Information has emerged that millions of Kwachas have been stolen from Nakonde Council by some officials, according to PF Provincial Youth Chairman Francis Kapyanga in an exclusive interview with Chete FM.
Mr Kapyanga’s claims which have not been independently verified by Chete FM, suggest the council had been collecting about K75,000 from tracks alone.
This is contrary to official reports of the council making about K80,000 from daily collections .
300 trucks are estimated to pass through the border in a single day with each paying K250.
It’s however, thought that the receipts only bear K50 for In Transit cars.
The Mpika lawmaker has alleged that the money has been stolen using fake receipt books bearing the exact details of the original.
The fake receipt book is believed to have been printed in Tanzania, he says.
It’s not clear if the decision to close the revenue collection office at the barrier could be linked to the the latest allegations although the Chairman earlier admited it was done to seal loopholes.
Mr Kapyanga who is Nakonde with his Nakonde counterpart Luka Simumba has told Chete FM’s Moses Mbewe Jr that Councillors have been told to be “on the lookout for these criminals by verifying this information” and ensuring people’s interests are protected.
He was addressing the Councillors as a PF official since the majority are from the opposition PF.
Most recently, Nakonde Human Rights Defenders Consortium has been calling for the total overhaul of the council following reports of irregularities in the 2020 auditor general’s report of local authorities, but efforts have almost been thwarted.