MTWARA: DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Dr Doto Biteko, has expressed dissatisfaction with the financial irregularities in projects funded by investors as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes.
Speaking during his visit to the Msimbati Health Centre in Mtwara yesterday, Dr Biteko stated that the additional costs for the project at the health facility need to be investigated for clarification “The health centre is 98 per cent complete but I have asked the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) here to investigate the budget and the quality of the work,” said Dr Biteko.
The initial budget for the Msimbati Health Centre was 600m/-, but it has since increased to 759m/-, an additional 159m/-from the original budget.
Dr Biteko said all project implementers across the country must ensure that their work is carried out to benefit Tanzanians and not otherwise.
During his visit to the new Msimbati Police Station, he stated that the construction had been completed and that they had requested support for the construction of a fence, furniture, information technology (ICT) systems, water supply and residential facilities for the station staff.
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On his part, Mtwara Regional Commissioner, Colonel Patrick Sawala, stated that the government conducts regular inspections of projects to align with President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s directives, ensuring that residents in the Lindi and Mtwara regions, where gas resources are extracted, directly benefit through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
He added: “All the projects are inspected to see if they match with the directives given and the budget allocated because mostly are done for the benefit of all the members of communities in the country.”
Residents of Lindi and Mtwara regions have long voiced their demands for development services, citing the extraction of natural gas in their regions.
This situation prompted the government to instruct the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) to allocate funds through CSR initiatives to benefit the citizens, as is being done in other parts of the country
