PCCB officials to undergo scrutiny

According to the minister of state in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Angellah Kairuki, PCCB officers are required to review the personal wealth declaration forms they already submitted and ensure their truthfulness.

She said the government would not hesitate to terminate the employment of any PCCB staffer found to have lied about their personal income or assets in the forms, and to institute legal action against them. According to the minister, PCCB as an entity is not exempted from the nationwide anti-corruption crusade currently being led by President John Magufuli.

She noted that although PCCB staffers were among the best paid civil servants in the country, the office was unfortunately still tainted by allegations of some officers being unfaithful and unscrupulous. “Some executives in the Bureau are a disgrace and can also be described as ‘majipu’ (boils).

We will leave no stone unturned in naming and shaming them,” Kairuki said. She told PCCB senior officers at the Bureau’s headquarters in Dar es Salaam that the ministry planned a thorough probe into the operations of its various departments, including the accounts and procurement units.

“There have been so many cases of strong police investigative cases being channeled through the Bureau, only to crumble before a court of law. We intend to look into which PCCB officers were assigned in each case, and find out whether they received any paybacks through the back door,” the minister said.

The Bureau is in the process of preparing a technical implementation report to be submitted to President Magufuli next month. PCCB acting director general Valentino Mlowola told the minister the Bureau was currently working round the clock on 3,410 pending graft cases, and would strive to ensure proper justice is served in each case.

“If I don’t take necessary measures against my subordinates (for sloppy work in dealing with the cases), I will be the victim,” Mlowola said. A total of 411 new cases have been opened in the Bureau since President Magufuli took power about three and a half months ago, a sharp increase compared to previous years.

It is expected that more and more cases will emerge as the current government’s anti-graft war gathers continues to gather steam. “At least 146 cases are now under investigation, of which 103 have been submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions, and 65 cases have been approved for court prosecution,” he said.

Last year, PCCB registered 4,675 cases and filed 314 of those in court, winning 172 to recover about 7bn/- in embezzled government revenue. He called on PCCB zonal inspectors to “gauge” themselves to see if they indeed fit the pace of the fifth phase government, and if not, to bail out before it is too late.