PSST Ggoobi calls for reforms in meeting with internal auditors

KAMPALA, February 28, 2026 — The Ministry of Finance’s Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury [PSST], Ramathan Ggoobi, has challenged Heads of Internal Audit at district local governments, cities and municipal councils to ensure audit reports become instruments of change rather than archives of failure.

Ggoobi said more than a third of public spending takes place at local government level, adding that if internal audit fails there, government will also fail to deliver services where citizens live.

“We therefore cannot achieve fiscal discipline, investor confidence or tenfold growth if internal audit is weak,” he said during a meeting held on Thursday at the ministry’s headquarters in Kampala.

Citing evidence that public funds are not being adequately safeguarded, Ggoobi revealed that pension overpayments exceeding Shs 31 billion have been made to thousands of beneficiaries.

He also pointed to persistent payroll irregularities, risks associated with ghost workers and the diversion of funds from approved activities.

In addition, he highlighted procurement failures, including significant price variations for similar government goods and works, as well as audit queries that recur year after year.

The PSST identified four persistent structural weaknesses: an emphasis on compliance auditing rather than risk-based auditing; weak follow-up on audit findings; a skills mismatch in the context of digital transformation; and limited independence of internal audit functions.

He called for immediate reforms to ensure auditors focus on risk rather than paperwork, pursue findings until corrective action is taken, make greater use of data, including Integrated Financial Management System [IFMS] analytics, payroll trend analysis and procurement price comparisons, and prioritise the prevention of losses.

As part of the Government’s commitment, Ggoobi said the Office of the Internal Auditor General would be strengthened, IT audit capacity enhanced through training, and the status of Heads of Internal Audit improved.

“Uganda’s tenfold growth goal requires strong public finance governance,” he said, adding that every wasted shilling increases taxes, debt or service delivery gaps.

https://thecooperator.news/local-governments-decry-poor-service-delivery/

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