG for the National Audit Office (NAO).