Former Tanzania police boss on the spot over theft of Ksh.270 million bereavement fund

Tanzania’s former Inspector General of Police is on the spot over the looting of Ksh.270 million (TSh. 4.8 billion) from the Police Force bereavement fund.

Simon Sirro is said to have been the overseer of the bereavement fund for five years between 2017 and July 2022 when the theft is said to have happened.

Quoting a report by the country’s auditor’s office, The Citizen newspaper reports that the Tanzania Police Force was receiving deductions from the salaries of police officers and non-policemen (civilians) to contribute to the fund.

The funds were deposited in one of the commercial bank accounts and were managed by the headquarters of the Tanzania Police Force.

With Sirro as the overseer of all procedures in the fund, the auditor said the police force transferred the money to 62 different bank accounts set aside for paying the bereaved.

The fund reportedly did not have a secretariat and thus did not hold secretariat meetings between 2018 and 2022 and did not instruct the chairman of the fund to organize annual general meetings.

It is said that between July 2018 and November 2021, the bereavement fund in Mainland Tanzania collected 19.27 billion shillings, bringing the balance to 22.25 billion.

This amount was withdrawn from the fund account and transferred to 62 bank accounts.

The auditor found that 2.44 billion shillings were misused and embezzled, whereby in one of the incidents, four signatories withdrew 754.65 million shillings without any information on the beneficiaries.

The manager is said to have transferred 5 million shillings to a personal account and at different times ordered the transfer of 23.5 million to a relative’s account without any supporting details.

Another 2.4 billion was lost after Zanzibar Police Force and the Tanzania Police Force colluded.

The police body says 12 officers have since been arrested and arraigned in connection with the theft.

Four have meanwhile escaped, including one police inspector, who is said to have fled to South Africa.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu has already received the report and last month ordered all the involved be brought to book.