Fraudsters Raid Energy Ministry

The Energy and Mineral sector becomes yet another to be targeted by unscrupulous persons with the intention to steal public funds. "We follow the process where we had a methodology, we followed up to the logical conclusion where these perps were paid. So for it to come up now, it's not proper at all." Said, Robert Kasande – Ag. PS, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. According to Robert Kasande the Ag. Permanent Secretary, fraud, overvaluation and overpricing of land has made the work for the Ministry very difficult. Currently, the Ministry is stuck with Karuma and Isimba Hydropower projects. “We have been in individual perps my Lord we have asked for 132 billion shillings, there are those who have asked for 203 billion. So the amounts are very staggering and very disturbing. If I may my Lord, even where we are here there is a rock. The precedence that would be set if these people were paid these amounts of money would cripple this country because everybody else would climb the rock for infrastructure projects.”

The Ministry is now looting for compulsory land acquisition if strategic government projects are to be achieved in record time. “I think a compulsory land acquisition is unavoidable if we are to develop these infrastructure projects. One of the things that we are trying, as you may know, is to try to reduce the tariff as much as possible. The 600 billion would be a substantial cost to the project and therefore will not allow us to achieve what we are trying to achieve to reduce tariff, it will increase tariff.” The Commission is to interface with Chief Government Valuer Gilbert Kamondo to answer queries in relation to the dubious land valuation reports in different parts of the country.