General
Mak to Decentralise Review of Payments up to UGX50milllion to Colleges
The Makerere University Directorate of Internal Audit has carried out a further phase out arrangement that will oversee the unit dropping the review of payments up to UGX50milllion effective 1st July 2017. This was revealed during a Stakeholders Workshop on Payment review Mechanism:Internal Controls, Risk Management, Compliance and Governance held on Friday 16th June 2017 in the Main Hall.
According to the Ag. Director, Internal Audit Mr Benson Barigye, the role of the review of payments shall be taken up by the professional accountants and Principals in the respective units at College level. Officially opened by the Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu, the Stakeholders Workshop also focused on addressing issues regarding compliance with procurement laws and regulations.
The Vice Chancellor thanked the Directorate of Internal Audit for preparing such an informative workshop when he said, “I am happy to be part of this workshop and I am sure that during its course, we shall be able to understand your take in exiting the pre-audit process and the benefits of the action. I have hope that this system will yield successful result to the institution in terms of managing university finances and accountability.”
Addressing the intent audience at the Stakeholders Workshop, Mr. Barigye said that the action undertaken by the Internal Audit to exit the pre-Payment review process and delegating it to colleges was aimed at creating time for the team in the Directorate to concentrate more on risk-based auditing.
Citing the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF, 2013) and best practices, Mr. Barigye said that Internal Auditors are not permitted to engage in operational issues like pre-audit activities. According to him, this was also backed up by the Makerere University Council’s decision to phase out the pre-audit activities as passed on 1st June 2011.
“With the Council’s decision to phase out the pre-audit activities, we effectively dropped review of payment up to UGX2M, review of accountabilities up to UGX5M and deliveries up to UGX2M. On 1 July, 2014, the threshold of payment review and deliveries were revised to UGX5M. Effective 1 July, 2017, internal audit shall make a further phase out arrangement up to UGX50M,” said Mr. Barigye.
According to the Makerere University Bursar Mr. Augustine Tamale, decentralising payment review will mandate professional accountants together with the College Principals to manage the college/unit financial procedures, monitor their transactions as well as present thoroughly reviewed financial papers.
Mr. Tamale also said that the process will help the respective colleges to think critically and make an informed decision on their financial interests in relation to guidelines of the Internal Audit process, before presenting financial documents for any kind of transaction.
“The colleges must review their financial documents carefully and weed out any inequalities to avoid releasing documents when not sure of their accuracy,” he said
He mentioned that the decentralised review payment will also enable the Internal Audit to have a dual review mechanism. According to the University Bursar, the decentralised review payment will also reduce on the bureaucratic nature of the institution in terms of payment review without making losses.
“We shall have a team of professional accountants who shall work hand in hand with the College Principals to have this work done before sending it to the internal audit. The advantage of this is that once the first reviewer misses out something, it could be easily be realised by the second reviewer,” he said.
In a presentation he made on “Makerere University Payment Reviews”, Mr. Augustine Tamale advised participants on the importance of having a contractual obligations and following legal procedures at each every step of review. “You should also know that you have the mandate to advise the user on the proper management of these financial documents, provide technical support to all units and be sure of the arithmetic accuracy of the document,” he said.
The University Secretary Mr. Charles Barugahare presented the financial and accountability focus of Makerere University for the financial year 2017/2018. Discussing the budget and its reporting and accountability requirements, the University Secretary extended his gratitude to the Government and Parliament of Uganda on behalf of Makerere University for the approved favorable 2017/2018 budget of UGX248bn.
“I am happy that this financial year 2017/2018, the government and the parliament of Uganda approved 248bn leading to an increment of the wage from UGX100.08bn to UGX116.89bn. This financial year the budget also indicates a figure of UGX3.85bn allocated towards arrears. In the last financial year, the university never received any arrears from the Government, I am really grateful for this,” he said.
“He however called upon the university to abide by the reporting and accountability requirements as proposed by the government. “Let us make sure that the Annual, half-yearly accounts and quarterly performance reports are prepared in accordance with the designated due dates, we prepare the Monthly Bank reconciliation for all accounts including projects by the 15th of the following month and get them signed by the responsible people,” he said.
Reiterating the need to manage risks in the auditing department, the head- Procurement and Disposal Unit Mr. Paul Agaba said that the Procurement and Disposal Unit together with the Directorate of Internal Audit should develop a tool on how to manage the financial risks that occur during the auditing process. Discussing the role of procurement in mitigating the risk in the post audit, Agaba said the Internal Audit can adopt the work plan to mitigate the increasing risks in the pre-audits
The workshop was officially closed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), Professor Barnabas Nawangwe. In his closing remarks, Prof. Nawangwe called for several related workshops saying that they are professional development platforms that enable the working staff to gain more knowledge and skills.
Article: Public Relations Office
General
Makerere University and Xiangtan University Advance Strategic Partnership in Chemical Engineering
Makerere University and Xiangtan University are set to update their close to 20-year academic partnership, with a new focus on launching a joint Master’s degree program in Chemical Engineering and expanding student and staff exchange initiatives.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a recent visit by a delegation from Xiangtan University to Makerere University headed by Professor Dingyu Ou, in the company of Mr. Tang Fei and Professor Gilbert Gumshabe, the Chinese and Ugandan Directors of the Confucius Institute at Makerere University respectively.
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify academic offerings and contribute to national development through training in Chemical Engineering. Through this new initiative, the University will better prepare graduates for the petrochemical industry and support the country’s industrial growth.
The Vice Chancellor appreciated that the proposed collaboration aims to address Uganda’s growing need for industrial expertise, particularly as the country develops its petroleum sector. The two universities here are working toward a 1+2 training model, which will enable Makerere students to gain practical experience and access advanced laboratory facilities at Xiangtan University.
Professor Nawangwe further reiterated that “our relationship with the people of China, not just for Makerere but also for a big part of Uganda, has been opened wider by the establishment of the Confucius Institute, considering that many other collaborations like one being discussed now have come through this collaboration.”
The head of the Xiangtan delegation, Professor Dingyu Ou, expressed appreciation for the meeting, and acknowledged the history between the institutions. “As mentioned, we have a very long relationship and a very stable friendship between our two universities.”
Professor Ou extended appreciation for the support provided to the Confucius Institute at Makerere, the care shown to his colleagues, and looked forward to the successful start of the Chemical Engineering collaboration.
Assuring the delegation of Makerere’s readiness for the collaboration, Ms. Hawa Ndagire Kajumba the Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Makerere University Advancement Office, aligned with the Vice Chancellor’s emphasis of University goal to have both theory and practice imparted to the students.
She said “the curriculum of the university and Uganda as a whole is moving towards competence-based education training to ensure students are equipped to demonstrate those skills in the actual field, particularly regarding petroleum exploration.”
Ms. Ndagire Kajumba also emphasised a shift in strategy for the partnership office, saying, “we are moving away from just signing MOUs that collect dust, and moving towards those that are more collaborative to benefit our faculty and students, just like this one.”
Professor Gilbert Kumushabe aligned his remarks with those of the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Ndagire Kajumba, and described the method used at Xiangtan University as “actually competence-based teaching.”
Based on his recent visit, Prof. Gumoshabe shared that students in China are divided into groups with dedicated teachers to perform practical, hands-on work beyond the theoretical lecturers. He expressed gladness that the same was being adopted for the Ugandan context.
Both institutions are now working to finalise the specific agreements for the joint degree and exchange programs. Beyond academic training, the collaboration will advance cultural and professional exchange.
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