Auditor General gets new home

 The auditor general has built a new office premise to strengthen its financial and operational independence. Prossy Nandudu had a chat with the Auditor General John Muwanga about the new home and what it means for his work processes. Below we carry the excerpts 

Q :Briefly tell us about the Audit house, including its location?

A: Audit House is an ultra-modern government building, with 10 storeys of office floors above ground and three levels of underground parking space for 150 vehicles.

The Audit House is located on plot 2C along Apollo Kaggwa road. It is neighboured by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Uganda Bureau of Statistics and Kampala Capital City Authority headquarters. Client: Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development through FINMAP-II Beneficiary: The Office of the Auditor General Project Architects / Project Managers: Kamulegeya & Associates Project Civil / Structural Engineers: Uganda ConsultingEngineers Project Electrical and Mechanical Engineers: L&S Company Ltd Project ICT Engineers: L&S Company Project Quantity Surveyors: Bikandema & Partners Contractor: Seyani Brothers and Co. Ltd

How significant is the Audit building to the work of the Auditor General?

The project to construct Audit House is part of the wider project to construct office premises for the Office of the Auditor General in Jinja, Mbale, Mbarara and Kampala that started in 2008. The project is aimed at addressing key strategic objectives for the Office of the Auditor General as laid out in the OAG Corporate Plans of 2005/2006 to 2011/2012. The project thus aims at addressing the challenge of providing suitable office accommodation so as to strengthen the financial and operational independence of the Office of the Auditor General.

This is in conformity with the United Nations resolution A/66/209 (December 2011) which advocates for the promotion of the efficiency accountability,effectiveness and transparency of public administration by strengthening Supreme Audit Insitutions.

Where have you been operating from? And at what cost?

The Office has been renting space around Kampala although the Head Offices have been accommodated on Treasury building within Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development headquarters. On average, the Office has been spending sh1.14b per annum on rent and utilities for its accommodation in Kampala. Who constructed it and at what cost?

How big is the workspace?

The Audit House was constructed by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development under the Financial Management and Accountability Programme (FINMAP). It was contracted to Seyani Brothers and Co. Ltd. The Consultants are Kamulegeya & Associates. The project cost is sh58.8b. The total inclusive built up floor area is approximately 16,300m2 with 7,000sqm allocated to the basement floors and the rest to the respective floors and roof top. Each office floor measures approximately 830m2 of built up area with 520m2 allocated to offices and the rest to common spaces.

Does it mean the building will increase efficiency in handling corruption cases?

Audit House will enhance the strategic and operational independence of the Office of the Auditor General. There is need for the Office of the Auditor General to be independent both in mind and physically, from those of whom it audits. In Uganda the independence of the Auditor General is enshrined in our Constitution and in the National Audit Act which specifically provide that the Auditor General should not be under the control or direction of any person or authority. Audit House will enhance our audit independence and improve our corporate image as the Office of the Auditor General in its regional audit jurisdiction. It will also contribute to better public reporting on service delivery in general and accountability in particular which in turn leads to good governance, better service delivery, and improved public accountability in this region.

How is it going to cut costs? What happens to the money that will be saved when you occupy this building?

The Office of the Auditor General will no longer spend money on rental dues in which case those monies will return to the consolidated fund to be allocated to other Government needs, although some of it will be retained for the maintenance of the building.

The Audit House also comes with a lot of non-monetary benefits like improvements in the operational efficiency of the Office.Staff have been operating in different locations,they will now operate under one building which will cut down time and cost of movement.

What is the capacity of the building?

Audit House has 10 storeys of office floors above ground and three levels of underground parking space for 150 vehicles. The building will accommodate all offices of the Office of the Auditor General in Kampala currently with a staff population of 313 in Kampala.

Is this the final construction plan or is it in phases?

The Office of the Auditor General is a growing organisation and will continue to grow in line with its vision, mission and strategic objectives. The construction of Audit House is complete. However, the office has plans to construct additional regional offices to meet the growing demand of enhanced accountability particularly in the oil and minerals sector. The Office plans to construct two Regional offices next year in Moroto and Hoima.

What will happen to the old offices and when do you hope to move in?

The Office has been renting space around Kampala although the Head Offices have been accommodated in Treasury building within MoFPED headquarters. We plan to vacate these spaces for our new home in December 2014.

What assurance can you give the public about the fight against corruption in relation to the new building?

The key objective of moving into a home which you can call your own is to enhance the operational independence of the Office and generate internal efficiencies. Currently in Kampala the OAG rents accommodation on Crusader House, Soliz House and Lumumba Avenue. This was a temporary measure undertaken to remove staff who were previously being accommodated by the auditee. No doubt as you can appreciate the consequences of being accommodated by the person that you audit.

Whereas the thrust of our work as set out in our Vision and Mission is centered on delivering and promoting effective public accountability, this in turn provides the basis upon which those institutions which are specifically charged with corruption can base their investigative work. Our audit reports are extensively used by the Inspectorate of Government and the Police (CIID). The Audit house will improve on our operational efficiency as it will bring all of us together.

Communication costs and excessive time wasted in Kampala traffic will be brought to a minimal and so contribute to better public reporting on service delivery in general and accountability in particular which in turn leads to good governance, better service delivery, and improved public accountability in the country.

Anything else that you would like to remind the public about?

Audit House has been funded by the Government of Uganda and a contribution of sh6.3b from by DFID our Donor partners. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my appreciation to Prsident Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and to congratulate the Government upon this auspicious achievement. I would also like to extend my appreciation to our Donor partners DFID for the support they rendered. Lastly, I wish to assure the public that the Office of the Auditor General will continue to be steadfast in its mandate of promoting effective public accountability and value for money spent as stipulated in the Constitution of Uganda, and the National Audit Act, 2008.

The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU)