CAG to probe Mbeya Market

THE Controller and Auditor General (CAG) has been directed to conduct a special audit in Mbeya City Council in regard to questionable costs for the construction of Mwanjelwa Market, which reportedly shot up from 16bn/- to 26bn/-.

“Construction costs for the market was initially pegged at 16bn/- but the amount soared by 10bn/- to 26bn/- due to some dishonest officials, the government will take actions against all those behind the embezzlement,” the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, said here yesterday as he continues with his working tour of Mbeya Region.

In the same vein, the Premier has issued a three-day ultimatum to Mbeya Regional Commissioner Amos Makala to probe and identify officials who swindled funds amounting to 489m/- provided by CRDB Bank for development of the market.

Mr Majaliwa issued the directives here during an impromptu visit at the marketplace where he uncovered the suspected misappropriation of public funds. “All those who will be found to have swindled the funds after the audit by the CAG will be held responsible to serve as a lesson to other dishonest officials”, he remarked.

The inflated costs caused delays in implementation of the project, resulting in the Mbeya City Council to dish out 200m/- each month to service the debt issued for construction of the market, according to the PM.

Mr Majaliwa also directed the RC to ensure that the city council recompenses rental fees paid by a businessperson who has been leased a compartment meant to collect garbage so that the cubicle is used for its intended purpose.

During the visit at the market, the PM was equally irked that some cubicles were not occupied in which he directed Mr Makala to ensure that traders who were leased the compartments start operating or risk losing the stalls to other traders.

Some of the traders informed the PM that some crooked individuals had acquired spaces at the market with an aim of sub-letting them to traders at rental fees higher than those charged by the city council, denying access to bonafide beneficiaries.

One of the traders, who identified himself as Mohammed Said, told the Premier that individuals hoarding the cubicles were sub-letting them at between 20m/- and 40m/- depending on the position of the respective compartment.

Mr Makala had earlier informed the prime minister that the market was facing a number of challenges, explaining that even traders who had spaces before the market was destroyed by fire in the 2000s were not given priority in the new market.