DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania’s Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba has ordered tough legal and disciplinary action against public officials implicated in the alleged embezzlement of funds earmarked for the construction of the Kiteto District Commissioner’s Office in the northern Manyara Region.
Speaking on Thursday after laying the foundation stone for the project in Kiteto District, Nchemba directed the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to conduct a comprehensive investigation and submit an individual accountability report detailing the role played by each officer involved.
“I want this report before I conclude my tour of Manyara Region. We were not sent here to share public funds. Disciplinary and legal measures must be taken,” he said.
The project, valued at 1.85 billion Tanzanian shillings, is about 85 per cent complete. Nchemba said some officials had shared project funds among themselves and only returned the money after scrutiny intensified.
“If this inspection had not taken place, we might not have seen this money returned,” he said. “Returning the funds is only the first step. The second step must be legal action. We cannot operate under a system where people take public funds and only return them when they fear exposure.”
He also directed that the Ethics Secretariat be involved to ensure implicated public servants face appropriate disciplinary proceedings.
The prime minister broadened his directive beyond the Kiteto project, ordering a detailed review of internally generated revenue in the district to establish how funds are collected and utilised.
“There will be no tolerance in matters concerning public property,” he said, adding that taxpayers’ money must be safeguarded to finance schools, hospitals and development projects.
In a move aimed at increasing transparency, Nchemba said development funds should not be treated as confidential information. He instructed that disbursement documents be shared with Regional Commissioners, District Commissioners, Members of Parliament, council chairpersons and councillors to reduce secrecy that can foster corruption.
PM Nchemba demands urgent fix to water distribution inefficiencies
On public services, he said the government has invested in water drilling rigs for every region, dam construction equipment for each zone and modern water surveying machines to improve access to clean water.
Referring to arid districts such as Longido and Kiteto, Nchemba said there was no justification for schools, health facilities or communities to lack water.
“If an area lacks even a borehole or a simple rainwater harvesting dam, that is negligence by officials,” he said, adding that authorities must prioritise schools and health facilities without water in the upcoming budget. He warned he did not want to see students carrying water containers to school when the new financial year begins in June.
The prime minister also expressed concern over delays in constructing sanitation facilities despite funds having been disbursed.
“In some areas, funds for toilet construction were released last year, yet students are still lining up. In certain cases, the problem is not lack of money but neglect and indifference,” he said.
Nchemba announced he would begin demanding monthly performance reports from regional and district leaders detailing citizens’ grievances received, resolved and escalated.
“We have leadership structures from village to district level. There is no reason for small problems to persist for years,” he said, urging citizens to formally register complaints and report mistreatment to higher authorities.
“Officials must not normalise people’s hardships or treat complaints as mere greetings before returning to routine,” he added.
