Corruption Looms In Kambia

One of such loop holes is the deliberate undermining of the country’s economy through double-dipping and illegitimate dual employment which the Systems and Processes Review Department of the Anti- Corruption Commission discovered recently.

The Systems and Processes Review Department of the ACC has just concluded a study focused on Staff Attendance Monitoring and Payroll Management, an effort employed to reduce wastage in Government Ministries Department and Agencies across the country.

The study excavated several loop holes through which Government has been losing billions of Leones at the Ministry of Agriculture and Health among others.

Investigations reveal that people were employed below the civil service work age; inconsistency in number of staff at the Ministry of Health at District Headquarters and Human Resources Management Office in December 2017; inconsistency in number of staff at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at District Headquarters and Human Resources Management Office in December 2017.

Names of staff at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation with age on the payroll different from another on the NASSIT scheme, is an issue being probed by the ACC.

In its effort to close down the plenty loop holes, the government of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio through the Systems and Processes Review Department of the ACC has published 85 names of double-dippers, better still, people the commission discovered in the Ministry of Health and Agriculture that abandoned their jobs but receiving salaries from the government; 11 out of 85 double-dippers were discovered in Kambia District. The Anti-Corruption Commission ACC has summoned Nasiru Deen Alghali Ministry of Health and EboVac, Finda Kanjie Yansaneh Ministry of Health and EboVac, Bobson Mansaray Ministry of Health and EboVac,Tosin Ajala Williams Ministry of Health and EboVac, Mohamed Ibrahim Bangura Ministry of Health and EboVac, Osman Kamara Ministry of Health and EboVac, Woria Salfin Marrah Ministry of Health and EboVac, AlhassanHivanKoromaMinistry of Health and EboVac, Lucinda Amara Ministry of Health and EboVac, Jenifa Kabba Ministry of Health and EboVac, Kpukumu Fatmata and Elenor K. Kantogor who was the only retiree caught in active service have been invited by the Anti-Corruption Commission apparently to discuss their repayment plan of a grand total of  Le328,842,441, an accumulating sum they have been collecting from the Consolidated Revenue Fund as employees of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation whom were collecting salaries without performing the duty for which they were been paid from the CRF.

Doctor Isaac Sesay is the District Medical Superintendent in charge of the Kambia Government Referral Hospital. Reacting to the issue as direct supervisor of the above mentioned names, he told AYV press that he was never aware of such arrangement he inherited some five (5) months ago adding, he did not receive a single handing over document from his predecessor, Dr. Sumah who was also an employee of EboVac at the same time Ministry of Health before he left the district. Dr. Isaac single out Alhassan Hivan Koroma who he said told him that he had an authentic document from the Ministry of Health to proceed for leave without pay but did not inherit a copy of such document from his predecessor Dr. Sumah. Dr. Sesay who claimed to not have received any formal communication from the Anti-Corruption Commission regarding the allegation of double-dipping said he is not aware of the other Ministry of Health officials mentioned to appear before the ACC on the 26^th October, 2018.

The health sector in Kambia has faced huge criticisms for series of corrupt practices ranging from establishment of secret bank accounts for funding from UNICEF, Global Fund among others without the knowledge of the Kambia District Council in this era of decentralization in Sierra Leone, the district where a District Medical Officer served as administrator at the same time Finance Officer after the death of the substantive Finance Officer, a district with staff members that hold positions within the health sector all because they were brothers and sisters to past District Medical Officers and Medical Superintendents without going through formal employment process.