PM wants report on KIGODECO sale

DAILY NEWS Reporter

THE Kigoma regional authority has been given two days to complete investigations and avail a written report to the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, on the illegal sale of KIGODECO Building and 12 plots owned by the Lake Tanganyika-side municipality.

On the firing line was the Regional Administrative Secretary, Engineer John Ndunguru, who was particularly issued with the directive at a meeting with the regional leadership at the NSSF Hall in a summing-up session at the end of the Premier’s two-day tour of the region.

Mr Majaliwa revealed that he had information that the building was sold for 370m/, together with another building, MIBOs, which went for 50m/- despite efforts by the regional commissioner to stop the sale of the buildings and the plots.

“The regional administrative secretary should sit together with the municipal director, municipal engineer and the accountant and avail me with a written report by this Saturday,” Mr Majaliwa ordered.

He added: “I want to know who valued the building, why the building was sold at such a price, why were the plots sold at such low prices, why did those involved in the sale continue with the deal even after the RC has stopped the sale? Did they follow the proper procedures?

I want that report by this Saturday’’. Those who will be meeting with the regional administrative secretary to produce the report are the Municipal Director, Engineer Boniface Nyambele, Municipal Engineer, Engineer Boniface William, and the Accountant, Mr Bwaili Mkoko.

Apparently, the Kigoma Regional Commissioner, Mr Issa Machibya, had tried to stop the sale in a letter dated June 16, 2015, but those responsible chose not to heed the RC’s call and went ahead with the sale for 370m/-, which is the price of the plot alone.

Other allegations that are also being investigated include expenditure of 809m/- meant for the construction of laboratories.

The money was deducted from the Capital Development Grants (CDG), Agricultural Sector Development Programme, (ASDP) Tanzania Strategic Cities Programme (TSCP) and Secondary Education Development Plan (SEDP).

It is alleged that the municipal director and other civil servants in the planning and finance department, under the pretext of constructing laboratories, pocketed the money without providing reports to the heads of respective departments, who are responsible for the funds.

Other allegations are ghost purchases of spare parts worth 8m/- and stationeries worth 4.6m/-, committed on July 25 this year by the municipal director and Accountant Mkoko.