Tanzanians are the worst possible exploiters of Tanzanians

The release of new CAG reports is always accompanied by high drama in Tanzania. It’s a carefully choreographed performance complete with intrigue, surprise, and scandalous details that will make your jaw drop.

On the fateful day, the CAG would reveal details guaranteed to make headlines, the president would put on a show of outrage, the opposition would work themselves into a frenzy, and the media would feast on every juicy detail, eager to spice up their otherwise dull reports.

It’s like a scene from a Shakespearean play that you can’t help but watch with engrossed attention.

This year’s report was no exception—it played out like a perfect drama, with a few symbolic heads rolling. Imagine being singled out among thousands of erring embezzlers nationwide: what the Swahili call “damu ya kunguni” is real.

Combing through the report was heartbreaking. The impression created was that every arm of the government is striving to outdo the other in wasteful behaviour. But, like in all horror shows, the CAG provided enough gems to keep his victims glued to his sadistic show.

This time around I was intrigued the most by the government’s decision to accept Standard Chartered Bank’s condition to use Yapi Merkezi as the only contractor for the SGR project.

This decision increased the cost of implementing Lots 3 and 4 of the project by a staggering $742 million compared to Lots 1 and 2. When you see African leaders going for these massive projects, it is because those projects offer great opportunities for squandering public funds.

If you are like me, you probably have been also wondering what this Yapi Merkezi thing is and why it is being awarded all these massive contracts.

ALSO READ: CAG report: Opposition raise critical issues to be dealt with

When President Magufuli cancelled all previous SGR financial arrangements, I assumed it was an effort to improve the financial terms. But as it turns out, Magufuli raised the price, as I have learned from several trustworthy sources.

Evidence suggests that the deal awarded to the Turkish company was not a way out of corruption but possibly towards it.

A few weeks ago, while in Dodoma, I had the chance to meet with a few individuals in the know. When the subject of SGR came up, I learnt for the first time the name of a Tanzanian behind Yapi Merkezi.

It was no surprise—big projects like this always seem to involve the usual suspects, and sadly, every time you see their names, you can be sure that Tanzanians have been ripped off. The CAG report has confirmed that to be true again.

Writing about the IPTL saga two decades ago, Brian Cooksey, PhD, quoted a British journalist who astutely observed that a small group of Tanzanian elites lacks moral scruples and ruthlessly exploits their fellow citizens for their gain. ‘Tanzanians are possibly the worst exploiters of Tanzanians’, the journalist perceptibly wrote.

This unfortunate reality has plagued Tanzania for far too long. The narrative that external forces are the root of the country’s problems has been perpetuated for decades, however, the truth is that it is our own people who are responsible for the corrupt contracts, the calculated failures of state-owned institutions, and the wasteful spending of resources.

The Swahili are right: kikulacho ki nguoni mwako (that which harms you is within you).

Corruption in Tanzania takes a unique form, mostly setting it apart from many other countries. While corrupt officials in other nations may take cuts from investments that ultimately benefit the public, corruption in Tanzania often involves actions that harm the public and cost the nation a great deal. Our gullibility knows no bounds.

Why do we think it’s acceptable to spend 500 billion shillings on opulent vehicles, knowing that if the tables were turned, the sellers would never have reciprocated? Then we take our ill-gotten gains and stash them in European banks as if Westerners need a greater capital advantage.

Corruption exacts a heavy cost of up to 25 percent of the Tanzanian GDP annually because we cannot even steal properly. The main beneficiaries of our theft are rarely representative of the majority of Tanzanians.

That is most likely a result of Tanzania’s corruption, which is a low-stakes game that allows people to get away with billions without being clever or strong.

The CAG report exposes numerous issues, yet few are held accountable, resulting in a vicious cycle where impunity reigns.

In every theatrical production, whether a tragedy or a comedy, everything goes back to normal at the end, until the next production.

Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere’s lifelong mission in Tanzania was to build an equal society without the exploitation of man by man.

Nyerere may have succeeded in kicking out the foreign exploiters, but as we review the Tanzania he created, we have to conclude that he totally failed in neutralising local ones.

He unwittingly created a society of insatiable vultures who disregard the value of honest work. Consequently, leaders won’t lead, legislators won’t legislate, judges won’t judge, prosecutors won’t prosecute, and policemen won’t police.

Ultimately, despite a clear report of wrongdoing everywhere, the tens of thousands of men and women being paid to enforce the law and safeguard the public good will do everything but that.

Weep, Tanzania, weep!