Wed, 27 Sep 2017 08:56:03 +0000
… whistleblower lays bare rampant misuse of company funds
By Simon Muntemba
A SCAM in which some National Housing Authority (NHA) senior officials are allegedly abusing their authority with impunity in the sale of houses and plots for their personal gain has been exposed.
According to NHA policy on sale of houses and plots to staff, employees wishing to buy staff houses or plots are required to submit written applications through the Human Resource and Administration for approval. And title deeds are processed in an employee’s name only after paying in full.
However, this has not been the case as some illegalities, procedural impropriety and abuse of office by senior officials in the sale of houses and plots belonging to the NHA has been rampant.
Three senior NHA officials have not only changed ownership of NHA’s land and obtained certificates of title deeds of the plots in their names before paying in full as required by the authority guidelines, but also bought a piece of land for K900,000 without following the due process.
Three senior officers are alleged to have sold themselves plots in a prime area in Ibex Hill at a discounted price and changed ownership without paying in full.
Details obtained by the Daily Nation showed that properties in Lusaka’s Ibex Hill were sold for amounts between K150, 000 and K500, 000.
And an impeccable source told the Daily Nation that the purchases of the plots in Ibex Hill were not subjected to board approval as per internal guidelines governing the sale of houses and plots to staff.
The source also disclosed that the trio were involved in a number of activities in the sale of NHA houses and plots.
“These malpractices of sale of land and houses are among other irregularities such as the purchase of land by NHA in which some senior officials are involved,” an impeccable source said.
The source added that in the absence of a board, as it was supposed to be the case, management never sought approval from the parent ministry at Local Government and Housing.
The trio are said to have not tabled the matter in any board meeting for ratification even when a new board was put in place.
In addition, other officers are also alleged to have bought a piece of land for K900, 000 without following the due process.
The trio bought 3.O ha of land for quarry or similar business at a price of K900, 000 from an individual.
