PUBLIC SERVICE JOB PROTECTION: IS IT A BURDEN TO TAXPAYERS? PPPC centre sparks debate, compares Tanzania and Botswana on holding public servants accountable

DAR ES SALAAM: The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Centre has sparked debate over the cost borne by taxpayers due to the Public Service Act, arguing that excessive protection for underperforming public servants has become a burden to the nation.

Speaking yesterday during a regular Workers’ Council meeting attended by national and regional TUGHE leaders, PPP Centre Executive Director David Kafulila commended them for major achievements in popularizing the PPP agenda.

“Currently, the National Vision and the Long-Term Perspective Plan (LTPP), along with the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan (FYDPIV), clearly show that PPP is a key pillar for success,” he said.

He added that when the Sixth Phase Government began, the value of PPP projects stood at $1 billion, equivalent to 2.5 trillion shillings, according to the 2021/22 – 2025/26 Financing Strategy. “Within four years, the value of partnership projects has increased by 8.5 trillion shillings.”

A Challenge to Taxpayers

However, the Executive Director challenged workers’ leaders on how the Public Service Act protects employees.

“The law was enacted to protect public servants from abuse by bad leaders. But it now appears to be a thorn in the side of taxpayers, because the difficulty of removing an unsuitable public servant is a huge cost to the taxpayer,” he explained.

He gave the example of Botswana, where a public servant with poor performance for two consecutive years is dismissed immediately. If they appeal, they remain out of service until the appeal is determined.

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“In Botswana, all steps to dismiss a public servant take just 3 months. In Tanzania, a public servant only ceases to be on duty after all appeals are determined – a process that takes up to 22 months,” he said.

According to the March 2024 Report of the Controller and Auditor General (CAG), out of 1,124 employees confirmed to have had poor performance for two consecutive years in 2022/23, only 138 executives were dismissed, equivalent to 12%. “The appeals system gives victory to many.”

In contrast, during the same 2022/23 period in Botswana, out of 241 employees confirmed to have had poor performance for two consecutive years, 214 public servants, equivalent to 88%, were dismissed.

Link Between Efficiency and the Economic

Citing the 2014 Oxford Review Report, the Executive Director said that 25% of the economies of the 13 largest countries in the world is derived from institutional efficiency, which largely depends on the quality of human resources, including public servants.

“Poor performers cost taxpayers dearly. That is why the basis of my argument to us as workers is: The law that protects us from injustice should not end up being unjust to taxpayers,” he stressed.