Former Kigoma DED sentenced to 20 years in prison

Other defendants were Aidan Mponzi, Tumsifu Kachira, Ferdinand Filimbi, Salum Saidi, Mosses Zahuye, Joel Shirima, Jema Mbilinyi, Kombe Kabichi, Frank Nguvumali, and Bayaga Lucas.

In economic sabotage case number 5546/2024, apart from Mr Msabila, those convicted were Filimbi (2 years), Saidi (2 years), and Nguvumali (20 years).

Defendants Mponzi, Kachira, Zahuye, Shirima, Mbilinyi, and Lucas were acquitted.

Reading the verdict on August 21, 2025, Resident Magistrate Misana Majula said that after reviewing evidence from both sides, the court found Mr Msabila and Nguvumali guilty of two charges, with sentences to run concurrently.

Background

Records show that on September 20–21, 2023, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, during a visit to Kigoma, uncovered alleged financial mismanagement at Kigoma Ujiji Municipal Council.

To verify the claims, on October 5, 2023, he formed a special committee to investigate, though its findings were neither made public nor submitted in court.

It was reported that, through his secretary, Raymond Bowele, on October 27, 2023, the Prime Minister requested the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct a special audit of the council’s government transactions and expenditures.

Before the audit, on various dates, the 11 defendants were arrested and interrogated.

On November 7, 2023, they appeared before Kigoma District Court. The case was initially struck out but refiled on March 1, 2024, with eight charges.

Alleged offences

In the first charge, Msabila, Filimbi, Saidi, and Nguvumali allegedly forged a document on December 28, 2022, titled “Request to use Sh42.4 million for a five-day budget training (PLANREP and FFRAS)” to mislead authorities.

In the second charge, Shirima, Mbilinyi, and Kabichi allegedly forged an audit report on June 5, 2023, claiming delivery of nine “skip buckets” worth Sh180 million to the council, which was false.

In the third charge, Nguvumali and Lucas allegedly forged a document between June 1–15, 2022, titled “Request for year-end approval and development funds of Sh12.48 million unused in 2021/22,” falsely claiming authorisation from the Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS).

In the fourth and fifth charges, Msabila, Filimbi, Saidi, and Zahuye, between June 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, while in their positions (Municipal Director, Head of Planning and Monitoring, Accounts Officer, Acting Head of Procurement), allegedly abused office by approving nine skip buckets worth Sh180 million and construction materials worth Sh216.8 million.

In the sixth charge, Mponzi and Kachira, while in the President’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), allegedly misused office between June 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, transferring Sh463.59 million from the development account to a general deposit account, falsely claiming it was the 2021/22 balance, causing government loss.

In the seventh charge, Msabila, Mponzi, Kachira, Filimbi, Saidi, and Zahuye allegedly laundered money between June 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, in Dodoma and Kigoma, obtaining Sh27.4 million from local government accounts, knowing it was derived from forgery.

In the eighth charge, the same six defendants allegedly caused government losses of Sh129.49 million.

The prosecution called 20 witnesses and presented 29 exhibits.

Evidence

On October 12, 2023, witnesses 19 (Sergeant Godfrey and Corporal Gaudence) were appointed by the Kigoma Regional Commissioner to investigate the forgery and mismanagement claims, collecting various documents, including defective ones.

On November 9, 2023, on behalf of the CAG, the head of the Financial Audit Investigation Unit, Mr Beka Mageuza, appointed Sama Pamui, Mosses Zyogori, and Vaileth Vitalis (witness 20) to audit Kigoma Ujiji Municipal Council accounts.

The audit ran from November 14, 2023, to February 2024, reviewing transaction chains from the council to the Ministry of Planning and Finance and the Regional Administrative Secretary in Kigoma and PO-RALG, including document checks and interviews.

According to the 20th prosecution witness and exhibit No. 29, the audit focused on two key areas.

First, it reviewed the legality and accuracy of Kigoma Ujiji Municipal Council’s request to carry forward Sh497.74 million from the 2021/22 financial year into 2022/23.

Second, it examined the legality and accuracy of the transfer of Sh463.59 million from the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) to the council and how the funds were utilised.

The witness said the audit was guided by Section 29(1) and (2) of the Budget Act (Cap. 439, 2020 Edition), which stipulates that unspent funds at the close of a financial year must not be carried forward into the next.

Defence

All 11 defendants denied charges, citing a lack of independence during the audit, late notice, politically motivated prosecution, premature court appearances, and failure to submit the Prime Minister’s investigative report.

Verdict

After reviewing all evidence, the court found defendants 1, 4, 5, and 10 guilty of the first charge (forging documents), while defendants 7, 8, and 9 were acquitted.

Evidence for the seventh charge confirmed that Sh27.4 million, remaining after training, was transferred by defendant 5 to defendant 1 in the presence of defendant 4, corroborated by the CAG report and witness 20.

Defendants 2, 3, 4, and 6 were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

For the eighth charge, the court ruled that Sh129 million was used for legitimate municipal activities, so no criminal liability arose.

Sentence

“The court sentences defendants 1, 4, 5, and 10 to two years for forgery and 20 years for money laundering,” ordered Magistrate Majula.