Tanzania President Magufuli sacks anti-graft chief

Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Wednesday sacked the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) Director General, Dr Edward Hosea.

Dr Hosea's fate was attributed to the inefficiency in his agency.

The decision was announced by Chief Secretary Ombeni Sefue Wednesday.

Revenues

Mr Sefue said President Magufuli was not satisfied by how PCCB was carrying out its responsibility, especially with regards to the loss of revenues at the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and the Tanzania Revenues Authority (TRA).

The president, said Mr Sefue, made the decision after he conducted a thorough scrutiny and came to the conclusion that the ability of PCCB to fight corruption under Dr Hosea would not cope with his pace to fight corruption.

Dr Hosea was appointed by President Jakaya Kikwete in 2006.

The president also suspended four other senior officials of the PCCB for defying the government's ban on foreign travel by public officials as part of austerity measures.

Magufuli launched a campaign to root out corruption and inefficiency in Tanzania since his inauguration last month and has already sacked several senior officials as a sign of his determination to fight graft.

The sacking comes barely a week after Magufuli dismissed the head of Tanzania's ports authority and the top official in the transport ministry over graft and tax evasion allegations.

The PCCB has long been criticised for failing to prosecute high-level corruption cases and Western donors have in the past suspended aid due to the slow pace in the fight against graft.