100 days of reinforcing public service, strengthening accountability

DODOMA: NEW schools have been constructed and district, regional and referral hospitals have been equipped to provide specialised and superspecialised healthcare services.

This milestone underscores the growing need for human resources, not only as assets to these facilities but also as critical personnel to operate, manage and sustain service delivery systems that ultimately improve citizens’ lives.

Launching the Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) campaign for the 2025 General Election, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was also CCM’s presidential candidate, made several pledges targeting the health and education sectors while emphasising the importance of accountability in the public service.

She promised that within the first 100 days after her election, her government would create 12,000 employment opportunities. To implement this pledge, the president approved 12,000 positions, including 5,000 for health professionals and 7,000 for Science and Mathematics teachers.

These directives are anchored in the CCM 2025- 2030 Election Manifesto, which recognises youth employment opportunities under Article 49, highlighting the importance of strengthening public service as a pillar of democracy and good governance.

Recruitment and Deployment of 12,000 Public Servants

In fulfilling the president’s pledges, Minister of State, President’s Office – Public Service Management and Good Governance, Mr Ridhiwani Kikwete, says his office has taken several measures. Following the President’s swearing-in on November 3rd last year, approval was granted to recruit 12,000 public servants.

“In accordance with Section 32(7) of the Public Service Act, Cap 298, the recruitment process is conducted by the Public Service Recruitment Secretariat (PSRS), which subsequently announced the vacancies,” he explains.

Applications were received and recruitment interviews were coordinated across all regions of Mainland Tanzania, with special centres set up for Unguja and Pemba. Aptitude tests were conducted digitally from December 13 to 14 last year, with results released the same day. Interviews for successful candidates followed from December 15 to 23 last year.

In his 100-day performance report presented to journalists in Dodoma, the minister noted that between January 11 and 20 this year, PSRS assigned duty stations to all successful candidates. Appointment letters were sent directly to applicants’ online accounts instead of being collected from PSRS headquarters in Dodoma.

“I urge newly recruited employees to report within 14 days of receiving their posting letters. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the position, which will then be allocated to other candidates,” he warns.

Employers are also required to submit employment details of newly recruited staff to the Chief Editor of the Government Gazette, who is also the Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office – Public Service Management and Good Governance, for official publication.

Addressing numerous requests for transfers, Mr Ridhiwani clarified: “There will be no changes to duty stations, as these positions were allocated based on the specific needs of each council or institution. Any transfer would negatively affect staffing levels; therefore, no transfers will be permitted.”

The minister assured that the government will continue announcing employment opportunities and urged qualified youth to apply whenever vacancies are advertised by PSRS.

Strengthening Accountability in Public Service

Beyond fulfilling the pledge to create 12,000 jobs, the President’s Office – Public Service Management and Good Governance was tasked with establishing citizen-friendly accountability systems within the first 100 days of President Samia’s second term.

Under the system, leaders are required to provide information and respond to citizens’ queries digitally and via free Short Message Service (SMS).

Minister Ridhiwani said that the e-Mrejesho system has been enhanced with a new feature called “Speak to a Leader” (Sema na Kiongozi). Launched in 2022, the system facilitates the submission, receipt and handling of complaints, suggestions, inquiries, opinions and compliments from citizens regarding government services.

The system promotes good governance by fostering accountability and responsiveness in public service, guided by the 2023 Citizen Feedback Handling Guidelines.

At the national level, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and their deputies use a shared dashboard to monitor and issue directives on complaints related to their ministries. Regional and district leaders also use similar dashboards to track issues until they are fully resolved.

Citizens can submit feedback via the e-Mrejesho website, mobile app, or USSD code (*152*00#) by selecting “Speak to a Leader” and the relevant leadership level, ensuring their concerns are addressed efficiently.

Within the first 100 days, the Office also implemented another presidential directive issued on 18 November last year, requiring Ministers and Deputy Ministers to undergo an orientation seminar to enhance efficiency in their roles. Held in Dar es Salaam from December 1 to 4 last year under the theme “The Role and Responsibilities of Ministers in the Public Service and the Attainment of Vision 2050 and the 2025 Election Manifesto Goals,” the seminar was attended by 27 Ministers and 29 Deputy Ministers.

Other Initiatives

Through the Public Servants Housing Investment (WHI), Minister Ridhiwani says his office completed 54 housing units for public servants in five hard-toreach district councils under Phase I of the District Public Servants Housing Scheme, costing 3.19bn/- . Of these, 15 units were allocated to health workers and 39 to education staff.

Phase II has a budget of 4.27bn/- for the 2025/26 financial year to construct 78 additional housing units.

In addition to employing 12,000 staff in the health and education sectors, the president has approved recruitment of 41,500 public servants across various cadres, including health, education, agriculture, engineering, firefighting and rescue services, immigration, prisons, police and other public services.

“Qualified Tanzanians are encouraged to apply when vacancies are announced. I thank and commend Her Excellency the President for her commitment to ensuring citizens benefit from government services. As her aides, we pledge to diligently support her directives to ensure quality service delivery,” the minister said.