The President of the Provincial Assembly of Kasai Oriental faces serious accusations from local elected officials. Anthanase Kabongo Malembongo is accused of “notorious incompetence” in the exercise of his functions at the head of this deliberative body of the province.
In a letter published by a dozen provincial deputies, the latter declare that they withdraw their confidence in Anthanase Kabongo for several reasons. They denounce the poor functioning of the administration of the Provincial Assembly, in particular with regard to the recruitment of personnel, which would have been carried out in violation of the texts in force. In addition, they underline misappropriation and irregular allocations of the remuneration of provincial deputies and of the funds allocated to the staff of the deliberative body.
The provincial deputies demand not only the withdrawal of Anthanase Kabongo from the office of the Provincial Assembly, but also the establishment of a commission responsible for noting his serious faults and replacing him. They are also calling for the convening of an extraordinary session by the vice-president in order to deal with outstanding files from the March 2023 session.
This situation highlights the tensions within the Provincial Assembly of Kasai Oriental and raises questions about the management and governance of this body essential to the functioning of the province. It now remains to be seen how this crisis will be resolved and whether any action will be taken to address the issues raised by MPPs.
This article highlights the importance of integrity and competence in the exercise of political office. It also recalls that transparency and accountability are fundamental to maintaining the confidence of elected representatives and ensuring the proper functioning of democratic institutions