Kikwete Government under fire

THE Central Committee (CC) of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has endorsed the decision by President Jakaya Kikwete to make a cabinet reshuffle as soon as possible.
During a media briefing in Dar es Salaam on Friday, the party's Ideology and Publicity Secretary, Mr Nape Nnauye, said that the necessary reshuffle was in response to the heated debate that ensued in the National Assembly in Dodoma last week.

During the debate some ministers were implicated in a report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) of mismanagement of public funds.
"President Kikwete held a session on Thursday with Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda who briefed him on all that transpired in the Parliament last week.

The prime minister informed him about the position of the CCM Parliamentary Committee members who expressed dissatisfaction on performance by some of the ministers," Nape explained.
President Kikwete, he added, came up with a decision to institute a cabinet reshuffle and shared his position with the party's CC members who commended him for his decision and advised to ensure both disciplinary and legal measures were taken against the culprits.
Apart from the offending ministers, the CAG's report also implicated several other public officials accused of sanctioning dubious payments to ghost workers, signing bad contracts and the silence maintained on gross misuse of public funds in different district councils.

During the second week of the Parliamentary session in Dodoma, the legislators debated findings by the CAG as well as a report by three committees namely the Public Organizations Account Committee (POAC) under Mr Zitto Kabwe - MP, North Kigoma - Chadema); the Public Accounts Committee, (PAC) under Mr John Cheyo, MP - East Bariadi, UDP) and the Local Authority Accounts Committee (LAAT) under Mr Augustine Mrema, MP, East Vunjo - TLP).
Legislators spoke strongly against what they termed as unsatisfactory delivery of the entrusted public leaders (ministers and directors), some suggesting immediate resignation to allow an independent probe over the allegations they face.

Some of the MPs went as far as suggesting impeachment of Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda if implicated ministers refused to take responsibility and resign voluntarily.
However, when winding up the debate, each of the chairpersons of the Parliamentary oversight committee pointed out at areas of weakness that included sluggish response to matters of urgency that included allocation of loans to students in Higher Learning institutions.
The CC has commended the designated committee of the Zanzibar House of Representatives formed to investigate performance within different sectors in the Revolutionary Government.
"The CC applauded members of the House of Representatives in Zanzibar for a constructive debate of the report presented before them and commended the Zanzibar government for accepting the report and started working on it immediately," Nape explained.

Meanwhile, the CC has nominated the following to become Acting regional party secretaries in the recently formed regions of Geita, Njombe, Simiyu, Katavi and Magharibi. They are Hilda Kapaya, Shaibu Akwilombe, Hosea Mpwagike, Alphonce Kinamhala and Aziz Ramadhan Mapuri.