LIVINGSTONE City Council suspends finance and engineering directors

Livingstone Mayor Aggrey Njekwa said director of finance Kingsley Muchindu and the director of engineering Ben Chiyesu were this week suspended from the local authority for alleged financial irregularities.
Mr Njekwa said in an interview yesterday that he was unable to give more details but confirmed that the two heads of department were suspended for financial irregularities.
“I can confirm that director of engineering Dr Chiyesu and director finance Mr Muchindu have, with immediate effect, been suspended for financial irregularities and this must have been committed shortly before and during the UNWTO conference,” Mr Njekwa said.
He said the council during the same period bought seven vehicles that were distributed to heads of department without prioritising certain needy areas that the local authority needed to look into.
Mr Njekwa said retirees had not been paid over a long period of time and workers had also gone for two months without salaries.
“We have a situation where workers have gone for two months without pay and retirees have not gotten their packages but seven vehicles are bought. So it’s a matter of priorities because we also have people we owe money,” Mr Njekwa said.
The mayor said irregularities happened at a time when the councillors were suspended.
Mr Njekwa revealed that the workers were planning a work stoppage, but added that he had taken it upon himself to calm the situation as the Town Clerk Vivian Chikoti was reportedly out of town.