Two-day notice for 136 public firms over employee records

AS the purge on phantom workers continues countrywide, the government has issued a two-day ultimatum to 136 public institutions to submit records of non-existent employees lest they are reported to the president for further action.

A breakdown issued by the President’s Office - Public Service Management and Good Governance yesterday indicated that a total of 11 councils, 10 boards, 25 public higher learning institutions as well as three designate referral hospitals were yet to present their records.

Also on the list are 12 offices of administrative secretaries in 12 regions, six regulatory authorities, 10 commissions and 30 government agencies in addition to 38 local government authorities.

According to the Communications Officer in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Mr James Mwanamyoto, the public institutions have until August 24 (tomorrow) to furnish the names to the office.

“At the end of the deadline, the office will present to the president the list of identified ghost workers in respective institutions and those which will fail to submit their records,” Mr Mwanamyoto explained.

He mentioned some of the institutions, which are yet to submit the catalog of phantom employees as the National Economic Empowerment Council (NEEC), National Council for Technical Education (NACTE), National Sports Council and the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA).

The National Environmental Council of Tanzania (NEMC), Fair Competition Tribunal, the Higher Education Students’ Loan Board (HESLB) and the Tanzania Tobacco Board are among institutions, which have been placed under spotlight for failure to submit the names.

On the other hand, the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), University of Dodoma (UDOM), the College of Business Education (CBE), Dar es Salaam Maritime Institute (DMI) and Centre for Foreign Diplomacy make up a fraction of higher learning institutions which are yet to provide the names of their ghost workers.

The offices of Regional Administrative Secretaries in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Dodoma, Geita, Kigoma and Arusha in addition Mbeya and Mtwara have the two-day ultimatum to meet the deadline lest they face disciplinary actions.

“There are also regulatory authorities such as Social Security Regulatory Authority (SSRA), Tanzania Education Authority (TEA), Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade) as well as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Export Zones Processing Authority (EPZA), which have not submitted their lists,” he explained.

The Minister of State in President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Ms Angella Kairuki, told a news conference last Friday that the government had saved a total of 16.15bn/- , which were hitherto paid to ghost workers. According to the minister, the exercise had so far enabled the government to identify and strike off the payroll a total of 16,127 ghost workers from the public service as of August 17.

Ms Kairuki revealed further that 233 civil servants are under their radar on suspicion of being involved in the ghost workers’ scam. She said that the government had started taking various measures, including sacking three civil service administrators behind the mess, as 606 civil servants are being interrogated by both the police and Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).

Ms Kairuki stressed the need for government departments, agencies and institutions who have not yet presented to the ministry the verification report to do so before the deadline.

“My ministry is due to present the official verification report to President John Magufuli with attachments that will list government institutions that have taken action to remove ghost workers as well as those who have declined,” she explained.