Maravi

Kaande explains MMD’s corrupt deals with govt

Kaande explains MMD’s corrupt deals with govt
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Thursday, February 26, 2009 8:36:48 AM

MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande yesterday warned that he will reprimand the food suppliers who have pledged financial support to the MMD for inflating amounts of money allegedly owed to them by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Reacting to people condemning him over his request to former home affairs permanent secretary Susan Sikaneta, in which he sought her quick processing of money the ministry owed food suppliers that were pledging to support the ruling MMD, Kaande said he and the MMD had learnt a lesson not to believe cadres on face value.

He said he did not inflate the figures but that MMD cadres themselves had given him figures that were higher than what was in the records at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"It's like me coming to you, complaining to you that 'I am owed so much by these people, can you please assist us get this money paid to us?' You give me the figure yourself, and that is what I did. Those figures came from those suppliers themselves. You understand!" explained Kaande in an interview in Lusaka. "Now it is up to the ministry to check their records and say, 'no these figures are wrong.' I put them the way I was told by my people. Those payments were not made to MMD or Jeff Kaande, they were made to those people.

"Definitely the ministry will not just give money because they have been told you owe 600 and they pay 600. They have to check the records. It's normal."

Kaande admitted that it was dangerous that the MMD did not carefully handle the issue of the seven suppliers.

"If you, who is making the claim you are found cheating, it is definitely dangerous. Equally it is dangerous here [for us], we don't want people to come and tell us wrong information. This has taught us a lesson. We are not going to believe anybody their story; we will now demand that they produce evidence," he said. "Whatever I did, I did it in good faith and according to the information I was given by the claimants. It's definitely not me who inflated the figures."

Asked if the MMD will reprimand the culprits, Kaande responded in the affirmative.

"Of course I am already doing that because they have put my name in disrepute. You understand? I don't like to tell lies; I have never been a liar in my life," Kaande said.

When reminded that Bangosho Enterprise, Liki Enterprise and Mavin Marketing are not registered companies, according to records at PACRO, Kaande said the time the three companies approached the party, he did not know that they were not registered.

"Again there, I have learnt from your article that some of the companies are not registered. Now with us here, it's just at face value. The cadres come and say, 'we have this problem, my company is this one.' You don't go to say, 'okay let's go to PACRO and check.' You believe them. I mean, you are just listening and just trying to help them," Kaande said.

"Now, how can a government department allow a company that is not registered to supply because I, myself, have companies and we follow tender procedures and you have to be registered by the Zambia National Tender Board and also you have to be registered with the particular ministry where you are supplying and this is the procedure which has to be followed."

He observed that government ministries should ensure that they only engage companies as suppliers when they prove that they were duly registered.

"The first thing those people should ask for is your certificate of incorporation," Kaande said. "But if the Ministry of Home Affairs or the police or whichever, don't check for those documents before allowing a company to supply, then they can't blame it on other people. It's themselves to blame. That shows that there is a weakness somewhere in the ministry. Why are they not asking for the certificate of incorporation?"

He said his letter to Sikaneta was a sincere request on behalf of party members who were claiming for their money.

"This is normal practice where we mitigate for our members who are suppliers and it's up to the ministry concerned to say, 'yes we can pay, no we can't pay.' We cannot force them. I am a proper democrat. If you saw my letter there was no force in it, it was just mere asking and it's up to the controlling officer to say yes or no. If she says no, who am I to force her?" he asked.

He argued that the MMD was not the only political party that was advocating that its party members to quickly get their monies, which the government owed them.

"Which party does not go to government to ask? We all do it. It doesn't matter whether you are in the opposition or not. It's a normal practice," said Kaande. "We are not asking for something that is abnormal. If only the government own up and pay these suppliers as they supply there will be nothing like this."

According to correspondence obtained by The Post, Kaande in November last year requested Sikaneta to pay over K1 billion to seven food suppliers that pledged financial support to the ruling party.

In his letter dated 11th November 2008 to Sikaneta on the MMD letterhead, Kaande requested her to facilitate the payments according to what they had discussed earlier.

"List of companies pledging to support the party," read Kaande's letter in part. "Please consider assisting the companies below as discussed: - (1) Sunlight Estates - 300,000,000 (2) Dakwa General Dealers- 291,000,000 (3) Mavin Marketing - 130,000,000 (4) Miyele Enterprise - 95,000,000 (5) Liki Enterprise-400,000,000 (6) Bangosho Enterprise-50,000,000 (7) Mark Marketing-50,000,000. Total 1,025,000,000."

But Dakwa General Dealers proprietor, Chilekwa Munkonge, who is also MMD Kabwata constituency chairman, said he was not aware about Kaande's letter and that the figures were inflated.

"I don't know anything apart from what I have just read in the newspaper," said Munkonge.

Labels: JEFF KANDE, MMD

posted by MrK @ 8:37 AM