While seven such projects under implementation during 2015/16 financial year at the cost of Sh2.37 billion were found to be below standard, a whopping Sh488 billion was paid to contractors for no job done. “It bore all the hallmarks of wasteful expenditure and corruption,” said the minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Philip Mpango at the start of a workshop, which was attended by procurement and supplies experts.
Arusha. Routine inspection of major construction and allied projects funded through public coffers has revealed a high level of poor workmanship likely due to corruption, it was disclosed here yesterday.
While seven such projects under implementation during 2015/16 financial year at the cost of Sh2.37 billion were found to be below standard, a whopping Sh488 billion was paid to contractors for no job done. “It bore all the hallmarks of wasteful expenditure and corruption,” said the minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Philip Mpango at the start of a workshop, which was attended by procurement and supplies experts.
He said inspection of the government projects being implemented by the local authorities during the period revealed that adherence to public procurement laws had gone down.
“For instance, seven of such mega projects implemented at the cost of Sh2.37 billion revealed they were far below the standards,” he told the workshop at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC).
Dr Mpango added that the Sh488 billion paid to the contractors for no work done during 2015/16 financial year involved three public institutions. He, however, could not name.
The minister said upon receiving the report from the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), he directed his permanent secretary to take disciplinary action against the officials linked with the scandal.
“I also directed for those cases with indications of corrupt practices should be reported to the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) for legal action,” he said.
However, he could not reveal how many officials have been taken to task in 17 public institutions whose 33 projects were found to be below standards on suspicion that its officials were compromised through graft during 2015/16 financial year.
Dr Mpango said besides ghost payment for ‘no-work-done’ the situation has been compounded by delay in implementation of some of the key national projects.
He directed the Procurement and Supplies Professionals and Technicians Board (PSPTB), an institution under the ministry, to be tough on the erring officials.
Opening the eighth workshop to be organized by the Board, the vice president Ms Samia Suluhu Hassan directed the concerned institutions to speed up formulation of a new policy for procurement and supplies.
She said the policy would act as a catalyst for reviewing or amending the laws, rules and regulations currently governing the sector, which is key in curbing wasteful expenditure.
The VP reiterated the government directive that all practising procurement and supplies officers serving various ministries and government departments and institutions should register with PSPTB.
