Team'Ongoing public sector reforms should focus on Wrld Bank report' Tanzania's anti-corruption tsar Edward Hosea says serious acts of omission, executed quietly and usually unnoticed by most people, occupy the biggest corruption space in the country.

Dr Hosea told the Sunday Citizen that up to 80 per cent of acts of corruption against the nation are those best described as `silent' while the other 20 per cent comprise cases of outright bribery or pilfering by those in positions of authority.

According to the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) Director General, `silent' acts of corruption do not attract public scrutiny and anger, despite their serious effect on the lives of millions of people.

Dr Hosea, whose office is one of the most sensitive and most watched over in the war on corruption, was commenting on a new World Bank report that has highlighted the huge price paid for ignoring the consequences of simple acts as absenteeism by teachers, unqualified health personnel or even the provision of substandard farm inputs.

The report was issued this week as part of the World Bank's periodic releases on the African Development Index (ADI). This year's report zeroed in on the problem of public servants who fail to deliver goods or services paid for by governments that, it said, was widespread across Africa.

Dr Hosea said he agreed with the findings of the World Bank, adding that the ongoing public sector reform programmes should focus on such issues because of the inherent benefits.

The PCCB boss, who was recently in the news sparring with Parliament when his bureau launched investigations into alleged double payment of allowances to MPs, added that the problem of silent corruption was caused by either incompetence, negligence or sheer ignorance.

A Cabinet minister also readily admitted that there was failure to act on the vice even though it was widespread.

“For sure, you will notice civil servants earning a lot of money through that kind of

Marmo said failure by public servants to deliver services or inputs paid for by the government could not be denied, and added that it was a major area that has not been fully addressed.

He said, for instance, that it has been a routine for civil servants to attend workshops, seminars and conferences rather than provide services to wananchi as stipulated in the public service code.

The minister for public service management, Ms Hawa Ghasia, could not be reached for comment and her permanent secretary, Mr George Yambesi, said he could not respond before reading the `silent corruption' report.

Meanwhile, several civil society officials and a politician were among those who acknowledged the threats of silent corruption to public good and development. They said this form of graft was to blame for the low productivity Tanzanians notice in most public offices.

The Executive Director of ForDIA, a NGO advocating development Initiatives, Mr Bubelwa Kaiza, said public offices had no clear-cut evaluation system to gauge their output.

Mr Kaiza said there was a need for the government to look into ways of at paying its employees as per each individual's performance.
“Due to lack of such a system, accountability is almost non-existent and everyone is doing what they want,“ said Mr Kaiza.

The Executive Director of Development Concern (DeCo), Mr Robert Nyampiga, said the World Bank report was timely and spot-on as regards the real rot in Tanzania's public service.

“In most cases people take a long time waiting for services in public offices, even when it would have been possible for one to be served immediately,“ he said, adding that his explains why the government is always blamed for inefficiency.

A lecturer of the University of Dar es Salaam, Mr John Jingu, said silent corruption could be equated to fraud. He said the money lost by paying for undelivered services runs into billions of shillings. NCCR Mageuzi Chairman James Mbatia said lack of ethics, accountability, integrity and poor governance principles were a major cause of silent corruption in Tanzania.

Mr Mbatia said public mindset was another contributing factor. He said authorities played a role by hiring people without bothering much to verify competencies.

According to the report, “quiet corruption, although smaller in monetary terms, is particularly harmful to the poor, who are more vulnerable and more reliant on government services and public systems to satisfy their most basic needs“.

The term “quiet corruption“ represents various types of malpractices of frontline service providers ­ teachers, doctors, inspectors and other government representatives ­ but does not involve monetary exchange.

The most common examples cited in the latest World Bank report on social and economic conditions across the continent are absentee teachers in public schools and absentee doctors in primary health clinics.

Others include drugs being stolen from public health facilities and sold in the private market as well as subsidised fertiliser being diluted before it reaches farmers.

According to the report, findings indicate that primary school teachers in a number of African countries, including Tanzania, abscond from their stations for 15 to 25 per cent of the time, but, in addition, a considerable fraction of those in school don't even teach.

The Bank's report also cites high absentee rates of health-care workers, with a number of studies suggesting that quality and effort on the job are very low. In Tanzania, the report found that health provision competence is considerably poor, notably in the rural areas.

A survey of malaria deaths in rural Tanzania established that nearly four out of the five children who died had sought treatment in hospitals. It says the absence of diagnostic equipment, drug thefts, provider absenteeism and very low level of diagnostic effort are some of the manifestations of “quiet corruption“ that have contributed to deaths.

“Quiet corruption does not make the headlines the way bribery scandals do, but it is just as corrosive to societies,“ said Dr Shanta Devarajan, the chief economist for the World Bank's Africa Region.

“Tackling `quiet corruption' will require a combination of strong and committed leadership, policies and institutions at the sectoral level, and ­ most important ­ increased accountability and participation by citizens.“

The World Bank report has focused on “quiet corruption“ in this year's ADI to serve as a tool for Africans to hold their governments accountable.
Reported by Mkinga Mkinga, Bernard Lugongo, Beatus Kagashe and Frank Kimboy.

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