Mbowe on the spot over 3bn/- elections campaign money
 
2005-10-08 07:46:20
By Joyce Mkinga

	Chadema presidential candidate Freeman Mbowe.

A Chadema parliamentary candidate has accused the party’s chairman, Freeman Mbowe, of financial impropriety saying his former boss had swindled some 3bn/- the party received from the Conservative Party of Britain for campaigns.

Morogoro regional chairman, David Mgasi, made the financial fiddling allegations yesterday when he crossed over to Chama Cha Mapinduzi.

Mgasi who was running for the Morogoro South parliamentary seat on Chadema ticket was received by CCM presidential candidate, Jakaya Kikwete in Dar es Salaam, where he renounced his affiliation to Chadema and predicted that the party would soon plunge into chaos and eventually disintegrate, because of lack of transparency in financial matters.

He said he had decamped to the ruling party when he sensed that his former party would descend into chaos after most parliamentary and civic seats candidates were denied money for campaigns.

Mgasi claimed that the Conservative Party of Britain had given Chadema 3bn/- for its campaigns, but the money had not been released to those running for various political offices.

’This is something that is known to all Chadema candidates. They have been asking me to give them the money,’ he said.

He said all the candidates had been instructed to contact the Conservative top leadership in London, but the email address they were given became obsolete after a while.

’From today, I am a member of CCM. I will no longer speak for Chadema’ he said.

He handed his Chadema membership card to CCM secretary-general, Philip Mangula and shook hands with Kikwete.

Another candidate, Lucy Mdemu who was vying for Mufindi North parliamentary seat on Chadema ticket also defected to CCM on Wednesday citing the same reasons.

Mdemu who was the Chadema publicity secretary crossed over in Dar es Salaam at CCM’s regional office.

• SOURCE: Guardian