THE Controller and Auditor General (CAG) has said that 113 Local Government Authorities (LGAs) had outstanding employees benefit to the tune of 119.94bn/-.
In his 2021/2022 audit report that was made public after being tabled in the National Assembly in Dodoma yesterday, CAG Mr Charles Kichere said the outstanding employees benefit extended for more than a year, contrary to Order E.23 of the Standing Orders for Public Service 2009.
The claims include salary arrears, leave/travel allowances, moving expenses, on-call allowances, disturbance/subsistence allowances, and housing, electricity, telephone and furniture allowances, among others.
The report said the practice of LGAs not settling employment benefit claims on time demoralises respective employees. As a result, it may hinder the government from attaining its objectives of providing quality services to the public.
“The government through respective LGAs and President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government Tanzania (PO-RALG) should ensure that employees benefit claims are timely settled by including them in the next year’s budget and where necessary, to avoid generation of other arrears in future,” the report reads.
On transportation of personal effects on retired officers, the CAG report said a sum of 309.67m/- was not paid to 223 retired employees.
He said Order J.8 of the Public Service Standing Orders, 2009, requires public entities to pay the cost of transport of authorised amount of personal effects within Tanzania in addition to the amounts allowed by the authorised transport.
“My review of various reports maintained for retirees revealed that six LGAs did not pay a sum of 309.67m/- to 223 retired employees, being cost of transporting personal effects upon retirement. Unfortunately, 12 retirees have passed away without being paid their claims amounting to 42.10m/-,” reads the CAG report.
“Delay in paying retirees terminal benefits adversely affects their wellbeing. I urge respective LGAs management to include transportation costs of personal effects of employees expected to retire in their budget in order to promptly pay them after attaining their retirement age,” said the CAG in his report.
