Minister for Transport, Samuel Sitta
By Henry Mwangonde,The Citizen Correspondent
Dar es Salaam. Five top railways officials, including Managing Director Kipallo Kisamfu, have been suspended on suspicion of corruption and sabotage. The move comes after a report indicating irregularities in buying 25 freight wagons worth Sh230 billion.
The other officials are Chief Engineer Ngosomwile Ngosomile, Chief Accountant Mbaraka Mchopa, Internal Auditor Jasper Kisiraga and Chief Procurement Manager Fedinard Soka.
Transport Minister Samuel Sitta made the move after he received the report of a taskforce formed by his predecessor, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, which was charged with investigating claims that the wagons that were imported wagons were faulty.
The new investigation will be carried out by a team to be led by an officer from the Controller and Auditor General’s office. Members of the team will be drawn from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Public Procurement Regulatory Agency (PPRA) and the Attorney General’s Chamber.
The minister has since directed the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transportation, Dr Shaaban Mwinjaka, to set up the probe team, which is expected to start its work by 20 April.
The report reveals a chain of irregularities in the procurement process. Some of the wagons were found to be defective. And instead of paying for the wagons on instalment basis, as agreed in the contract, the supplier has already been paid the entire Sh230 billion. The contract allows the buyer to withhold part of the payment until the wagons are tested within a warranty period.
Mr Sitta said: “What shocked me most is that, as we struggle to solve this issue, all the money has been paid to the supplier contrary to the contract requirements.”
According to the minister, the report reveals that most of the wagons are defective and can no longer function. The committee also established that there was negligence in the follow-up at the factory where the wagons were manufactured. And even as it clear that the wagons were defective, the officials continued to receive more. “This is a serious matter,” Mr Sitta said. “I cannot watch as the nation is sabotaged by a few individuals…we will make sure they are made accountable.”
The team investigating the allegations has three weeks to complete its work. It has been tasked with picking out any corrupt dealings in the transaction. The minister declared that he was there to tackle corruption and he would not tolerate theft under his watch. “I am doing this to show that there are people in the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi who do not condone corruption,” he said.
Engineer Elias Mshana has been appointed the acting director at TRL. The minister has also directed the TRL board to hold an emergency meeting today to appoint qualified people to stand in for those suspended. They join six others Dr Mwakyembe suspended a few months ago. The officials include the deputy managing director and chief of finance director.
Dr Mwakyembe also ordered TRL authorities to disband the tender board and suspend all officials who travelled to India to assess 25 wagons that were found to be of low standard.
According to earlier reports, TRL signed two contracts with an Indian company in 2013 for the purchase of 25 freight wagons worth Sh8.3 billion and 274 passenger wagons worth about Sh51 billion. But the minister said yesterday that the supplier has been paid Sh230 billion.
TRL has so far received 150 passenger wagons and the other 124 are expected by the end of this month. The carriages in question were purchased from India’s Hindustan Engineering and Industries.
CREDIT: THE CITIZEN
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