We are working on allegations, says JK

President Jakaya Kikwete

President Jakaya Kikwete has said the government is seriously working on corruption allegations leveled against some top government officials.

This is the first time the President is commenting about grand corruption allegations, which have been leveled against senior government officials by Chadema legislators Zitto Kabwe and Dr Willbroad Slaa.

Already, Energy Minister Nazir Karamagi, Permanent Secretary Gray Mngonja of the Treasury and Permanent Secretary Patrick Rutabanzibwa of the Ministry of Water have threatened to go to court to clear their names.

The graft allegations have dominated media reports for almost three months.

President Kikwete made the statement on Tuesday evening when he met Archbishop Thomas Laiser of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, Arusha Diocese.

President Kikwete said the government was investigating the matter according to laws governing the country.

``Any one who will be found to have been involved in the scandals, will have stringent measures taken against them, regardless of their position,`` President Kikwete said.

He said the government had already placed its machineries to work on the matter and the culprits would face the law.

Commenting on efforts to curb corruption within the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi, President Kikwete said: �I have already told responsible organs to work hard so as to make the government efforts succeed.�

He, however, said the mandate to pursue the cases was not vested in the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) alone but other organs as well.

The President further cautioned members of the public and some politicians whom he said �have assumed the roles of security officers, public prosecutors and judges at the same time,� and who condemn people without giving them opportunity to be heard.

He said if the habit persisted, it would throw the country into unnecessary problems, coupled with threatening people.

He said the behaviour was contrary to the rule of law and violated people�s rights. �People need to be protected at any cost by the state,� he said.

�This is a country which upholds rule of law and not law of the jungle,� the President said.

President Kikwete said that his government was determined to reduce corruption and scale it to zero level, starting with the ruling party CCM.

�If we ourselves in CCM have started to fight corruption, how can we fail to do so in the government system?� he said, adding, �We are determined to win this war. I am sure we are going to win.�

During the event, Archbishop Laiser praised President Kikwete for fighting rampant corruption in the country.

Recently, Foreign and International Affairs Minister told media editors that the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau had been assigned to probe into allegations related to grand corruption in the Central Bank and the controversial signing of the Buzwagi Mine contract.