Africa-Press – Tanzania. PARLIAMENTARY committee on administration and local governments affairs has asked the government to table in Parliament the recommendations for amendments of Prevention and Combating Corruption Bureau (PCCB) Act, 2007, because it needed improvements to fit current environment.
Chairman of the committee, Mr Humphrey Polepole made the appeal in the August House after the budget estimates for the President’s Office, Public Service Management and Good Governance (PO PSMGG) was tabled recently.
Mr Polepole however noted that the committee was commending the government for empowering the PCCB to open 28 regional offices and 111 district offices as well as six centres which have enabled it bring services closer to people.
But, the committee alarmed that those offices have been crippled due to shortage of 153 staff, 189 cars and other working tools.
The committee further advised the government to look at the possibility of addressing shortage of servants especially for cadres of teachers, health staff, extension officers and community development officers.
The shortage has been large due to, among others, retirement, deaths and exercise of removing from employment those who possessed fake academic certificates.
“The committee recognizes efforts by the government to build the economy, making the country reach middle income status. It’s a view of the committee that it is now a right time for the government to look at the possibility of improving benefits of public servants, including increasing salaries,” he noted.
The committees appealed to the government to take measures and ensure public servants were promoted as per public service Act and improve their welfares.
The committee also advised the government to ensure it effectively use the e-Government Agency (eGA) by harmonising it with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems that are used by the ministries and government institutions in order to bring efficiency and protection of information.
On other hand, the government has to make sure that 30 per cent of poor families that are not under the TASAF programme are included during the implementation of the second term of the third phase of the programme.
A total of 5,693 villages were left out during the implementation of the programme.
