Duties, Responsibilities and Liability of Spending Officers, Chief Cashier and Cashiers

Spending Officer

A Spending Officer is any officer having direct monetary or financial responsibilities connected with or arising from his/her official duties. Spending Officers may include the following: Provosts, Deans, Directors, Heads of Department and Centres, Hall Masters/Warden and any Officer who approves expenses.

Duties of Spending Officer

The following shall be the duties of a Spending Officer:

  1. Responsible for the College/Faculty/School/ Institute/Centre/ Department/Section/Unit Vote

  2. To see to it that all monies collected are fully accounted for to the Cashier.

  3. To see to it that payments made from imprest accounts are legitimate charge on the funds of the University and that such payments are fully authortised by him/her.

  4. To report any cases of irregularities to the Director of Finance and the Director of Internal Audit and copy of such information to the Vice-Chancellor.

Liability of Spending Officers

Any Spending Officer who, without proper care, authorises expenditure in excess of an approved threshold renders himself/herself liable to a surcharge to the extent of the excess.

Heads of Department and Accounting Officers shall be held responsible for all duties entrusted to subordinates.

Chief Cashier

The Chief Cashier is the officer who is delegated by the Director of Finance to receive on behalf of the University, all subventions, grants, revenue and other incomes from government, students, Cashiers/Accounting Officers of the University and other payees and to make disbursements out of the funds on behalf of the University.

Duties of Chief Cashier

The Chief Cashier is responsible for:

  1. Receiving cash and issuing receipts

  2. Making bank lodgments and withdrawals

  3. Making payment of sundry claims to Staff/Students and others

  4. The custody of financial documents such as cheques, payment vouchers, receipt books issued by Director of Finance.

  5. The Petty-Cash Book

  6. Keeping other records for the proper recording of all financial transactions of the University.

  7. Making good any shortages that are discovered in his/her cash account.

  8. Rendering account to the Director of Finance for any surplus that occurs in the accounts.

Cashier

A Cashier is an Officer other than the Chief Cashier, authorised by the Director of Finance, to collect revenue that accrues to the University. S/he is required to keep an official receipt book and account for the monies collected.

Duties of a Cashier

It is the duty of a Cashier to:

  1. Issue receipts for any sums of money received on behalf of the University.

  2. Account for all revenues collected by him/her.

  3. Lodge such monies daily into an appropriate bank account. All bank lodgments are to be supported by duplicate pay-in-slips.

  4. Cashiers shall not make payments of any kind from monies collected by them, but shall account for such monies in full.

Liabilities of a Cashier

The fact that the Directorate of Internal Audit conducts daily checks in connection with the University accounts or finances does not absolve any Cashier from shortages that may subsequently be detected.

Submission of Returns to Director of Finance

Accounting Officers in the Colleges/Faculties /Schools/Institutes/Centres/Departments/Sections/Units shall submit returns on income and expenditure to the Director of Finance and must do so not later than the tenth day of the following month.