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The Addis Abeba City Caretaker Administration
appointed Mulat Adougna as general manager of the
City Land Development and Administration Authority.
Mulat took office last Monday along with Yichlal
Fenta, deputy general manager, and Daniel Assefa,
land development department head.
All appointees have experience working closely with
the City Administration in various capacities.
“Their job experiences and qualifications,
especially in information systems development and
management, compliment one another for the task at
hand,” said Brehane Deressa, mayor of Addis Abeba.
“They fill a glaring gap in the Land Authority.”
Instabilities hit the Authority when the Federal
Ethics and Anticorruption Commission (FEACC) began
apprehending officials from district land
development bureaus and the central office. A study
the Anticorruption Commission conducted in six
districts shows that the Authority’s service
provision is weak and officials abuse their power.
The tremor was further exacerbated when the
Commission arrested Kassa Hailu, head of the
Authority and other land experts. After Kassa’s
arrest, the seat has been vacant for the last two
months, though Kassa was later released on bail.
An official at the City Administration told
Fortune that the new General Manager was
selected after due consultations with the federal
government and after interviewing several candidates
for the post.
Mulat expertise in information and data management
systems suits him for this job, the Administration
official disclosed.
“This is a major area of weakness in the Land
Authority,” Mayor Brehane told Fortune.
Mulat was member of a committee Berhanu Adelo, head
of the Prime Minister’s Office, established to clear
up problems related with land in the city. He has
also worked in the Information Security Agency.
According to reliable sources, Mulat was coordinator
of inspections when the Geographical Information
System (GIS) offices in 10 districts were closed and
the federal government confiscated office records to
discern potential irregularities.
In his recent discussion with residents of the city,
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had stated that the GIS
would be a major instrument to curb problems related
with land disputes.
“Mulat is the right person to solve the serious
system and structural problems that the Authority is
facing,” Muleme Reshid, head of the ownership and
information department at the Authority, told
Fortune.
Mulat has studied GIS in Addis Abeba and Netherlands
ICT universities.
Mulat on Monday summoned employees of the Authority
at the municipality hall in Piazza and informed that
he would be focusing on introducing a major
restructuring in the system.
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