The Lufwanyama Municipal Council has suspended its Director of Works and Supply Benson Sihulume and two other senior officers for allegedly stealing K338 million meant for the construction of seven low cost houses in the area.
Both Lufwanyama Member of Parliament Lwipa Puma and Copperbelt Provincial Local Government Officer, Solomon Sakala, confirmed the development to ZANIS in Kalulushi today.
Dr. Puma, who is also Deputy Minister for Local Government, said the full council meeting which sat yesterday resolved to suspend Mr. Sihulume, Council Treasurer, Jay Chituta and an Accountant Bridget Munankombwe to pave way for investigations.
He said the audit report revealed financial irregularities in the construction of the seven houses and the misappropriation of the funds allegedly took place at the time Mr. Sihulume was acting council secretary.
He said the local authority was supposed to use the funds to construct a total of seven low cost government staff houses but only five structures, which are not complete, have been put up.
Dr. Puma further said the three officers have since been asked to hand over all the council properties that came into their possession by virtue of their employment. He said the local authority must take stern action against the three officers if found guilty.
He expressed great disappointment that the three senior officers, who were charged with the responsibility of implementing government programmes, were allegedly involved in stealing funds meant for such developmental projects.
And provincial Local Government Officer Solomon Sakala said the due process of the law must take its course in the matter.
Mr. Sakala said the three officers have since been asked to exculpate themselves before the next course of action is taken.
ZANIS
And who is surprised about all this? This is how it has always been done in Zambia. If not at the local level, someone else higher-up is doing it. Everybody knows this including RB. Sometimes you even wonder what audits are for if they can’t stop or discourage this sort of behavior among our Civil Service Officers.
Until the culture of dishonesty and corruption is dealt with at the highest levels of govt/civil service, Zambians will continue to be victims of shoddy and, in many instances, a complete absence of any meaningful development in their areas—the President can claim otherwise all he wants! You let people higher-up in the “govt food chain” get away with clear cases of public plunder, this is the kind of thieving culture you gonna get!!
When is this culture going to end?.It was brought by Chiluba,continued in LPM despite the much publicised fight against corruption and still thriving in RB.Govt should implement transparent systems so that thieving civil servants can be exposed there and then and also incentives for whistle blowers.
Corruption starts from home.We must work on up grading family values than just scratching on the back of tortoise. The real problem is at the family level not in the offices. We can spend billions or trillions on reducing it but once we leave out the family where morals are developed then we are just wasting all that we have.
THE ROT
THE ROT
THE ROT
The rot is in and set deep to the bone.. can Zambia survive?
…. RB and his cronie FTJ have strengthen the thieving “culture” that MMD has brought
Whoever said “u bomba mwi bala alya mwibala” Should have made sure to explain that he/she meant that you will eat from your labours and not stealing as it is commonly interpreted. Just build more prisons until we learn that crime(stealing) does not pay.
Here we go again, thats how things are run pa zed, for sure our country will never develop, it looks like coruuption and stealing has been ligalized in zambia, ligalizes, ligalizes wow wow
Iam for the opinion that pipo who steal and believe in corruption, should not hold public office same goes to politicians who are bootlickers, they drain zambian economy too much at an expense of poor tax payers.
wake up, wake up, wake up!! politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt and steal all the time, every time. we need to put our hopes and faith in something else more tangible and progressive.
sell zambia to taiwan!!!
Sihulume is very fast,
He lives in a mansion, drives the latest car. She live above a queens standard. woh
Geez!!!!!!!!when will we ever be free from this kanshi? no wonder donors pull out.
Sihulume Ben – From building inspector at Kalulushi Municipal Council to some big short in Lufwanyama. Big and nice House in Kalulushi plus a nice car. “Kanshi fyakwiba”. Next Kabanda Town Clerk Kalulushi.
#11 MUSANGE- Even that girl who drives a black fancy Toyota car, Iam now relieved, because I was wondering how I could not manage to buy such a car, Kanshi fyakwiba?
Put them in a cage and throw away the keys.