PCCB intervention saves 2.3m/- for Bulembo residents

BUKOBA: THE Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) in Kagera Region has recovered a total of 2.3m/- which was unlawfully collected from nine residents of Bulembo village, in Muleba District which was swindled by conmen for connecting them with electricity. Deputy Kagera Regional PCCB Chief, Mr Hajinas Onesphory told reporters during a press briefing …

BUKOBA: THE Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) in Kagera Region has recovered a total of 2.3m/- which was unlawfully collected from nine residents of Bulembo village, in Muleba District which was swindled by conmen for connecting them with electricity.

Deputy Kagera Regional PCCB Chief, Mr Hajinas Onesphory told reporters during a press briefing at his office yesterday that two former employees of Nakuroi Investment Company Ltd were recently arraigned before the Muleba District Magistrate’s court to answer various charges related to corrupt transaction.

He named the accused persons before the Muleba District Magistrate Daniel Nyamkelya as Patrick Muchunguzi and Revocatus Masanja.

He explained that between October to December last year, the two accused persons unlawfully obtained the money from the unsuspecting villagers promising to connect their houses with electricity.

However, Bulembo village was not listed under the Rural Electricity Agency (REA). They were both convicted and sentenced to imprisonment terms ranging one to two years or to pay a fine ranging between 500,000/ and 800,000/-.

ALSO READ: CAG, PCCB REPORTS FINDING: ‘Trend shows progress’

They both paid the fine and were also ordered to repay the 2.3m/- to the nine Bulembo residents. The nine villagers who were repaid their money with amounts in bracket include Erasmus Zephrin (280,000/-), Leontin Mugoa (200,000/-), Sadik Teikwa (200,000/-), Alodia Modest (220,000/-), Prexeda Benjamin (250,000/-), Josephine Felix (200,000/-) and Aquiline Philemon (300,000/-), Adolf Mtoka (300,000/- ), James Kailembo (250,000), Josephine Felix (200,000/-) and Aquiline Philemon (300,000/-).

One of the villagers, Adolf Kailembo (53) thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan for implementing people-centred projects, “We appeal for President Samia’s intervention to enable our Bulembo village to be connected with electricity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Onesphory said PCCB also managed to recover over 50m/- for the construction of the Missenyi District Hospital.

Elaborating, he said PCCB made a follow up on the project and discovered discrepancies where tiles worth 50,368,000/- were not delivered on the site by the contractor.

However, due to timely intervention the contractors had already delivered the tiles at the site, he said.