Africa

Fired Tanzania minister questioned on $450m contract

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Tanzania’s sacked home affairs minister appeared before the anti-corruption bureau on Friday for questioning over a controversial multi-million dollar contract awarded during his tenure.

Kangi Lugola and other top officials in the ministry were fired last week by President John Magufuli over their suspected roles in the contract worth $450 million.

They have never commented on the accusations.

The contract was awarded by the fire department – which is under the home affairs ministry- to an unnamed Romanian firm.

President Magufuli criticised the minister and his team for not involving the ministry of finance during negotiations for the contract, or getting an approval from parliament.

He also accused them of taking bribes while negotiating the deal and attempting to purchase unnecessary equipment, such as drones, for firefighting and rescue.

Magufuli took office with the promise to fight corruption and instill discipline among civil servants. As part of the mission, a corruption and economic crime court has been established as a special division of the high court.Article share tools

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Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

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