Dar es Salaam. The Vice President yesterday issued ten key directives to District Commissioners (DCs), telling them to go beyond their call of duty in an effort to expedite development in their areas.
Dr Phillip Mpango told DCs as he graced a six-day leadership seminar in Dodoma that they needed to address challenges that people in areas of their jurisdiction are grappling with, ensure value for money in development projects, increase revenue collection, and take severe action against public fund misuses.
The list of directives also includes keeping government secrets, avoiding the allure of turning themselves into demigods, embracing good governance, and overseeing discipline, integrity, and accountability.
And yet other directives include environmental protection to lessen the effect of climate change as well as being hungry for new knowledge through reading and interacting with elders.
“You have to work beyond the call of duty. You ought to exceed the usual limit in quantity and quality,” he told the DCs who attended the seminar.
He added; “You need to fulfill your duties with a high degree of patriotism, professionalism, and hard work.”
Dr Mpango ordered the DCs to, in the areas of their jurisdiction, listen to and work on the challenges aired by citizens.
“You ought to be proactive and innovative so that you can come up with solutions to problems that people are facing,” he emphasized.
He also said DCs need to be good communicators of their respective district’s development plans and inform the public about good things that are being implemented by the government.
Noting that one of the topics to be taught to DCs during the seminar was proper oversight of development projects, the Vice President said the government needs to see value for money and nothing else.
“We will not tolerate seeing a significant amount of money that is taken to the Local Government Authorities (LGAs) being embezzled,” he warned, saying those found guilty will face the music.
He also directed the DCs to think outside the box by broadening the tax base and sealing revenue leakage.
Noting that another topic to be taught during the seminar was on the need to keep government secrets, Dr Mpango asserted that the government’s secrets should remain undisclosed, especially during this era of globalisation and new media.
“Secrets are the lifeline of the government,” said Dr Mpango.
To avoid leakage of the secrets, he directed DCs and their subordinates to avoid the use of social media like WhatsApp and private emails when sharing the government’s documents.
He also expressed the need to avoid the use of private bodyguards and information officers without following the proper procedures.
“There are due procedures to be followed if a leader wants private bodyguards and information officers. It is unacceptable to act otherwise,” said the Vice President, urging trainers to put emphasis on the matter during the leadership training.
The training was organised by the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG) in collaboration with the President’s Office [Public Service Management and Good Governance](PO-PSMGG), and Uongozi Institute.
The minister of State, PO-PSMGG, Jenista Mhagama, said DCs are the winning team to ensure the country’s economy grows at a speedy pace, the provision of social services to the public and prosperity of citizens as envisioned in the CCM Manifesto.
The minister of State, PORALG, Angellah Kairuki, said the training was expected to improve the performance of DCs in their day-to-day activities. “We want every one of you to fulfil your duty,” said Ms Kairuki, who said all DCs, except one who had health challenges, took part in the training.
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