Barely a week after assuming office,Tanzania’s new President Samia Suluhu Hassan has suspended the Director-General of Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Deusdedit Kakoko.
She announced the suspension Saturday after the institution was adversely implicated in a report submitted by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG).
President Hassan announced the suspension when receiving the CAG’s audit reports for the financial year 2019/20 at the State House in Dodoma.
She noted indications of massive embezzlement of funds at TPA and ordered the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to take up the task as a matter of urgency.
President Hassan said Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa had formed a committee to probe what had been happening at the port and some action was taken.
“But from the report that you submitted to me yesterday, at least TSh3.6 billion had been embezzled at TPA…..When the Prime Minister conducted a probe, we only managed to fire junior staff. I now order the suspension of TPA Director-General to pave way for investigations into the embezzlement,” she said.
Majaliwa suspended two officials of TPA –Finance director Nuru Mhando, and the Financial Expenditures manager Witness Mahela in December to pave way for investigations over accusations of embezzlement of public funds.
Other public entities like Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) that had been adversely mentioned in the CAG’s report are also on the spot light.
President Hassan took over the presidency following the death of Magufuli who was interred on Friday,in his hometown Chato.
