Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) managing director (MD) Winston Agaba has dismissed claims made by the line Minister Hon Frank Tumwebaze that he requested an independent audit from Finance Ministry.
Tumwebaze last week, revealed to this website that six months ago he asked Ministry of Finance to conduct an audit after it emerged that the state broadcaster had continued to slip into a financial crisis despite efforts of revamping it hitting a dead end.
“I am not aware of any audit conducted by another Ministry,” Winston said in a telephone conversation with this website.
We further put to him why the UBC had to suspend several of its employers who masterminded fraud by including a number ghost workers on the corporation’s payroll.
But Winston further refuted these reports suggesting that, “there was no fraud or ghost workers.”
He justified the suspension of 2 managers- the Human Resource and payroll accountant saying, “we just have issues with our payroll and we asked the two to step aside.”
Winston adds that UBC is a huge establishment more than what Ugandans think.
“When people hear UBC they think it UBC TV, they forget that UBC operates more than 10 radio stations, 5 masts 4 TVs and other businesses,” he said.
Tumwebaze had earlier expressed suspicion that the number of workers could have been inflated.
“For ghost workers it could be true because UBC has unbelievably huge number of workers,” Tumwebaze confessed.
He said as the Minister in charge, we would announce his decision on UBC in the course of this month.
On Tuesday Tumwebaze tasked Winston and the acting board chairman Simon Kaheru to show cause why they shouldn’t be dismissed.
One wonders how managers can successfully execute a fraud without knowledge of high authorities at Nile Avenue.
Workers have spent two months without pay.
Winston responded that once the process is streamlined payment will come through.
Winston Agaba in statement explained that;
AUDIT INQUIRY INTO THE UGANDA BROADCASTING CORPORATION PAYROLL
Kampala, June 13, 2017: At a meeting of the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) Board of Directors held on 5th June, 2017, that considered a preliminary Internal Audit report, it was resolved that a deeper, independent audit process on the UBC payroll be conducted.
The Audit is being conducted to establish the existence of proper controls, proper segregation of duties in the accounts department, completeness and accuracy of payments and to verify the employment status of all the persons whose particulars appear on the payroll.
To conduct this process staff who are directly charged with preparing and processing the payroll were requested to step aside to pave way for the audit inquiry as is the norm with best practices in any establishment.
“UBC is on the road to an institutional revamp and a complete Restructuring exercise. This audit will inform the quality, remuneration and needs of our human resource pool as part of the process,” said Simon Kaheru, Ag. Board Chairperson.
The audit is underway and is expected to last not more than two weeks