By Merlyn Mwanza
Finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane is reportedly failing to act on the happenings at the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) because of his closeness to board chairperson Joe Mutwale, whom he appointed to the position some months ago.
Well placed sources have informed Daily Revelation on the reported disregard for corporate governance by Mutwale who is said to be demanding fuel refunds even in the absence of the board meetings.
Mutwale has argued that he has been demanding the refunds because he has been traveling and has even refused the Agency vehicle saying “it is too expensive and risky”, but technocrats have argued that that still not guarantee him demanding the fuel refunds against the regulations.
The conditions of service for the MRFA board are:
1. To attend committee and board meetings and be paid an allowance approved by the Minister of Finance
2. If the board member lives outside Lusaka or the meeting is held outside the town of his/her residence, then fuel refunds or transport costs by air or land will be paid by NRFA
3. The board chairman alone is entitled to airtime of K300 per month
Sources have noticed a frequency to hold the board meetings and what they say as the “tendency to prolong them whenever they are held.”
“The Minister of Finance and National Planning has only approved board allowances and no fuel refunds, so the demand for fuel refunds is abnormal as no meetings were held for the requested refunds. And why would fuel refunds be made to the board chairperson alone?” asked one of the sources.
Daily Revelation recently reported on another incident where Mutwale reportedly chased second deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Mayo from the Agency’s offices amidst reported animosity with NRFA CEO Wallace Mumba.
However, efforts to talk to Speaker Mayo, who indicated through his assistant three days ago that he would call have failed despite repeated calls to him, and Mutwale’s line has since gone on call busy after learning of attempts to get in touch with him, while Mumba despite responding to initial messages stopped responding when he was asked specifically about the happenings at NRFA.
Efforts to talk to Dr Musokotwane himself on this and other national matters since he became Finance minister a second time, have failed as his line always goes unanswered. However, sources have told Daily Revelation that the Ministry of Finance, as are most government bodies, are aware of the happenings at the Agency.
