A PURGE of corrupt civil servants behind the misappropriation of billions of Kwacha from donors at the Ministry of General Education has resulted in the dismissal of about 21 officers.
Initially, the officers were served with suspension letters before they were recalled on condition of monthly salary deductions until the amount owed by each was recovered, but that decision has been overturned and about 21 of them have so far received their dismissal letters.
According to one of the letters dated May 29, 2019, and signed by Education Permanent Secretary Jobbicks Kalumba, the warning letters issued to them have been revoked and that their terminal benefits had been forfeited to the state following the termination of their employment.
Meanwhile, sources within the ministry told the Daily Nation yesterday that even though only 21 out of about 80 employees who were suspended last year had received their dismissal letters, the process was ongoing and more people would be fired.
“The people who were fired had initially been given warning letters after serving their suspension. Upon resuming work, each one of them signed consent letters that the money they are alleged to have misappropriated will be deducted from their salaries and the deductions had been in effect.
“This comes to them as a shock because some of them were alleged to have misappropriated as little as K2, 000 and had already cleared their bill before they received these letters. What we are getting is that this is an on-going process as more people may be receiving their dismissal letters soon,” the source said.
Efforts to get a comment from Dr. Kalumba proved futile as his phone went unanswered while WhatsApp message sent to him was not responded to.
A forensic audit that was done by the Auditor General up to September 26, 2018, established that K19.5 million was embezzled by staff at the ministry. About 80 officials were suspended to pave way for the probe.
The suspensions came after African Confidential reported that massive fraud had taken place at the Ministry of General Education.
I don’t have sympathy for public workers who steal from the public coffers. Regardless of the matter amount stolen, you’ve got to go. Learn to live within your means. Same should be extended to thieving politicians
It is not about the amount being small and already recovered. It is about unethical behaviour.
Dismissal only is not good enough. Conduct a thorough investigation and their assets audited. If it’s found that they used stolen money to acquire assets, they should forfeit that to the State, face prosecution and prison time. Same thing should happen to Lungu and his ministers. Audit them too. Get serious.
Prosecution should follow. Merely dismissing them leads to them laughing all the way to the bank. They already got there terminal benefits in advance and have acquired properties. Some are already comfortable after short changing us the tax payers
Well done, Jobbic Kalumba.! You have brought transformation in the ministry. Now, my question is, NIPA is it a govt learning institution or private.? Why are the fees still very high.? The govt should look into this matter urgently.
List the names of the criminals so that they are blacklisted kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.
Give us the list sir coz hopefully there is no ethnicity involved
@Melly yours is not about the principle but tribe. Your first reaction is which tribe is involved and which ones have been fired. Stealing is stealing and anyone who has stolen must face the consequences no matter how long it takes.
Cleanse yourself if you don’t want to be fired. Does it matter what tribe a thief belongs to.
Villagers are sent to jail for stealing a chicken. Jail these criminals including Chitotela and the chief impi.
Chasing small fish in the pond to protect the big fish swimming in the lakes. If someone is convicted of stealing, they need to forfeit what they stole and then go to jail. This is a case where thieves are being asked to investigate themselves to appease the donors. But why can’t these donors manage the funds themselves?
Misappropriated as LITTLE AS K2,000? Theft is theft. Before courts became rotten I remember a certain miner being jailed for stealing a 6 inch Glenn valve. Starts with the little 2,000 then it becomes sweet and sweeter and escalates to 2million.
As Minister Alexander Chiteme says, civil servants are the biggest thieves in government. Just go and see the houses they are building and you will see how bad these worms really are.
And 80% are UPND cadres
9.1 They won’t admit it. In my town most council and government workers are Upnd inclined. They have built complicated mansions mostly in an area called Kitwe West. How I miss KK. All these guys would be busy explaining the source of their wealth. Crime is not only when a minister or a president steals, it’s when anyone steals.
Zechariah 5:4
4 ‘I will send a curse,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by My name. And it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall consume it, with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.’”
No one who steals from the lives to enjoy the rewards,!!Its a CURSE
Elo Ninshi I’m not getting housing allowance which I’m entitled to: responsibility allowance which I’m again entitled to. This is stupid mwee. No fairness!
For civil servants the procedure is straightforward, suspend them to pave way for investigation, reinstate them to recover the money they stole and after recovering the stolen funds they get fired. What is the normal channel to recover stolen money from the ministers?