Kafulila: Table wagons purchase report before July 9.

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Kigoma South MP David Kafulila.

Kigoma South MP David Kafulila yesterday wrote a letter to National Assembly Speaker Anne Makinda seeking that she orders the government to submit an investigative report on the scandal over the controversial purchasing of 25 freight wagons worth Sh230 billion by Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) officials.

 

Kafulia’s move comes one day after the Speaker to reject his request that Parliament adjourn other business scheduled to take place on Thursday this week and discuss the controversial report of purchasing wagons.

 

The Kigoma South MP stood up on Thursday seeking the guidance from the chair, saying the matter was serious and it had caused a huge loss to the country, but the Speaker blocked him.

 

Briefing the media yesterday after the parliamentary session adjourned, Kafulila said the letter requested the Speaker to order the government to submit the report before the end of the 10th Parliament, which is scheduled to end July 9, in less than two weeks.

 

 The wagons purchased from the Hindustan Company of India have weaknesses like being low standard, having no specification, with TRL not following procedures in announcing the tender.

 

The Ministry of Finance conducted advance payment against the law as they are not supposed to pay before the wagons have been received, he said.

 

Kafulila questioned why the government does not want to bring out the report while the Minister for Transport, Samuel Sitta, when concluding his ministerial estimates debate told the House that he had already received the report, which informed sources say it indicates that Sh238 billion was misused .

 

Back in April, minister Sitta suspended five top railways officials, including managing director Kipallo Kisamfu on suspicions of corruption and economic sabotage. 

 

Other officials were chief engineer Ngosomwile Ngosomile, chief accountant Mbaraka Mchopa, internal auditor Jasper Kisiraga and chief procurement manager Ferdinand Soka.

 

The report revealed that most of the wagons were 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.