THE Newly appointed Board of Directors for Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) has suspended its top officials including four directors, eight managers of the various departments and other three subordinate officers of the authority in a move to pave way for further investigations on various allegations leveled against them. The suspension follows a thorough scrutiny which was ordered to be done by the Board in collaboration with an enquiry committee formed by the Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe about two months ago. With this number, it will now make a total of 23 workers who shall have been suspended since the minister started to deal with the TPA. The move aimed at finding out private networks that secretly involved with the rampant theft and other loss of the properties at the port including containers which have been disappearing n a mysterious condition at the port. The four directors and their specialization in brackets are Engineer Bakari Kilo (Director of Engineering), Florence Nkya (Director of Planning), Ayub Kamili (Director of ICT), and Maimuna Mrisho (Director of Management Systems). Announcing their suspension yesterday in Dar es Salaam, the Minister for Infrastructure Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe said that, as the Board is still going on with the investigation pending on various misuse of the TPA’s properties which he said aimed at getting rid of unfaithful workers and this will be continuous until efficiency at the port is regained. Before he met with the workers, the Minister held a two hour closed door meeting with the Board members and other top officials of the TPA, a meeting which was bound for access to journalists. The eight managers are Engineer Raymond Swai (Engineering department), Bahebe Machibya (Procurement and energy dept), Theophil Kimaro (Procurement Manager), Mary Mhayaha (Head of Engineering dept) and Mathew Anthony (Container dept). Others are Marcelina Mhando (ICT Manager), Owen Rwebangira (In charge of Oil Jet), Fadhili Ngorongo (Marine dept), Fortunatus Sandaria (Security Manager). Other subordinates are Mohammed Abdula (Driver) and one security guard who was identified by one name as Kilimba. Dr. Mwakyembe was addressing workers at the port yard who gathered for hours in a meeting he had just convened which also gave the opportunity workers to air out their views and various problems affecting their daily activities and used time to deliberate on the possible ways how to avert them.
Tanzania's Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe.
He also used the opportunity to introduce his newly appointed Board members to TPA workers whom he mentioned to them as Raphael Mollel (Chairman), Julius Mwambiro (Deputy Chairman) and others are members who are, Bajkari John, Said Sauku, Jaffer Machario, Katherine Kavishe, Asha Kassim, Dr. Bakari and Dr. Hildebrand Shayo In his speech he noted that, it was shaming to see that, a big port that serves 6 landlocked countries is becoming notorious with some unbearable behaviors which he said is tarnishing a good name of out country. However, he has assured them that he would continue to fight with embezzlers until he sees that the condition is restored as usual. He said that, ever since he started port operations, there has been a monthly increase in revenue collected at the port compared to before. However, he said that, the revenue has increased from Sh. 28 billion in September to Sh. 38 billion in October, and added that may be in November the revenue is expected to reach at approximately Sh. 42 billion per month. “This is still less than the Kenyan government is collecting at Mombasa port which is equivalent to Sh. 300 per month”, he queried and noted that, Tanzania port revenues are down because of theft which is growing at a rampant rate. He said recently, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had threatened to send a letter to boycott their business involvement with the TPA and in replied he has assured the president that, he will stand firm to ensure that, he cut off all networks that caused any losses of the containers. During the meeting, a cross section of workers complained before the Minister and revealed how the management was beaching various work laws an aspect that most of them have been working for a long time without being employed. Kondo Rajabu who works at the dockyard section noted that, they have so many workers who have been there working for long without being employed at asked the minister to intervene in order to solve their long standing problems. Elaborating the issue, the Minister reminded the management that, if that was the trend, they would be bound for accusation before the court of law as it was illegal for a casual labourer to keep working for the year throughout without reviewing their contracts. On the issue of employment, the minister has assured workers that, he would form a committee which would go through workers’ details to find out whoever would be found to have submitted documents which are not relevant to the basic qualifications needed for a particular professional fields, the culprits would be axed without mercy. However, he has asked those who knows that did a mistake and are working in a position to which he or she is not professionally qualified, then they should remove themselves otherwise once his committee finds them with such mistakes, will all be given a summary dismissal whereby they would loose all their benefits.
No comments:
Post a Comment