MASERU – A report by a parliamentary portfolio committee has revealed that the Office of the Prime Minister spent M3 million from Lesotho’s emergency fund on official and family travel for Prime Minister Sam Matekane and his deputy, Justice Nthomeng Majara.
According to the report, this expenditure came after the Office of the Prime Minister had already exhausted the M6 million allocated to it by Parliament.
The committee’s report further states that the Ministry of Public Service spent over M400,000 from the disaster management fund to finance a government staff wellness retreat held in November last year.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs exceeded its allocated budget by M20 million, spending beyond the more than half-billion Maloti it had received from Parliament.
This additional spending was used to:
• Purchase vehicles for Lesotho’s diplomatic missions in Belgium and Italy
• Finance the repatriation of diplomatic staff whose foreign postings had ended
The parliamentary committee raised concerns about the use of emergency and disaster funds for purposes not directly linked to national emergencies, highlighting the need for stricter financial oversight and accountability in government spending.
