President John Magufuli’s directive to government departments to remove ghost workers has paid dividends as 4,317 were scrapped off from the government’s payroll system following a one-month verification exercise.
The Minister of State in the President’s Office – Public Service Management and Good Governance – Ms Angela Kairuki, said the number brings to 7,795 ghost workers identified between January and April 1.
She said the ghost workers have been paid 7.6bn/- since they retired from the public service, saying unfaithful personnel officers in government departments and agencies have been behind the whole move.
“This is an area in which we will keep on working as the government spends 51 per cent of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) collection to foot salary bills, of which 7,795 are ghost workers.
This is unacceptable,” Ms Kairuki stated. Giving a breakdown, the minister said 4,317 were marked within one month, starting March, whereas the remaining 3,033 were spotted after President Magufuli’s directiveearly this year.
She said the list of ghost workers entailed the retired, incarcerated, deceased or those being on unpaid leave and fake names installed in the government’s payroll by dishonest personnel officers as a means to earn money.
Following the situation, Ms Kairuki said all personnel officers in government’s departments and agencies have been directed to have clear records of all employees and their date of employment, work station, duties assigned and date of retirement.
The number, she said, is separate from 1,830 ghost workers spotted in regions and districts as they were as well cracking down on such workers in their respective areas.
However, she added, the list of ghost workers from the regions and district authorities have so many unanswered questions whereas authorities have been directed to put the record straight.
President Magufuli had issued a directive to government departments and agencies to remove ghost workers from the payroll in line with his anti-corruption and austerity drive.
Dr Magufuli warned that officials who fail to implement the directive to remove names of ghost workers in this month’s payroll will be charged, effectively giving relevant officials in public institutions just two weeks to implement the directive.
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