RUKWA Regional Commissioner, Joseph Mkirikiti has announced that defaulting public servants have refunded over 641.4m/- they had swindled, which is 79 per cent of 811.9m/- to be paid back.
Mkirikiti announced this while addressing journalists during a press briefing meeting held here yesterday when he was responding to a question asked by this paper, wanting to know measures which have been taken against the defaulters.
Equally, the RC reminded local authorities to make sure they effectively make use of the electronic system in domestic revenue collection to help councils increase their revenue collections to enhance development in their respective areas.
The defaulters are ward and village executive officers employed by councils and tasked to collect domestic revenues, but instead swindled the money and put it in their bank accounts, hence committing malpractices against the Local Government Revenue Information System (LGRIS).
The LGRIS is used for managing revenue collection in councils. Other defaulters are service providers and licensed business people.
“When I reported in the office five months ago, I ordered all defaulters to pay back the money they alleged to have had swindled, short of that they would face the wrath of the law. “The good news is that 79 per cent of the swindled amount has been paid back.
This was made possible following the good job by the newly appointed District Executive Directors (DEDs) in Nkasi, Kalambo and Sumbawanga District Councils. I am happy to announce that soon the region will have no single defaulter. I don’t want to hear cases of defaulters in my region, this malpractice should be curbed forthright….. It is unacceptable, because Rukwa region was leading the slot in the country for having a high numbers of defaulters” emphasized the RC.