Alfred Zacharia is a business reporter for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers.
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The Amcos officials, according to Premier, spent Amcos’ money to bribe some councillors with an aim of persuading them to influence their fellow councillors to change the construction site of the district council head offices.
Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa yesterday directed the Ruvuma regional commander of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Hamza Mwenda, to arrest three leaders of the Agriculture Marketing Cooperative Society (Amcos) on suspicion of embezzling members’ money.
The Amcos officials, according to Premier, spent Amcos’ money to bribe some councillors with an aim of persuading them to influence their fellow councillors to change the construction site of the district council head offices.
The bribed councillors includes Bruno Kapinga (Mkambi Ward), Bosco Ndimbo (Lukalasi Ward) and Haule (Linda Ward).
PM issued the order yesterday, when launching the administration building of Mbinga Town Council in Mbinga District, Ruvuma Region.
The order comes after a long quarrel between Mbinga Rural Councillors, where some seem not want the council’s head office building to be built in Kigonsera Ward while others are supporting.
The three, prefer the council’s head office to be built at Mkumbi Ward, a place where the government should pay more than Sh400 million as compensation to the residents surrounding the area, leaving behind the free space of 150 acres located at Kigonsera Ward.
“It is unacceptable. We (government) cannot accept the place that will cost us compensations of more than Sh400 million and ignoring a free space of 150 acres. This will be a misuse of public funds,” he said.
According to him, the three councillors received Sh600,000 from five Amcos leaders to get Sh3 million to campaign for the replacement of construction site.
“Since the money belongs to farmers, the PCCB Commander should arrest the Amcos executives to be questioned as to why they used the money to bribe councillors,” he added.
