President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has sworn in Mr. Edward Akol as the new Auditor General during a ceremony at State House Entebbe this afternoon. The oath was administered by the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, Ms. Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye.
Following the swearing-in, President Museveni congratulated Mr. Akol and urged him to actively address corruption in the country. “I congratulate you and your family on being appointed the Auditor General of the country. The Banyankole say, ‘Orurikwenda kwita embwa rugigara enyindo,’ which means if a dog can no longer smell, it will die. Akol’s job is to ‘smell’ for Uganda,” Museveni stated.
The President emphasized the importance of vigilance against corrupt auditors, advising Mr. Akol to go beyond written reports and engage the public for firsthand information on corruption. “About auditors who are given money and write false reports, this is easy to detect. Don’t just depend on the written reports; send people to the field to find out how my people are doing because the public knows. Rely on the written records but also on the field checks,” he added.
Mr. Edward Akol was recently appointed as Auditor General and was approved by Parliament on July 4, 2024. He succeeds John F.S. Muwanga, who served for more than 20 years. Mr. Akol began his career in the Office of the Auditor General as an auditor in August 1994, was promoted to senior auditor in July 1999, became a senior principal auditor in 2004, and later served as deputy auditor general.
The ceremony was attended by the Finance Minister, Hon. Matia Kasaija; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Ramathan Ggoobi; the Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Adolf Mwesige; and members of Mr. Akol’s family.