Minister warns new UPPC board against corruption
The new UPPC board members with their chairperson, Mr Joachim Buwembo (fourth left) and the acting managing director, Mr Kenneth Oluka (right) after swearing-in on April 13, 2023. PHOTO/PETER SSERUGO
What you need to know:
- The minister says the new members must avoid mistakes that led to the sacking of the old board.
The former managing editor of Monitor Publications Ltd (MPL), Mr Joachim Buwembo, has officially taken over as the new board chairperson of Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) for the next three years.
Mr Buwembo, who was sworn in yesterday, took over the 120-year-old entity after the Minister for Presidency, Ms Milly Babalanda, interdicted the former board members in 2021.
Giving his maiden speech, Mr Buwembo said he will put more focus on digitalisation of the corporation so that it can favourably compete in the current digital transformation wave.
“We are taking over the Corporation during a new digital era, we use the new digital era to amplify the operations of the entity,” he said.
He added: “We are not supposed to fear technology or allow it to take us off the market. But we must use technology to grow through digital means. We have three years, we must grow three times and that is my minimum pledging on behalf of the board.”
Ms Babalanda, who presided over the swearing-in ceremony, asked the new board members to avoid mismanagement of funds, which earlier caused the mess at the corporation.
“I don’t want to go back to that Cosase of Parliament to start talking about things I didn’t know about how it came, this time round, in case of mismanagement, the board will be fully responsible because my job is to supervise the corporation,” she said.
“Be focused, work as a team, the corporation is totally business and it is you to generate money in it. Move around and bring business to the population, don’t sit and wait for business to find you in the offices,” she added.
The other board members include Mr Sadat Kisuyi, Ms Jolly Kaguhangire, Ms Alice Muhoozi, Mr Andrew Kibaya, Ms Hellen Icumar, Mr Jimmy Karugaba and Mr Nooh Bukenya.
The acting managing director for UPPC, Mr Kenneth Oluka, said the biggest challenge faced by the Corporation is the delayed payments for the services offered to the government entities, which stalls the operations of the entity.
Background
The 2022 Auditor General’s report indicated UPPC, which was established by the British colonial administration as the printer and publisher of official government documents, is still among the profit making government entities despite a reduction in the profit from Shs3.383b in 2021 to Shs1.204b last year.
