Maravi

Kazabu attributes thefts of public funds to weak institutions

Kazabu attributes thefts of public funds to weak institutions
By Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe
Tuesday February 27, 2007 [03:00]

FORMER Kitwe mayor Luxon Kazabu has attributed the rampant theft of public funds to the weakness in institutions such as Parliament. During a Newsmakers Forum organised by the Press Freedom Committee (PFC) of The Post in partnership with Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) at Kitwe’s Hotel Edinburgh on Sunday, Kazabu said institutions such as Parliament and the police were weak. “Almost each one of these institutions is decayed. Going to the police is just an academic exercise. The decay in the nation is just too much,” he said.

Kazabu said people must demand high quality leadership to control vices like theft of public funds. “We must raise the level of political culture. We need everybody else on board. They must begin to understand how corruption, theft affect day to day lives,” he said Kazabu said to effectively fight against the abuse of state resources by those in power, there was need for Zambians to intensify the advocacy for the enactment of a new constitution.

He said it was disconcerting that taxpayers’ money was misappropriated almost every year. “What is actually disconcerting and depressing is the fact that each year millions of the tax payers’ money is reported as having been misapplied, misappropriated or just unaccounted for. Further, even after the highly publicised sittings of the Public Accounts Committee have been held and some individuals taken to task before it, the general public are left in the dark as to the actual outcome of all the talk,” he said.

Kazabu, who said some people had managed to get away with misappropriation of funds even if the Auditor General’s report indicated so, called on political leaders to seriously consider taking action against the apparent wastefulness and impunity.

Kitwe Town Clerk Ali Simwinga said corruption was real. Simwinga also attributed theft of public funds and corruption to poor remuneration and politicisation of certain public institutions.

And former Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) president Emmanuel Mweenge demanded the immediate resignation of the Auditor General for allegedly failing to adequately audit institutions such as the University of Zambia (UNZA). “We demand that the current President and the Auditor General should resign on grounds of morality. The AG has been a failure, especially in the classical example of UNZA,” he said. Mweenge also said the operations of many investigative wings in the country leaves much to be desired.

Another student, Christopher Kang’ombe, said a weak constitution has aggravated corruption in the country.

However, assistant director in the office of the Auditor General Trackson Chikonko said there was no need for the Auditor General to resign as she has done her best, under a difficult situation. Chikonko explained that it was impossible for the Auditor General’s office to cover every institution as it was understaffed with 327 auditors. He said Copperbelt Province alone has six officers. On UNZA, Chikonko said auditors from the Auditor General’s office were sent on a number of occasions but the accountants at the institution were not ready.

“It is not the Auditor General to blame. We have been there on several occasions. Their accountants are the ones sleeping,” said Chikonko.

Labels: ACCOUNTING, CORRUPTION, GOVERNANCE

posted by MrK @ 3:12 PM