Kamwi lashes out at disability council

By: SHINOVENE IMMANUEL

MINISTER of Health and Social Services Richard Kamwi yesterday lashed out at the National Disability Council of Namibia for “serious” mismanagment of money allocated to them for the 2012/2013 financial year.

“I note with serious concern that some of the services rendered to the council were delivered without proper financial supporting documents from the suppliers, and in various cases suppliers were paid a 50% at the onset for work not completed.
This is unfortunate,”  he said at the inauguration of the second board of the council.
“I must inform you that my ministry, in the absence of the council, allocated an amount of N$5 million to the council (secretariat) for the financial year (2012/2013),” he said.
Kamwi said that he was disappointed that the audited books of the National Disability Council by the Ministry of Health and Social Services showed serious financial mismanagement by the secretariat of the council.
According to the minister, this resulted in the ministry bailing out the council with N$510 000 to meet salaries and other obligations such as utilities.
This year, Kamwi said the ministry has allocated N$8,4 million and up to date N$2,8 million has been transferred to the National Disability Council account already.
Kamwi, who in recent months called for accountability from managers, urged the new council to spend resources wisely in order to avoid unnecessary expenditure.
“In this regard, there is a need for the council to develop a financial management and procurement policy as a matter of urgency to avoid the pitfalls of the past”.
The council has been without a board since the term of the previous one ended in 2011.  
Member of Parliament Alexia Ncube recently grilled Kamwi in the National Assembly on why a board has not been appointed since 2011.
Ncube said during the debate on the health budget that the lack of a board paralysed the disability movement and National Federation of People with Disabilities in Namibia (NFPDN) at large.
The NFPDN in return rejected claims by Kamwi that lack of finances and tribalism were the reasons for the lack of a council board.

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