According to the principal secretary for Finance, Mr Servacius
Likwelile, the move was in reaction to an audit report by donor
countries showing that some euros 280,000 (Sh644 million) meant for the
improvement of local governments management were misused or stolen by
corrupt officials
Dar es Salaam.
The government has terminated the contracts of officials accused of
embezzling over Sh600 million in donor funds meant for the ongoing local
authorities reform programme, The Citizen can report.
At the same time, the government has also closed
the programme’s secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office and ordered
that all those behind the scam be disciplined or charged in court as per
the law.
According to the principal secretary for Finance,
Mr Servacius Likwelile, the move was in reaction to an audit report by
donor countries showing that some euros 280,000 (Sh644 million) meant
for the improvement of local governments management were misused or
stolen by corrupt officials.
In an interview with The Citizen on the sidelines
of the East African Community Summit in Kampala at the weekend, Mr
Likwelile confirmed that the action was immediately taken to remedy the
situation and get the programme back on track.
“We have taken a number of measures with regard to
this matter and currently, we’re talking to the donors to see to it
that they reverse their decision to pull out of the programme,” he said.
The PS said the government has cancelled contracts
of all the officials who were working on the programme and recalled
those who had been seconded there by their respective ministries.
“It has been made clear to all of them that they
will not be paid their gratuity and appropriate administrative action
will follow with regard to those under the civil service,” he explained.
He noted that some of the fired officials were
hired on contract to run the project. “They have all been sent home and
we’ll pursue the necessary legal means to recover the money from the
culpable,” said the PS, who added that it was wrong to allow the poor to
suffer on account of a few greedy individuals.
“Again it is the poor people that suffer in this
kind of scenario; we are telling our development partners to view this
in that respect. We’re talking with them with a view to making sure they
continue supporting the programme,” Mr Likwelile said.
The Finance PS said the donor countries were positive about the appeal by the government not to pull out.
“I am optimistic they will listen to us as they
have also expressed the same view that it is the poor who suffer on
account of some other people’s mistakes.” He did not immediately give
the number of officials sent home and how many among them were civil
servants.
The PS said, just as it was the case with other
audits, it was not possible to give a straight answer as to how many
people were involved and under what circumstances the funds were
embezzlement. That, he said, would be known after a thorough forensic
audits that would follow.
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