The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Abdallah Bakari
13 November 2009
A district education officer in Tandahimba, Mtwara Region, has appeared before the district court here charged with corruption.
According to the charge sheet, the official, Mr Githon Msangawale, is alleged to have solicited and received a Sh150,000 inducement from the Nannala Primary School committee.
Prosecuting, the head of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) in Mtwara Region, Mr Justine Maganga, told the court that the officer demanded the bribe so that he could allocate more teachers to the school.
Apart from the district education officer, three other school committee members, including the head teacher, Mr Bushir Amri, have also been arraigned in the same case, accused of offering the bribe.
Others who have been charged were Mr Hamisi Salumu, the chairman of the school committee, who was sent to the bank to withdraw the cash and later hand it over to the education officer.
Mr Mshamu Hamisi, who signed a cheque used to withdraw the money, is also among those standing trial at the district court.
Mr Maganga claimed before the court that the incident occurred on November 4, 2009 at around 2pm.
He said his office was notified by Good Samaritans on the plans and they set up a trap and managed to nab the education officer with the money in his office.
"When we searched his office we found Sh150,000 which was hidden in a file... when we arrested and questioned the school committee chairman, he admitted giving the money to the education officer," he said.
He said the school management was enticed to give the bribe as it had only four teachers handling 220 pupils.
"On October 10, this year, the village government wrote to the district education officer asking him to close the school, but on October 29, 2009, the education officer wrote to the village executive officer, directing the school management to see him in his office," he said, adding:
"During the meting, the officer promised to allocate two more teachers to the school if the committee gave him Sh150,000
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