Address impropriety towards govt resources, SACCORD tells Kanganja

Address impropriety towards govt resources, SACCORD tells Kanganja
By Moses Kuwema
Sat 03 July 2010, 14:40 CAT

SOUTHERN African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) executive director Lee Habasonda has called on the secretary to the cabinet to take charge and root out the attitude of impropriety towards government resources.

Reacting to the revelation by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) on Tuesday that about 50 per cent claims of supply of goods and services to the government departments from January to June this year were fake, Habasonda said the revelations were a clear sign of a failing public management system that has leakages.

“The incident should be a wake up call for the Secretary to the Cabinet Joshua Kanganja to ensure stringent controls and accountability in the public sector. If the public service is going to be an arena for money making schemes, where people are paid huge sums of money for ghost services then something is seriously wrong with the delivery of our bureaucratic system,” Habasonda said.

Habasonda called on Kanganja to act swiftly and sternly to forestall further pillage of national resources.

“One is tempted to ask a question; Where are the supervisors and inspectors who should verify the actual delivery of these goods and services? Are they part of these schemes? Surely if the civil service is going to join politicians in the spoils of government then there is no hope for our country,” he said.

He said SACCORD was saddened that despite glaring irregularities the government has been slow to implement measures that will ensure that dishonest civil servants are not allowed to continue.

“We are further concerned that these issues are given a very casual approach and hence do not deter erring individual from continuing to steal and abuse national coffers.

For us, these kinds of deals are not only pure plunder but also a source of conflict because the good officers who aim at working diligently find that they are confronted with uncooperative cartels who feed off from such deals. This immediately kills the spirit to serve government faithfully and loyally,” said Habasonda.

Habasonda urged the government to put in place monitoring and verification mechanisms in all ministries to ensure proper use of public monies.