Arusha — AUDITORS who have been playing favourite with their friends or members of own families are finally going to have their performances audited.

Government is devising a mechanism that will prevent internal auditors from auditing activities on public projects that are either associated or being executed by people who are related or close to them, including friends, relatives or business partners.

Internal Auditor General, Mr Mohammed Mtonga stated in Arusha that rules and regulations regarding the proposed new auditing system have been established and are now waiting for approval. "Under this new arrangement, internal auditors will be required to declare their personal interests before being sent out for auditing public projects and firms belonging or related to their close relatives and friends," he said.

The official stated that the idea is meant to rescue billions of shillings that have been dubiously spent by some unscrupulous public officials implementing public projects.

"There is a belief that the current system of auditing has loopholes for internal auditors to audit in favour of the client, something that will come to an end," maintained Mr Mtonga during the occasion in which he was addressing 70 public internal auditors from Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Manyara regions who are here to attend a three-day training on International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) organised by the Ministry of Finance.

"It is prohibited for an internal auditor to go and audit projects executed by people who are related to them without declaring interests." He stated that it is not healthy for a professional internal auditor to work against rules governing the sector.

The Internal Auditor General added that rules and regulations prohibiting internal auditors from doing the vice have been established and will be rendered functional very soon after being approved by the government.

"It will be mandatory for an internal auditor with certain interest in a public project, to declare interests before proceeding with auditing. Legal action will be taken for anyone who will go against this." He however asserted that responsibilities of internal auditors are to increase from traditional view of financial audit to risk management issues, performance and compliance issues.