President John Magufuli yesterday condemned the slow
pace on investigations and prosecution of graft cases, directing the
anti-corruption body to discharge the cases, swiftly. If we curb corruption by
80 per cent, we will be in a position to solve many challenges facing our
country; the efforts we are taking now to tame the vice are already attracting
admiration from development partners and investors,” Magufuli remarked at the
State House in Dar es Salaam. Speaking
after swearing-in the newly appointed Deputy Director General of the Prevention
and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Brigadier General John Mbungo, Dr
Magufuli said swift investigations and prosecutions would manifest the
government resolve to tackle the social vice.
“I have committed myself to squarely deal with corruption and I want you
to do the same in your workplaces. I want as many corrupt people as possible
jailed, I know there are people who do not want to hear that but it’s what I
want. “The corrupt, it seems, have
turned themselves into tutors of others... if we jail them all, we will get rid
of the vice. Fear nobody in this fight. Corruption is a sin. Any corrupt person
is not only my enemy but the enemy of the state,” Dr Magufuli told the new
appointee and other leaders who attended the ceremony. He expressed his regret that Tanzanians were
facing shortage of medicines, better roads and other social services due to
graft, saying it was high time the country became bribe-free. Dr Magufuli
directed all leaders in the country to throw their weight in taming corruption
and shield the country against the negative impacts of graft on the economy and
social wellbeing. “If you look at all problems we are facing as a country
today, ghost workers, drug dealings, fake certificates, shoddy contracts, fraud
in subsidized farm inputs, injustice in courts of law, are because of
corruption,” he said.
President Magufuli in a light moment with military officers at State House in Dar es salaam yesterday.
But, he appreciated efforts which have been taken by the
anti-corruption bureau, urging it to pull its socks and deal with all suspects
of bribery dealings in accordance with the law. Shortly after he was sworn-in,
Brig. Gen. Mbungo took the oath of integrity for public leaders, which was
administered by the Commissioner of Ethics, Judge (Rtd) Harold Nsekela. The new
appointee appreciated the appointment by President Magufuli and pledged to work
with other leaders at PCCB to curb corruption in the country. Meanwhile, Dar es
Salaam city has recovered 791m/- from corruption cases and yesterday added
another impetus to the fight against the vice, by launching awareness campaign
through the Rapid Transit Buses. The campaign, themed: ‘Penda Nchi Yako, Kataa
Rushwa’ literally meaning, ‘Love your country, reject corruption’ was
officially launched by the Minister of State in the President’s Office-Public
Service and Good Governance, Angellah Kairuki. Dar es Salaam Regional
Administrative Secretary Theresia Mbando, speaking at the event, said that
during the 2016/17 fiscal year, PCCB in the region won 14 cases out of 21 cases
filed in courts. She explained that from July last year to last month, PCCB
received and worked on 220 corruption-related reports, out of which it probed
47 reports and forwarded the rest to other public institutions for actions. According
to Ms Mbando, the PCCB submitted 34 files to the Director of Public
Prosecutions, seeking approval to file cases in the courts against the
culprits. The campaign will involve 60 buses with billboards bearing strong
messages against corruption fixed on different parts of each bus, from interior
to exterior parts, making them more visible. Treasury Registrar Dr Oswald
Mashindano stated that since the campaign will involve moving billboards, each
bus would manage to have the message reaching 300,000 people, daily. Brigadier
General Mbungo said the campaign would cost about 223m/- out of which PCCB will
contribute only 12.9m/- and UDART footing the rest.
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