By Isaac Zulu
Reports have emerged that National Road Fund Agency board chairperson Joe Mutwale has been drawing allowances for fuel refunds in the absence of board meetings.
But when asked by Daily Revelation on information that he asks for transport refunds even without board meetings and against regulations, Mutwale, an appointee of Finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, said he gets the refunds when he is asked to do certain work, and described the same refunds “as small small amounts.”
Mutwale also said he had refused the Agency’s vehicle deeming it “too expensive and risky”, but asked why he had refused the vehicle but was instead getting fuel refunds from the same institution, he said he demanded refunds because he was traveling.
Impeccable sources in the Ministry of Finance and NRFA told Daily Revelation that, procedurally, no allowance should be paid to board members at the National Road Fund Agency without Treasury Authority, but this is being ignored.
“The newly appointed board chairperson Joe Mutwale has been drawing allowances for fuel without clearance from the Ministry of Finance. President Hakainde Hichilema should clean up the system at the National Road Fund Agency,” explained sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
And a payment voucher PV3336/4724 obtained from the National Road Fund Agency dated July 22, 2022 shows a tender evaluation allowance of K7,800 a K600 allowance for fuel refund to Mutwale, while K2,835.400 is falling under the description Funds from Secretariat to Tolling Account.
And payment voucher PV3337/4743 dated July 21,2022 shows that the National Road Fund Agency board chairperson received a K500 fuel allowance.
Asked on some payment receipts showing that he had received fuel refunds, Mutwale laughed before saying that he could not say a word on the matter.
“That is really really funny. You know I have heard about you (Daily Revelation), I have read about you. I have got to be extremely guarded what I say because I represent a board. So I have recently been appointed by the minister (Finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane) as chairperson of the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA). We are trying to straighten things out. I am supposed to be entitled to a car for instance to pick me up and take me to board meetings. I refused. Totally refuse,” Mutwale said. “I live in Chilanga and the best they can do is just reimburse me for fuel because it’s expensive to send a car to deliver mail, to pick me up. I prefer to use my own car and and I am as per policy, as per policy, I am afraid that is all totally totally wrong information. As I speak I have got a board meeting tomorrow. I have lots of things that we are trying to straighten out. My good heavens, four months in office?”
Asked on the Information that he had gotten these allowances even when there was no board meeting against regulations, Mutwale said: “No, not against board regulations. That is not board regulation. When you are traveling you are asked to go for a meeting for instance by the minister, having to meet the ministers, the PSs, right! And I am required to work from the board room. And these are small small amounts, K200, K100, (K600, K500), Yes sure. So those are things I am supposed to pay for, not pay for but sign for. Yes indeed, so there is a policy in place. As a board chairperson when I am required to do certain work I travel. Okay! To see the minister. My goodness what a mess, what a nuisance.”
Mutwale said he had not heard a single word about being investigated by the ACC, saying as a matter of fact he was trying to sort out issues with a board meeting scheduled for tomorrow, to try and come up with a strategy.
“In fact I refuse to be picked up. I refuse to have company car, a big Pajero coming to pick me up,” he said.
But asked why he refused the institutional vehicle but demanded fuel refunds, Mutwale said he demanded fuel refunds because he was traveling.
He said it was unnecessarily expensive and risky to move with the institutional vehicle.
“Risky in what sense?” the journalist asked, Mutwale said: “I think I will just leave it at that. Unnecessarily expensive and risky. There are times I have refused the office to come over here and deliver mail. And I tell them ‘leave it until I come over and I will come and I will come and sign. Why should you come all the way to deliver mail? Because it’s a waste of money.’”
He said “my goodness, you are talking about people that are trying to fix things.”
“But who has given you this number? Of course I am a public person. I am a public person. Please just keep an ear to the ground because like I said I have got a board meeting tomorrow and we are trying to chart a new path. And you know this is a National Road Fund Agency. It handles public funds. And you ask yourself, why have we been appointed? To straighten things out,” said Mutwale.
