Audit Uncovers Fragmented Systems in Transport Ministry, Potential for Illegal Vessel Registration

The Auditor General's Office, in a recent audit report, has identified considerable weaknesses in the systems used by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, potentially allowing illegal registration of land and marine vessels. The extensive audit report, which reviewed the ministry's operations and management from September 2021 to August 2023—and efforts to improve these operations from 2018 to 2023—revealed significant control deficiencies and systemic issues.

The report outlines significant control issues with the ministry's matrix system for land and marine vessel registration. These weaknesses have facilitated the misuse of the system, potentially increasing opportunities for unlawful vessel registration, the report said.

The audit further revealed that the ministry employed a range of integrated systems to deliver its services. This fragmented approach necessitated extensive manual work beyond the system, leading to significant delays in service delivery, the Auditor General's Office stated in its report.

The audit found that attempts to modernise the ministry's systems were hindered by extensive delays, failing to resolve long-standing issues. Additionally, the dedicated system for marine vessel registration was not utilised during the audit period, according to the report.

The ministry's effort to introduce a System Integration and Management System (SIMS) failed to address the persistent issues within its existing systems, according to the Auditor General's report. Additionally, the audit revealed that the ministry lacked a comprehensive framework for IT oversight and had not established a long-term upgrade plan for its IT systems.

The audit highlighted widespread public dissatisfaction with the ministry’s services, noting a significant number of complaints. Despite systems in place for handling public queries via email and telephone, the report stated that the lack of a dedicated policy for operating the ministry's call centre resulted in diminished service standards and eroded public trust.

The audit further disclosed that certain staff duties were reassigned to other personnel without prior notification. Additionally, no capacity-building or training programmes were conducted for ministry staff during the audit period.

The Auditor General's Office has proposed several recommendations to address the identified issues. Foremost among these is the creation of a long-term plan to enhance the ministry's IT systems. The report also advocates for integrated solutions to remedy service delivery challenges. It also suggests that staff document system changes, ensure system access aligns with job descriptions, and conduct regular system log reviews.