Govt orders action on public servants’ grievances

DODOMA: THE government has directed heads of public institutions to prioritise the resolution of employees’ grievances at workplace level, while warning of disciplinary action against human resource officers responsible for delaying promotions of eligible public servants in the 2025/26 financial year.

The directive was issued recently by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Professor Riziki Shemdoe, during the closing ceremony of the Public Service Week celebrations in Dodoma.

He emphasised that negligence, inefficiency and poor service delivery would no longer be tolerated in the public sector.

Prof Shemdoe further instructed the Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance) to assess the performance of chief human resource officers whose actions or omissions denied qualified employees their rightful promotions.

“Those responsible for denying public servants’ promotions despite meeting all requirements should face disciplinary action. Officers who fail to perform effectively should be replaced by competent personnel capable of delivering the required services,” he said.

Prof Shemdoe said it was unacceptable for public servants to travel long distances to Dodoma seeking intervention from ministers and senior government officials over issues that should have been resolved within their institutions.

“It is painful to see a public servant travelling from a distant region to Dodoma simply because his or her promotion has not been processed despite fulfilling all requirements,” he said.

He urged institutional heads to create time for employees and address their concerns promptly.

“If we listen to our employees and solve these issues where they arise, public servants will not be forced to travel to Dodoma in search of solutions,” he said.

The minister also directed the e-Government Authority (e-GA) to accelerate the review and integration of government digital systems to improve information sharing and service delivery across public institutions.

ALSO READ: PM warns lax public servants

“It is important to ensure government systems communicate effectively with one another. The directives have already been issued by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the time has come for implementation,” he said.

Prof Shemdoe further instructed the Permanent Secretary for Public Service Management and Good Governance to submit, by June 30, 2026, a report to the Chief Secretary identifying institutions that have failed to integrate into the government’s e-Mrejesho feedback management system.

He said institutions that fail to comply with the directive should face appropriate measures to ensure accountability and improved service delivery.

The event also witnessed the launch of the Government Service Directory (GSD), a digital platform that will enable citizens to access government services through a single gateway, and the Ngao cyber-security system designed to strengthen protection of government information systems.

Earlier, Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Juma Mkomi, said more than 500 institutions had already integrated their services into the GSD platform and adopted the Ngao security system.

He attributed many complaints from public servants and citizens to poor utilisation of ICT systems by some institutions, saying wider adoption of digital platforms would improve accountability, efficiency and service delivery