Donkey meat sends three NEMC officials ‘packing’, its CEO strongly warned

DAILY NEWS Reporter

Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union Affairs and Environment), Mr January Makamba.

THREE officials of the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) have been suspended for misconduct as its Director General, Engineer Bonaventure Baya, was served with a strong warning for failure to oversee the council’s employees.

A statement issued in Dar es Salaam said the decision was reached after the meeting that was called by the Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union Affairs and Environment), Mr January Makamba, to discuss how to improve NEMC operations.

After the meeting, it was agreed that the three officials, Dr Eladius Makene (Principal Environmental Officer), Advocate Heche Suguta Manchare (Lawyer Grade II) and Engineer Boniface Benedict Kyaruzi (Environment Officer), be suspended with immediate effect.

The statement said that the trio went beyond the set rules and guidelines for the ethics guiding their jobs when they were dealing with environmental impact assessment of the donkey steak processing factory in Dodoma.

“It was realised that there were gross misconduct, which were intentional and in clear violation of ethics as per NEMC code of conduct regarding the donkey steak factory. Therefore, they are suspended immediately pending other legal actions” reads the statement.

Moreover, the minister said it was clear that administration and control of NEMC employees was not effective thus causing a lot of complaints and claims from the public therefore, the director general will be served with a last strong warning for loosiness in overseeing his employees.

The minister will in a week’s time form a team of five experts in the areas of environmental management to study the challenges facing NEMC and how best to address them -- and thereafter advise the government on how to make NEMC effective in its day-to-day operations.

Moreover, in one week’s time, according to the statement, they will make public a special e-mail, whatsapp, fax and phone number in which individuals, companies or institutions with complaints or have been asked to give bribe by any NEMC employee can expose them for further action.

“To improve NEMC performance and to control any kind of misconduct, the contacts will be made public so that those employees who go against ethics and codes of conduct can be taken to task”, he said.

On top of that, NEMC management has been directed within a week to review the list of its environmental experts and consulting companies and delete those operating against professional ethics.

These include those delaying customers’ environmental assessment reports unnecessarily, those issuing reports below standards and those who are not communicating with their customers to update them on their environment assessment applications.

As for the NEMC board of directors, Mr Makamba has given them a three-week ultimatum to call an emergency board meeting to discuss the council’s challenges and make a decision on how they are going to address them.