PROBE REPORT ON FORMER TPA BOSS SUBMITTED TO TRANSPORT MINISTRY

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INNOCENT-THE BLOGGER-BOY

Transport minister, Samuel Sitta

A task force that was working into complaints,
which saw the then Tanzania Ports Authority Acting Director General, Madeni Kipande, suspended, has presented its report to Transport minister Samuel Sitta.

 

The latter suspended Kipande last February 16 over alleged violation of procurement procedures.

 

The minister told a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the task force handed over the report to the ministry last Thursday, explaining:

“My ministry received the report on Thursday, it is long as it consists of three volumes.

 

“We shall read it through and sit with the TPA board of directors this week and later announce the decision made,” he told reporters.

According to Sitta, the ministry is involving the board to ensure that it comes up with an objective decision.

 

He said the decision would be made this week but after the current Parliament closes its session.

 

Sitta indefinitely suspended Kipande over allegations of violating the state-owned TPA’s procurement procedures. He then appointed former Dar es Salaam Port Manager Awadhi Massawe to be in-charge of TPA.

 

 At that time Sitta told journalists that Kipande’s suspension provided room for investigations into various allegations leveled against him. 

 He said there had been complaints about lack of transparency, inconsistency in procurement procedures, poor relationships with stakeholders and workers.

 

 “We decided to convene an emergency board meeting of TPA following complaints from various departments about its procurement system,” he said.

Sitta’s predecessor, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, had begun to tackle problems which had been facing the authority to no avail,

Sitta said TPA is the country’s core revenue earner with 87 per cent of its revenue coming from ports. He said that its employees must be diligent and faithful in their work.

 

 He noted that unnecessary delays in approving tenders which have been endorsed by the tender board tarnished the image of the government.

“I am suspending Eng Kipande until the probe team completes investigations on all the allegations,” he declared.

 

 Sitta mentioned members of the probe team as, retired Judge Augusta Bubeshi from his ministry who will be the chairperson. She is assisted by Deogratius Kasinda as secretary and other members are Ramadhan Mlingwa, Eng Samson Luhigo, Happiness Senkoro and Flavian Kinundo.

 

On August 24, 2012, Dr Mwakyembe suspended the then Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Director General, Ephraim Mgawe and five senior TPA officials pending investigations into various allegations at the Dar es Salaam Port, including corruption and theft,

The minister immediately appointed Eng  Kipande from the Ministry of Works as acting TPA Director General.

 

 Mwakyembe said the decision was reached at a meeting of the TPA board of directors held in his office.

 

He mentioned the positions of other TPA officials who were suspended as two deputy directors, Dar Port Manager, Kurasini Oil Jetty (KOJ) Manager and Oil Engineer.

 

 On January 22, 2013, Mgawe and four other senior officials were relieved of their duties as recommended by a board committee formed to probe abuse of official capacity.

 

Meanwhile, Sitta further said that the report on alleged fake coaches belonging to the Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) had also been submitted to the ministry last Thursday.

 

He said, like the TPA report, the ministry will involve the TRC board of directors before coming  up with a decision that would be announced together with that of TP