Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on March 27, 2025.
GAG Uncovers Appalling Waste of Hundreds of Billions in 12 Audited Parastatals
The Controller and Auditor General (CAG), Charles Kichere, presenting the 2023/24 financial year report at the State House in Dar es Salaam on March 27, 2025, revealed that audits conducted in 12 out of 217 parastatals uncovered inefficient expenditures amounting to TZS 371.42 billion.
CAG Kichere stated that these financial resources were used on activities that did not add value to the respective public institutions. He urged the government to address these inefficiencies.
“These expenditures arose from interest and penalties due to delayed tax payments, pension contributions, and statutory deductions, delayed payments to suppliers and contractors, and salary payments to employees who had been suspended for a long time without approval from the Secretary-General of Public Service,” said Kichere.
Additionally, CAG reported that these institutions made unauthorized payments amounting to TZS 6.65 billion, contrary to regulations. These included payments to retirees and employees leaving service, allowances and salaries for acting officers without approval, and contract payments exceeding the actual work done.
“The government should strengthen financial controls and payment processes to ensure expenditures align with the value of services provided and recover funds spent on unjustified expenses,” Kichere emphasized.
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PCCB’s Anti-Corruption Efforts Yield 76 Percent Case Success Rate and Billions in Recovered Funds
The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) has reported that in the 2023/24 period, the success rate of cases taken to court increased to 76 percent from 67.7 percent in the previous year.
Presenting the 2023/24 institutional performance report to President Samia Suluhu Hassan, PCCB Director General Crispin Francis Chalamila stated that during the period under review, the agency handled 978 cases, including 462 new cases filed in 2023/24 and 516 older cases in various courts across the country.
“Among these new cases, five were filed in the High Court’s Division of Corruption and Economic Crimes, while 457 were lodged in District and Resident Magistrates’ Courts. Out of the total 978 cases, rulings were made on 440 corruption cases, with the prosecution securing victories in 334 cases,” Chalamila said.
He further stated that other investigations involved allegations of embezzlement of government revenue amounting to TZS 46.46 billion, which was supposed to be collected by local government authorities through POS machines.
The theft of public funds via POS machines was first discovered in Mbeya after the Acting Regional Head of PCCB, Vangsada Mkalimoto, held a press conference on August 28, 2023, to explain how the scheme operated and revealed that government employees were implicated in the system.
Following this revelation, on March 13, 2024, President Samia ordered authorities to conduct an in-depth investigation into digital systems that were diverting local government authorities funds into private accounts instead of the government treasury.
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Mwanza Business Community Condemns the Disappearance of Fellow Businessman Chonchorio, Who is Also a CCM Cadre
Four days after the disappearance of Daniel Chonchorio, a cadre of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and a businessman in Mwanza region, the Tanzania Business Community in Mwanza region, through its Chairman Patric Masagati, has strongly condemned the abduction. They stated that this incident has instilled fear among businesspeople in the city.
Speaking to the media in Mwanza, Masagati emphasized that Chonchorio’s abduction has not only caused distress to his family but has also created great anxiety among the city’s business community, as they feel unsafe along with their property.
“This incident makes us, as businesspeople, feel insecure about our safety and that of our assets due to the increasing occurrences of abductions,” said Masagati.
On his part, John Gentegai, a close friend of Chonchorio and a businessman in Mwanza, has urged security agencies to expedite the investigation into the matter to alleviate the growing concern among Chonchorio’s family and the business community in the region.
According to the family, a witness reported seeing Chonchori on the day he disappered, walking while talking on his phone. Shortly after, four men surrounded him. Moments later, a cream-colored Defender with tinted windows arrived, and they forced him into the vehicle.
On March 24, 2025, the Mwanza Regional Police issued a statement confirming they had launched an investigation into Chonchori’s disappearance. The 46-year-old businessman and resident of Temeke Street in Nyakato Ward, Nyamagana District, had recently expressed interest in contesting for a parliamentary seat in the Tarime Urban Constituency.
