Africa-Press – Tanzania. PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has instructed the Ruvuma Regional Commander of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption (PCCB), Hamza Mwenda, to arrest Agricultural Marketing Co-operative Societies (AMCOS) officials, who allegedly released public funds for bribery.
The officials are alleged to have misused the funds to bribe the area councillors to divert the District Council construction site. The councillors named in the scam included Bruno Kapinga (Mkumbi Ward), Bosco Ndimbo (Lukalasi Ward) and Haule from Linda Ward.
They are alleged to have unofficially taken money from the AMCOS in order to influence their fellow councillors to accept council’s headquarters’ relocation. Prime Minister issued the order on Monday, while launching Mbinga Town Council Administration building in Mbinga District, Ruvuma Region.
He also instructed Ruvuma Regional Commissioner, Christine Mndeme to oversee the ongoing construction of the council in Kigonsera area.
The order comes after a misunderstanding and tension developed among the Mbinga Rural Councillors, where some wanted the council’s headquarters to be built at Kigonsera and others boycotting implementing projects associated with it, something that has been hampering development in the area.
The wrangle is being led by the three Ward Councillors of Mkumbi, Lukalasi and Linda, who want the headquarters to be built at Mkumbi Ward, an area that will require the government to pay compensations of more than 400m/-. “We cannot accept where you want it.
We will have to pay more than 400m/-in compensation, while there is a free space of more than 150 acres. This is unacceptable. We cannot do things like this with the public money.
“You decided that each AMCOS should contribute 600,000/- to raise 3m/- to campaign for a council to be built in an area and this is corruption, ” said the Premier.
He further said: “Since this is our farmers’ money, the PCCB Commander should arrest the AMCOS executives to be questioned, as to why they issued the money to the Councillors to bribe them. We cannot use people’s money to bribe others. The farmers’ money must be returned to the farmers.”
During the occasion, Mr Majaliwa launched Mbinga Town Council Administrative building and inspected the construction of eight houses for its council staff, adding that he was satisfied with the project that cost 3.7bn/-. In another development, he used the opportunity to congratulate Mbinga Town Council Director, Grace Quintine for her good management of the project’s funds.
“We brought her 350m/- for the construction of seven staff houses and she spent 321 m/- and we brought another 300m/- to construct the Director’s house, but she spent 251m/- and there is no misconception, because all the buildings have been built to the best standards.
“Congratulations Director for your excellent work and we shall continue to entrust you with other projects including building classrooms, ” said Prime Minister.
In response, Ms Quintine said in the 2019/2020 financial year, the council allocated 650m/- for construction of staff houses including seven Heads of Departments and one Director. She said the cost of constructing the houses was 321.771m/-, where each consumed 45.967m/- out of 50m/- initially approved.
“The construction of the one-storey City Director’s house has cost us 251.780 m/- out of estimated 300 m/-. The aim of these projects is to improve the living conditions of the council staff including reducing monthly housing allowances,” she added.
Ms Quintine further said the remaining 28.228m/- in the construction of the houses will be used to build a water tank tower and installation of individual water tanks for every house as well as a fence around them.
Elaborating, the director said apart from the houses’ constructions, the government also provided them with 3.1bn/- to construct the Council’s administration building that was built by SUMA-JKT Mtwara Region.
