Sumbawanga — RULING party CCM Secretary General, Ambassador Emmanuel Nchimbi, has raised a red flag over embezzlement in the implementation of flagship development projects, directing contractors to hand over the projects timely and with required standards.
He also directed the contractor implementing the 60bn/- project for the construction of the Sumbawanga Airport to hand over the project in the given contractual obligations.
The ruling party's Secretary General issued the directives during his working tour of Rukwa Region where he held a series of meetings with the regional top party cadres as well as inspecting the construction of the much-awaited Sumbawanga Airport.
NAFASI KUBWA KULIKO ZOTE KWENYE CCM NI UANACHAMA - DKT. NCHIMBI> _Apiga marufuku kuendeleza makundi baada ya chaguzi za ndani_> _Awataka viongozi kutambua nafasi zao za utumishi_"Niwasihi wana CCM kataeni viongozi wa kuandikiwa, wa kuletwa mfukoni ninyi mnaishi na watu... pic.twitter.com/GiDN1jzo30-- Chama Cha Mapinduzi (@ccm_tanzania) April 15, 2024
The project is supposed to take 18- months until completion. However, as of yesterday, it had reached 8 per cent, while the contract wanted the project to be at 15 per cent.
This means, the project was lagging behind for at least 7per cent. According to the contract, the Sumbawanga project is supposed to be completed in March next year.
Speaking after inspecting the implementation of the project, Dr Nchimbi directed the contractor to ensure that the project was completed on time in order to widen base for economic activities in the country's Southern highlands.
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Dr Nchimbi directed project supervisors to honour legal obligations as per the contracts in all projects. According to him, one of the reasons that were contributing to untimely completion of the projects was corruption even as the government was disbursing funds timely.
"If we plan for things, we want them stay for at least 40 years and we see them out of usage, then, that is purely lack of patriotism, and sometimes, such situations occur because of Corruption," he insisted, urging professionals to put the national interests first than selfish gains.
"Make sure that the contracts obligations are abided by and the construction of this airport was now supposed to be at 15 per cent but surprisingly it is only pegged at 8per cent...however, we are satisfied with the bold steps you took to axe the previous supervisors of this project," he said.
The CCM Secretary General further directed officials of the Tanzania Roads Agency (TANROADS) to intensify supervision in the construction of the Sumbawanga Airport, maintaining that peoples' development was priority number one for the ruling party.
On his part, TANROADS Rukwa Regional Manager, Engineer Mgeni Mwanga said that the government was planning to spend about 60.1bn/- in the implementation of the project for the much-envisaged airport.
He told the CCM Secretary General that already, the government had taken steps against the contractor including firing two project supervisors who were delaying the implementation of the project.
According to him, so far, the project had employed 120 persons, among them 114 Tanzanian nationals.
