Over 500 ghost workers revealed in 3 regions.

President John Magufuli’s 15-day ultimatum to newly appointed regional commissioners to get rid of ghost civil servants has started paying dividends following reports that 515 of them have been revealed in government payrolls in three regions as of Thursday, with other regions still harbouring information, pending official submission to the President on Monday. 

 

The regions include Singida with 202 ghost workers, Kigoma with 169  and Dodoma that reported 144 ghost workers. 

 

But the secrecy behind the revelation by 23 other regions gives a reason to suspect that the magnitude of the civil service ghost workers who “pocketed millions of shillings in terms of salaries” could be higher than the initial expectations when the crackdown started about a fortnight ago. 

 

Tanzania has a workforce of over 300,000 civil servants and spends around Sh5trn on salaries every year.

 

President Magufuli appointed and swore in the regional commissioners at the State House in Dar es Salaam on March 13 giving them 15 days to clear the mess and ordered the ministers to follow the commissioners’ suit in their respective jurisdictions, though he was short of giving them ultimatum.

 

He also tasked the RCs into evoking the spirit of hard work as opposed to idleness among the youth in their regions, through ordering arrests on idle youngsters resorting to playing games during the day time when the elderly is toiling in the farms. 

 

However, a good number of the RCs told this newspaper this week that they have started implementing the presidential directive in their respective regions. 

 

Singida RC. Eng. Matthew Mtigumwe said his region has managed to get hold of names of ghost workers from a special audit of civil servants compiled by the Local Government and Regional Administration’s portfolio under Prime Minister’s Office.

 

“Following the identification of names of the ghost workers we have ordered security organs to arrest those involved in this scam who have caused the government an enormous loss,” he said.

 

Brig. Gen. (rtd) Emmanuel Maganga, Kigoma RC he had managed to locate the ghost workers in the region’s six districts.

 

Like his Singida counterpart, Maganga, a recent military retiree, said government officials involved in paying salaries to ghost workers would have legal actions taken  against them.  

 

“No one will be spared if engaged in the disgraceful practice to steal from the government,” said the former military attaché to South Africa and the United States, adding: “it will be giving a lesson to others mustering intention to siphon the government coffers.”

 

Dodoma RC Jordan Lugimbana vowed to wage non-stop war until annihilation of the last ghost worker in his region. 

 

Shinyanga RC Anna Malecela Kilango said they have identified a sizeable number of ghost workers but she was short of specification, saying she would reveal the details to President Magufuli on Monday.

 

“We are in the final stages of data compilation,” said Kilango on Thursday.

 

Mara RC Magesa Mulongo said the verification exercise was going in accordance with the presidential directive, adding:  “This is a serious exercise that needs a settled mind. We are carrying out the exercise very seriously and it is not an easy task.” 

 

Other RCs assured this paper that they would meet the Monday deadline. 

 

In March last year, a report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) revealed that the government had paid Sh141.4bn to fake workers over the previous year.

 

Following these alarming revelations, former President Jakaya Kikwete ordered authorities to take disciplinary measures against public officials involved in the scandal, including compulsory retirement and demotions but nothing was done.

 

The audit also uncovered inefficiencies in the public service system where the government continued to pay monthly pension contributions and payroll taxes to former employees who had long left the public service.