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LAPF to sue defaulting local governments
2008-03-21 10:02:05
By Correspondent, Dodoma
The Local Authorities Pensions Fund (LAPF) has been directed to sue all district and municipal councils that have failed to submit their employees monthly contribution to the Fund.
The directive was issued by Celina Kombani, Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister`s Office responsible for Regional Administration and Local Government, when she made a one day working visit at the Fund.
Earlier on, LAPF Director General Eliud Sanga informed the Deputy Minister that ten District Councils owed LAPF a total of 3.9 billion shillings in members` contributions and related fines.
Sanga added that the fund’s management had for a long time now tried tirelessly to negotiate with the councils but the response from the later has not been positive.
The said district councils included Handeni, Mwanga, Muheza, Kondoa, Shinyanga, Kwimba, Sengerema, Biharamulo, Tarime, Kinondoni, Rufiji and Kilosa.
``I will personally contact these councils on this matter, but I also want LAPF to announce them publicly so that they may take action and if that fails take them to court`` Kombani said.
The Deputy Minister also reminded the councils to ensure that its retirees received their retirement pension as soon as they retired by informing and sending the necessary documents to LAPF well before the retirement date of an employee.
``Personnel Officers in municipalities have a tendency to let files requesting retirement benefits of the retired employees to pile up unattended thus causing suffering and poverty to the pensioners who need the money to survive,`` she said.
She called upon employees who are in their final year of service to take the initiative of looking for the necessary forms and documents and forward them to LAPF at least six months before they retired.
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