Grace Assenga

Grace is a Deputy Manager at ALN Tanzania | Anjarwalla & Khanna’s Forensics, Risk and compliance department. Grace has over 8 years’ experience in conducting fraud investigations, financial and procurement fraud reviews, Fraud risk assessment, corporate intelligence, and Enhanced Due Diligence.

She also has experience in regulatory compliance in anti- bribery, corruption, and anti-money laundering. In addition to the forensic experience, Grace has been engaged on different clients’ Internal audits, project audits, governance assessment reviews, and policy compliance reviews.

Grace is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and the International Institute of Certified Forensic Investigation (IICFIP). She holds a Master of Business Administration (Accounting) from University of Dar es Salaam and a Bachelor of Accounts and Finance in Public Sector Accounting, Finance, and Investigation from Mzumbe University.

• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
• International Institute Certified Forensic Investigation   Professionals Inc. (IICFIP)

2014: Bachelor of Accounts and Finance in Public Sector Accounting, Finance and Investigation (BACC/PSAFI)

2017: Certified Forensic Investigation Practitioner

2021: Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)

2023: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Tanzania

Oct 2022 – Date: Deputy Manager, Anjarwalla & Khanna, Tanzania

Aug 2015 – Sept 2022: Senior Consultant, Forensics Services and Project Audits KPMG East Africa

Aug 2014 – July 2015: Audit Associate, Nexia SJ Tanzania

Nov 2013 – Feb 2014: Audit Intern, Price Waterhouse Coopers Tanzania

Sept 2013 – Oct 2013: Accountant Volunteer, Management and Development for Health (MDH) Internship

Forensic Investigation

• Acting for Norwegian Nurses Organization in connection with a compliance review on the operations of three national nurses’ organizations funded by them in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, including conducting a review of donor funds and other internal generated funds by the unions, review of payroll and salaries with computation of income taxes and property taxes and assets verifications. Site visits to the third parties and calling of training participants to confirm attendance and receipts of facilitations, lastly preparation of factual findings report together with supporting exhibits.
• Acting for an international non-governmental organization in connection with forensic investigation services on the projects under the NGO, including reviewing the procurement process, reviewing the recruitment policies and filling the expenses and procurement worksheet.
• Advising a Leading airline Company in Tanzania in connection with a fraud and misconduct investigation with the aim of establishing the extent to which the suspected fraud has been committed, including assisting in the preparation of client reports for court hearing, participating in court hearing attendance and preparation of court hearing minutes.
• Advising a regional insurance company in connection with an investigation of an insurance claim of its insured party (one of the leading banks in Tanzania), including taking consultation notes on the interviews conducted, preparation of evidence collection templates, inputting of information, and assisting in report writing and extraction of exhibits.
• Advising an international investment company in connection with suspected cases of mismanagement of funds, asset misappropriation, and unauthorized expenses among other compliance-related concerns, regarding funds disbursed to two companies with mining operations situated in Morogoro Tanzania.
• Acting for a Multi-donor entity that promotes agribusiness development in Uganda by reviewing 11 implementing partners who were granted different project funds by a multi-donor organization that promotes private sector agribusiness development in Uganda where the implementing partners were alleged with embezzlement of project funds and fictitious transactions.
• Advising the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Tanzania/NORAD as lead investigator in connection with a financial review two agricultural implementing partners, expenditure verification of the NORAD funds and Pre-Grant Review Assessment.

Project Audits

• Advising the Embassy of Sweden in connection with the evaluation of different tendering process of procurement purchases under the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training (MoEST), President’s Office, – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) and Tanzania Institute of Education funded by SIDA.
• Advising Palladium Group Tanzania in connection with the expenditure verification of its grantees including carrying out the review to the grantees, undertaking expenditure review, bank statements reviews and employee’s salary reviews and statutory re-computations.
• Advising the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) with a Spot check review on the Department of Social Worker (DSW) in the Ministry of health Tanzania being one of the UNICEF Tanzania’s implementing partners.
• Advising Femina Hip and Karibu Tanzania Organisation (KTO) which are Non-Governmental Organisations in Tanzania in regarding to efficiency of the projects through assessment covering governance, operations, financial management.

AML Compliance

• Advising the National Bank of Commerce in connection with KYC Quality Reviews on new to bank customers, dormant and political exposed customers, including reviewing of the KYC reviewed files to verify consistence to the physical files, documentation on KYC compliance checklist for new to bank Customers, and updating summary of findings and Compilation of KYC report.
• Advising a regional bank in connection with KYCs and enhanced due diligence on the Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) accounts portfolio, including conducting research of the assigned PEP, preparation of the draft PEP EDD level 2 reports, a compilation of articles through website searches and World check.

Internal Audit

• Advising the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF) in connection with an Internal Audit Risk and Compliance to assist in the establishment of a Risk and Control Function for the Registered Trustees in Tanzania, including conducting audits on projects implemented by various ICF partners as requested by ICF, analysing the total number of successful projects done at the expected time frame and analyzing contributors’ reports and projects agreements in terms of their budgets, disbursements and expected start-end dates.

Anti Money Laundering and Whistleblowing Hotline Services

• Acting for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency in connection with carrying out background checks on various potential vendors, including conducting site visits to the potential vendors, conducting introductory meetings with the contact personnel, taking pictures of operations activities underway.
• Advising a local bank in Tanzania in connection with the implementation of whistleblowing, including conducting an assessment of their structure and needs, setting up and review of Whistleblowing policy, training to bank staff and provision of reporting facilities as well as assessing the usage of the reporting facilities and sending incidents reports to the required personal in the reporting matrix.
• Acting for several client in connection with their implementation of whistleblowing platforms, including designing and reviewing whistleblowing policies, conducting training sessions and overseeing reporting of complaints to designated recipients.