DAR ES SALAAM Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda has unearthed massive cheating in contracts entered between the Dar es Salaam City Council (DCC) and different agents, costing the government millions of shillings in revenue.
As a result of the massive cheating, the
Dar es salaam RC has directed Prevention and Combating of Corruption
Bureau (PCCB) officials to start investigations into the matter today
and relevant authorities to take disciplinary actions against every
official involved.
Contracts under discussions include the
Ubungo Bus Terminal (UBT) contract entered between the Dar es Salaam
City and an Agent to collect fees and the National Parking System (NPS)
contract entered between the City and an Agent to collect parking fees
in the central city.
Apparently the DCC director also gave
more time to the Agent contracted to collect parking fee, whose contract
had expired, to continue collecting the parking fee while the DCC
prepares modality to get a new Agent, which included announcing tenders.
Mr Makonda told reporters in Dar es
Salaam that he cannot work with such officials who are not keen on
assisting the government and were instead against it and all out to
fulfil their own interests.
"I cannot work with such people... they
must go (referring to the DCC director)... I need people who will be in
the frontline to assist President John Magufuli and his government to
increase revenue to address challenges facing the public," he explained.
The RC said a team he appointed to look
into the issue found out, among other issues, that there are two UBT
contracts signed on different dates using two different laws.
"The Agent who collects fees at the UBT
uses a contract under the 2004 laws to pay government revenue while the
actual law which is in use right now is that of 2009, which was amended
from the 2004 law," he noted.
Mr Makonda said according to the 2009
legislation, the collection should not be less than 84m/- per month,
while the 2004 legislation pegs the collection at 42m/- per month.
"...this means the government is losing
42m/- every month, which is more than 500m/- per year, which is a total
of 3bn/- lost since 2009. How can the agent and the DCC have two
different contracts signed only in one day," wondered the RC.
According to Mr Makonda, the contract
under the 2009 legislation was signed on 30/1/2005, while the contract
under the 2004 law was signed on 31/1/2005 by the same people. "At the
DCC, the contract recognised is the one under the 2004 laws, while the
Agent has the one under 2009 law, which means that the Agent is paying
the right amount.
But since the DCC uses the 2004 laws, it
means, that there is a possibility that the 3bn/- ended up in some
people's pockets," he reasoned. On the NPS, Mr Makonda said the team
also found out that DCC authorities gave ten more months to the Agent
whose contract had expired, contrary to the law and contract
regulations.
He said in August last year, the DCC
director wrote to the Agent allowing him six more months, while the City
Council sought for another Agent through tendering process. Just when
the six months were about to expire, the Acting DCC director, gave the
Agent four additional months through an official letter to continue
collecting parking fees as the DCC continues with the process to get
another agent.
"Both letters have signatures of the two
officials... this move is contrary to the country's laws and
regulations," Mr Makonda noted.
Meanwhile, the RC has noted that
investigations by his team of experts also found out that Tambaza
Company, which was contracted to oversee and apprehend motorcyles and
vehicles parked in wrong places, has been demanding more money in fines
contrary to the required amount.
He said motorcycles, which are supposed
to pay 20,000/-, have been paying Tambaza 80,000/-. “In addition to
that, the company’s workers are rude and use abusive language contrary
to the requirements of the contract’’, he reported
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