POAC team probes 500m/- misuse at varsity college

POAC team probes 500m/- misuse at varsity college

By The guardian reporter

26th January 2012

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Parastatal Organisations Accounts Committee (POAC), committee`s Chairperson, Zitto Kabwe

Parastatal Organisations Accounts Committee (POAC) has formed a subcommittee to investigate reports of misuse of more than 500m/- at Mkwawa University College of Education (MUCE).

The committee’s Chairperson, Zitto Kabwe said the funds were linked to the Higher Education Students Loans Board (HESLB), adding that the committee has decided not to approve the university’s accounts for the 2009/2010 fiscal year.

The Kigoma-North lawmaker said the Controller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report for the financial year 2009/2010 showed that more than 260m/- was used to purchase various types of chemicals for laboratory tests while 60m/- from the Loans Board was allocated to fake students at the university.

“We have noted that the prices for the chemicals were doubled…this proves that Mkwawa University is among institutions that doesn’t follow procurement procedures,” Kabwe said.

On the students’ loans scam, he said the committee observed that there were two payment vouchers with forged names of 31 students. He said the names had the same registration and index numbers but with a slight difference in their surnames.

Kabwe said the sub-committee will be led by Mwibara Member of Parliament Kangi Lugola (CCM), naming Kwamtipura legislator, Ali Khamis (CCM) and Special Seats MP Zainabu Kawawa (CCM) as members. He has given them a week to complete investigations into the matter.

He said the sub-committee will collaborate with the CAG’s office, adding that if it is proven that the funds were embezzled, the committee would suggest that the sub-committee conduct similar investigations in other universities.

The committee also found payments which did not have supporting documents, citing salaries being issued without receipts while it is known that all government payments must be supported with receipts.

For his part, the University Principal Prof Philemon Mushi backed the committee’s decision to make further investigations into the university expenditure.

He promised to offer full cooperation to the sub-committee in order to facilitate investigation. 

Meanwhile, the Local Authority Accounts Committee (LAAC) refused to approve the financial report for Pangani district, Tanga region for the fiscal year 2009/2010.

The committee Chairman, Augustino Mrema said they didn’t approve the report because the District Executive Director Neneka Rashid did not submit the report to the CAG’s office on time.

“He was supposed to submit the account books to the CAG five days before they were brought to the committee. We cannot approve them since they have been submitted to us directly,” he noted.

According to Mrema 15 percent of the DED’s January salary will be deducted as penalty.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN