Uganda’s Moses Opito urges competence as Rwanda marks 15 years of valuation

Moses Opito, the former aspirant for the Oyam South MP seat in the forthcoming general elections, represented the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda (ISU) at an event to mark 15 years of the existence of valuation in Rwanda.

As Secretary General of ISU, Opito gave an address and shared experiences in Uganda, and what valuers in Rwanda should aim for.

The celebration, organised by the Institute of Real Property Valuers (IRPV) in Rwanda, and other partners, pushed for East African integration so that different professionals can move and work from anywhere.

Opito, who is also an advocate of the courts of judicature in Uganda, told the conference that “it is easier to practice valuation when you know the law.”

“Because I realised that there are so many legalities when it comes to competence, but also on issues of judicial practice.”

He added: “If you came to Kampala, you may find me prosecuting valuers but also defending them and at the same time expanding frontiers in policy.”

“I have listened in carefully and with a lot of intent to every submission made here. Ladies and gentlemen, the issues of valuation are cross-cutting and they are the same.”

“I must commend IRPV for doing a very good job. Fifteen years is still young and the kind of issues that I have heard being raised here, to me …..in Uganda, even when we are 30 years, we couldn’t merge.”

He listed three key tasks: “We need to improve on competence. Ladies and gentlemen, the next time I come back here, I don’t want to see IRPV; I want to see an institute which deals with the valuation of everything. Onaskia?”

Opito also demanded the valuation of tangibles and intangibles; valuation of plants and machinery, financial instruments, legal and social rights.

“I listened to the advocates, there was a contention. They were saying overvaluation and undervaluation, that is okay; build your competence and at the end of the day, what we are interested in is “a well-reasoned, justified, objective valuation.”