MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (Local Government) have questioned the valuation of Luwero district’s fixed and non-fixed assets after finding that some government property had been assigned surprisingly low values.
The committee, chaired by Betty Nambooze Bakireke, the Mukono Municipality MP, was examining the 2024/25 Auditor General’s report when it raised concerns about the district’s asset register and the values attached to government property.
According to the Auditor General’s report, Luwero’s fixed assets were valued at about Shs40 billion, while its non-fixed assets were valued at about Shs19 billion.
The MPs, however, said the figures appeared to undervalue the district’s property and questioned how the officials arrived at the valuations.
The committee also found that district officials could not clearly establish the exact acreage of land owned by Luwero.
This left the MPs questioning how the district could accurately value its land and other property when it did not have a clear record of the size of its land holdings.
Nambooze said the problem was not unique to Luwero, claiming that several other districts visited by the committee had reported similar problems.
“By the way, it is not Luwero only having this challenge of undervaluation. Even in other districts we have visited, the code is the same: undervaluation,” Nambooze said.
She described the situation as worrying and suggested that there could be a deliberate arrangement involving politicians and technical officials to undervalue public property.
The committee was particularly concerned about the values placed on some major government facilities in Luwero.
The MPs found that the land and buildings belonging to Bukalasa Agricultural College had been valued at only Shs35 million.
The Bamunanika Technical Institute in Mulajje was valued at Shs24 million, while Bukolwa Health Centre III was valued at Shs5 million.
The MPs questioned whether such valuations reflected the actual value of the land and buildings occupied by the government institutions.
The committee was told that Luwero does not have a district surveyor and valuer, a gap that the MPs said could contribute to the questionable valuation of public property.
The absence of qualified personnel responsible for assessing government property also raised concerns about the disposal of district assets.
Nambooze said government appeared to spend large amounts of money when purchasing land from private individuals but could end up selling public property at very low prices.
“I am so disappointed with some district officials that when government is buying land from individuals, it seems to be expensive, but when selling to someone, it tends to be cheaper,” she said.
She called for new regulations to guide the buying and selling of government assets and ensure that public property is properly valued before it is acquired or disposed of.
The MPs also examined vehicles and other equipment that the district had listed for disposal.
Among the items were two double-cabin vehicles that were reportedly being offered for sale at Shs4.5 million each.
A motorcycle was also listed for disposal at Shs125,000.
The figures further raised questions among the MPs about whether the district was getting fair value for public assets being sold.
The committee demanded explanations from district officials on how the disposal prices had been determined.
However, the Acting Chief Financial Officer, Godfrey Walakira, failed to give answers that convinced the committee on some of the issues raised.
The MPs also questioned the cost of constructing a pit latrine at the district, which they said had reached about Shs4 million.
They wanted the district officials to explain the specifications, procurement process and expenditure behind the project.
The committee said proper valuation and management of government assets was important because public property belongs to taxpayers.
The MPs warned that weak records, lack of professional valuers and questionable disposal prices could expose districts to losses if assets are sold below their true market value.
