LGAs clears 78.8bn/- debts owed by public servants

DODOMA: AS of March 2025, the government through Local Government Authorities had cleared 78.8bn/- in accumulated outstanding debts owed by public servants, the National Assembly was informed here yesterday.

According to the Minister of State in the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa, so far, after a thorough verification, public servants in different local government authorities were owing the government a total of 116.57bn/-.

Out of that money, 32.22bn/- are owed in salaries arrears, while 83.85bn/- are moneys accumulated in other stipends including leave allowances.

Therefore, the minister directed all district, town, municipal and city councils that have strong financial muscles to clear their debts immediately.

“I also hereby direct the authorities with meagre financial capabilities to forward the debts to the treasury so that the payment to public servants in their local authorities can be cleared immediately,” he ordered.

In another development, Mr Mchengerwa offered a brief clarification on the allegations levelled against the Arusha City Council by Arusha Urban MP, Mrisho Gambo.

During the debate, Mr Gambo said that there was misappropriation of funds in the implementation of mega projects for the construction of an administration block and the market for petty business people.

However yesterday, Mr Mchengerwa moved to clear an air, saying there was not even a single penny that was misappropriated in the projects.

He promised to bring full details of the projects in the august House as per the Speaker’s directives.

Mr Mchengerwa was speaking in the august House when responding to queries raised by legislators when concluding a debate for budget estimates in his ministry that he tabled last week.

Generally, MPs yesterday commended the government for the remarkable achievements recorded in health, education and road infrastructure under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

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Debating the 11.8tri/- budget estimates for the PORALG, the lawmakers noted that within just four years of President Samia’s administration, Tanzania has witnessed unprecedented improvements in these sectors—particularly in rural areas—thanks to focused efforts by PO-RALG and the Tanzania Rural Roads Agency (TARURA).

They said that the ongoing developments serve as strong evidence of the sixth phase government’s commitment to uplifting the lives of ordinary Tanzanians, especially at the grassroots level, as the country heads toward the 2025 General Election.

The PO-RALG presented its 2025/2026 financial year budget estimates to the National Assembly last week, requesting 11.783tri/-, marking a notable increase from the 10.125tri/- allocated for the 2024/2025 fiscal year— an increase of over 1.66tri/-.

Presenting the budget proposals, Minister of State in the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government, Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa, said that 3.95tri/- had been earmarked for development projects.

“Out of that, 2.5tri/- will be sourced domestically, including 613.44bn/- from local government authorities’ internal revenues, while 1.45tri/- will be sourced externally,” he said.

For recurrent expenditure, the ministry has allocated 7.84tri/-, with 6.3tri/- going toward salaries and 1.53tri/- toward other expenses, including 1.067tri/- from local government internal revenue collections.

During the debate— which culminated in the unanimous approval of the budget—MPs praised the government for prioritising the needs of underserved communities.

Timotheo Mzava (Korogwe Rural – CCM) applauded TARURA for professionally implementing road construction projects nationwide.

However, he urged the government to prioritise the completion of strategic health centres to bring services closer to the people.