The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
7 June 2011
editorial
Some of the government employees, who are meant to be a key link in leadership at the grassroots, are not living up to expectations. Of serious concern are the village executives, who engage in malpractices or blatantly steal public funds. The dishonesty of these officials is hampering rural development efforts. One of the most abused programmes is the subsidised farm input vouchers.
This, among other factors, could be the reason why the desire to improve agriculture and boost productivity has not yielded fruit.In Chato District, these officials have squandered millions of shillings and mismanaged about 22,000 farm input vouchers.
The authorities must take stern action immediately to arrest the trend. It should start with punishing dishonest civil servants, who collaborate with farm input distribution agents and extension officers to embezzle funds.
They must face criminal action for the fraud and sanction for abusing their positions for personal gain.
As Chato District investigates the scam, we hope other local government authorities will also clean up their houses by identifying and penalising the farm input cheats. Banning the culprits from holding public office again is an idea that should be considered.
AllAfrica – All the Time
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Rein in Cheats to Curb Fraud