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Tanzania purges 10,000 'ghost workers' in anti-corruption drive | Tanzania purges 10,000 'ghost workers' in anti-corruption drive |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Tanzania has removed more than 10,000 "ghost workers" from its public sector payroll in a crackdown on corruption. | Tanzania has removed more than 10,000 "ghost workers" from its public sector payroll in a crackdown on corruption. |
Payments to the non-existent employees had been costing the government more than $2m (£1.4m) a month, according to the prime minister's office. | Payments to the non-existent employees had been costing the government more than $2m (£1.4m) a month, according to the prime minister's office. |
The authorities say they are continuing to audit the public payroll and expect to find more phantom workers. | The authorities say they are continuing to audit the public payroll and expect to find more phantom workers. |
President John Magufuli, who was elected in October, has promised to cut wasteful public expenditure in office. | President John Magufuli, who was elected in October, has promised to cut wasteful public expenditure in office. |
He ordered the audit in March, calling for the money saved to be used towards development. | He ordered the audit in March, calling for the money saved to be used towards development. |
Nicknamed the bulldozer, Mr Magufuli has announced a range of cost-cutting measures since coming to power, including cancelling official celebrations for independence day. | Nicknamed the bulldozer, Mr Magufuli has announced a range of cost-cutting measures since coming to power, including cancelling official celebrations for independence day. |
Tanzania spends more than $260 million a month paying the salaries of its estimated 550,000 public workers, Reuters news agency reports. | Tanzania spends more than $260 million a month paying the salaries of its estimated 550,000 public workers, Reuters news agency reports. |
"We intend to have workers in government who are honest, accountable and hardworking. This is our priority and it is a non-stop initiative," Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told Tanzanians living in the UK, according to local newspaper The Guardian. | |
The prime minster was speaking after attending a major anti-corruption summit in the UK capital, London, last week. | |
Tanzania is ranked 117 out of 167 nations by Transparency International on its perception of corruption index. | |
Many countries across the continent have been affected by the scam of so-called ghost workers. | |
In February, the Nigerian government removed 24,000 workers from its payroll after an audit revealed they did not exist. | |
In September 2014, Kenya began biometrically registering all civil servants after unearthing 12,000 similar cases. |