Prime Minister directs MSD officials probe
What you need to know:
- During the visit, which was part of the implementation of what he promised last week in Arusha when he graced the Annual Public Procurement, Mr Majaliwa found out that MSD procurement department failed in its obligation by inflating costs of various equipment.
Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa visited the Medical Stores Department (MSD) yesterday where he discovered suspicious findings, which forced him to direct the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to take immediate action against some officials.
During the visit, which was part of the implementation of what he promised last week in Arusha when he graced the Annual Public Procurement, Mr Majaliwa found out that MSD procurement department failed in its obligation by inflating costs of various equipment.
The PCCB team has camped at the MSD offices investigating allegations that the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) report had levelled against its officials. The allegations include among others, misuse of part of the Sh1.3 trillion Covid-19 fund that the government secured from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the form of loan.
“The PCCB team is here. I cannot say a word than directing PCCB to take action against anyone who had been involved in this embezzlement,” said the Premier.
Insisting: “We need to clean the house so that the new management should start working when the MSD is clean.”
He said three MSD officials who received some Sh 216 million as per diem for staying in China for two months, only searching for medical equipment, should be interrogated.
“The same work could be done by the Ambassador of Tanzania to China and save millions of money,” stressed the PM.
“There is no single legal document that justifies that you made purchases. To make things even worse, you made purchases without undergoing the tendering process as opposed to the Public Procurement Act.”
He pointed an accusing finger at the MSD’s chief legal officer and internal chief auditor, saying they were sleeping on the job and that is why they failed to prevent the breach of the Public Procurement Act.
The Premier’s tour of MSD also established that some 16 servants in the procurement department had no skills for the job.
“It is surprising that 16 people in the procurement department are pharmacists. I direct the Health ministry and the new MSD leadership to shift them to the department that they deserve,” ordered Mr Majaliwa.
