Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-01-30 21:00:00
The government has a major responsibility to provide essential services to its citizens, but the public service system is severely broken and lacks efficiency. Taxpayers are often required to pay bribes in order to access services that they are entitled to. This deliberate chaos in public service delivery is designed to exploit and take advantage of the people who are in need of these services.
In addition to the bribery, public servants often humiliate and dehumanize those seeking services, leaving them feeling frustrated and hopeless. Instead of serving the people diligently, public servants are complicit in denying citizens the dignity that they deserve through a functioning system.
A comprehensive investigation by the Nation has uncovered widespread corruption and malfunctioning of government services, severely dimming the high expectations set for these services. For example, the Immigration Department’s passport control center at Nyayo House is a hotbed of corruption, with applicants being told they can expedite their passports for a fee, while those who cannot pay have to wait for months.
Huduma Centres, originally designed as one-stop government service outlets, have also fallen prey to corruption. The public healthcare system and the Pensions Department are also struggling under the weight of corruption and poor service delivery. Retired civil servants are left to plead for their pensions after years of hard work.
Overall, the once efficient public service delivery has deteriorated, and there is an urgent need to combat corruption and invest in training and capacity building to improve staff skills and knowledge for better service delivery. The government must work to restore trust and integrity in public service to ensure that citizens receive the services and documents they are entitled to without having to pay bribes or suffer humiliation.
