Muyuka mayor accused of embezzling over CFAF 100m

An ordinary session of the Muyuka Council that took place last Wednesday, June 10, generated lots of fireworks leading to startling revelations of how the council is run under Mayor Nkeng Michael Akamin.

The session unfolded under very tight security – something very unusual to any council session. However, the tight security points to the tension and acrimony existing among the 41 councillors of the municipality.

The meeting was solely intended to examine and adopt the administrative, management and stores management accounts of the council for 2014. It was presided by the no-nonsense Fako SDO, Zang III who after the opening segment of the session left his seat for the Divisional Officer.

As if to show that he does not master what goes on in the municipality, the mayor boosted that he had realised a portable water project in Munyenge village. But he was quickly countered by Chief Councillor Denis Motombe Likowo. The councillor described as lies the completion of any such water project in Munyenge.

“The provision of a mini-potable water supply to the Munyenge community constituted our groundbreaking achievement in this sector. I am sure that the entire community is eagerly waiting for the handing over ceremony of that project. I must say here that negotiations are on with the state for a lasting solution to those areas that are badly in need of water supply. The construction of twenty public stand taps is also our major concern. We were halted a bit by the authorities of Camwater for some negotiations,” the Mayor said before he was countered by Likowo.

Likowo drew the attention of the mayor to the fact that the water project in question has not been realised. In the fashion of a British House of Commons parliamentarian, Likowo frowned that “It has gone to a stage where it is hard for us to believe anybody. We’ll believe only in what we see. How can you say you are handing over a water project that has not been realised? That water project remains uncompleted. Projects for Munyenge are hardly ever completed. We are aggrieved. The people of Munyenge have no roads, no electricity and no water,” he lamented.

Not only had the water project completion become a matter of contention. Lazare Landjinou, another Councillor and CPDM Section President for Muyuka pointed out that some of the roads outlined by the Mayor Akamin as haven been constructed do not exist at all.

“There are a lot of things that are not going on right. We have the road, Stone Quarter to Makanga. That road does not exist, but over FCFA 5 million is said to have been spent on the road. You want me to tell you the name of the enterprise?

He continued; “We have the road Sabana Beach. Mr. Mayor that road was done by Mr. Sabana but you raised a fake voucher for the project you did not do to the tune of over FCFA 4 million.

Then Landjinou opened the can of warms; “About the sandpit of Malende, the council spent over FCFA 8 million and the voucher number is 0581for Lot 1 and 2. From the evidence that I’ve given, you see that we have a little embezzlement in the construction and rehabilitation of roads. I don’t have a personal problem with the mayor, but we’re in a council session. Let the mayor defend what I’ve said. I have my documents to protect what I’m saying. When I went through my documents, I realised that over 100 million was embezzled. This is money that can be used to convince the population to vote for us in 2018,” Landjinou revealed.

As the drama unfolded, Tambe Thomas Tabot, Divisional Officer (DO) for Muyuka, sitting in for the SDO abruptly interrupted Landjinou, shouting at him, “Let us be serious here. Any embezzlement can only be ascertained after an investigation has been carried out. Please we have to be serious. You have your facts; you have your documents, please write with your facts to the appropriate quarters and they will open an investigation. I don’t know! When the SDO talks, people hear as if they don’t hear; it enters one ear and leaves the other. There is a supervisory authority, there is CONAC and other bodies put in place to fight corruption. People should not waste our time here.” The D.O said.

Irritated by the DO’s comments, Landjinou stood up to leave but DO Tambe again thundered: “Sit down! I have the floor. Don’t get me to my nerves. I’m sitting here as the representative of the supervisory authority. Go let them open an investigation. The mayor is not above an investigation. If there’s any embezzlement, it will be revealed. The SDO is open to all of you. You speak as if you have a mastery of your facts. You can bypass the SDO and write to CONAC.”

After holding the session hostage for several minutes, the DO then handed the microphone to the Mayor who apparently aggravated the situation when he accused councillors of behaving like children.

“We should not come to these august chambers to behave like children. We should behave like adults. I’ll like to know how Councillor Landjinou got these vouchers from the council. It must have come from the council. You don’t draw judgment without investigations. Some of you are here to play; some of us here are serious. Landjinou, if you want to make it personal, know that I came to Muyuka because I have this place at heart. Don’t attribute me to misappropriation. God has blessed me. I don’t need to come and misappropriate money here.” Surprisingly, in a statement that betrayed his incompetence, the mayor said “I did not go to the field most of the time when these roads were being constructed. I rely on information given to me.

Nkeng said the company he heads executes contracts worth over FCFA 2 billion annually, an amount that is far greater than the budget of Muyuka Council. As such, he said he cannot embezzle the people’s money.

Here him: “There are so many ways to cheat and go free. But to come and say a road was not done but a bill was paid for it is ridiculous; is that not a recipe for prison? I don’t know how somebody can imagine such…I’m not afraid of anything as misappropriation. I want to do something to sanction the staff who leaked out confidential information.”

Amidst the tension and the verbal war, Council Sona Makia urged mayor Nkeng to engage in meaningful dialogue with councillors out of the session in order to bury glaring differences.

At about 8pm, the accounts were adopted by the councillors given that it was running late and some of them had begun to complain of hunger. The security presence might also have intimidated the councillors to adopt the accounts.

It should be noted that as of now, a number of projects inherited by mayor Nkeng – the mortuary project and banquet hall are yet to be completed.

Even a container of medical equipment the mayor promised after his election on October 16, 2013 is yet to arrive Muyuka, almost twenty months after.

During the session, the mayor expressed frustration at his inability work together with his first deputy mayor. When councillors instructed the mayor to ensure the supervision of local revenue or assign his deputy to do so, Nkeng said:

“If you assign the first deputy mayor, he will not go.”

The mayor in an interview late Wednesday night described the embezzlement allegations levied on him as “silly accusations”.

For now, the mayor says he’s bent on exposing and disciplining the staff who leaked sensitive council documents to the public.

It should be noted that Mayor Nkeng tookover as Muyuka Mayor after many years living in the United States. It was hoped that he was bringing the transparency that obtains in the U.S to Muyuka municipality. So far it remains to be seen.