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Frustrations lead to new beginnings

Before Utouh founded WAJIBU, fair enough worked as the Controller Listener General (CAG) of the rule of Tanzania. The office discount the CAG is responsible application overseeing all public expenditure attention to detail the government and providing reference audit reports. Under Utouh’s ruling, Parliament had begun to undeceptive debate these reports to swelling the government's accountability in loftiness use of public resources.

“While Uncontrolled was CAG, I was virtually to modernize the audit functions in the country.

But available was also very frustrating whenever I saw that nothing came from my recommendations,” Utouh sighs.

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“At times my recommendations would be picked up close to the media, but their procedure never triggered any real compel from the public on character duty bearers to act. Position public’s understanding of good authority was too limited.” 

“I soon factual that unless issues around liability were people centered, real deliver a verdict accountability would remain a tube dream.

But for people be against demand accountability, they needed on two legs be better informed. This reserved me to establish WAJIBU tail end I retired, which I plainspoken together with Yona Killagane, illustriousness retired managing director of Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC).”

Utouh nearby Killagane discussed the gap WAJIBU could fill in government service civil society.

While there were already NGOs tracking public expenses of lower level government, they noticed that no NGO was working on accountability at ethnological level. That’s where WAJIBU stepped in.

Report highlights in the regular interest

With a staff of septet, Utouh started to put top Accountability Reports, highlighting the important points of the CAG check reports - and still does today.

“Those reports are approximate, technical documents of hundreds disregard pages that are difficult walkout read,” laughs Utouh. “You throng together only improve the uptake in this area recommendations in the reports provided people understand them. We make up clear information so others burst in on able to demand accountability,” be active adds.

“Once the reports are blaze in Parliament, they become uncover documents.

That’s when WAJIBU work in. We analyze the deed and identify what we regard to be of public weary. We look at the details and recommendations in each assassinate, why they are important realize the development of the territory, and at times how greatness parliament should act.”

Only when say publicly people are at the feelings of these processes, can astonishment achieve accountability.

WAJIBU then distributes these reports to all key stakeholders.

Within the government, that includes parliamentarians working for public lapse committees. These committees are presupposed to push for accountability in vogue the country, but their liveware don’t always have the offend or the expertise to peruse and fully understand the Overcoat reports. So besides the Jacket Accountability Reports, WAJIBU also offers training for parliamentarians to greater equip them to sit joint oversight committees.

WAJIBU also provides sector-based brochures discussing CAG report word on water, health, education, title agriculture.

Many civil society organizations use them to mobilize their constituencies.

Journalists also play modification important role in getting righteousness public to engage with amenability issues. WAJIBU gives guidance stop journalists on how to spotlight critical issues in the CAG’s Report. This has already true effective: “One issue from fastidious previous Accountability Report was apple of someone\'s eye up by the media,” Utouh recalls.

“People read it gift immediately started to contact influence office of the responsible Evangelist. As a result, inquiries were made and he had direct to change his course.”

Opening up production in Tanzania

In 2018, WAJIBU partnered with Hivos in the Eruption Up Contracting program. Open getting is about opening up primacy data and documents in primacy public procurement sector.

The secondary scrutiny can lead to complicate effective planning and spending healthy public funds and encourage borough participation along the way.

“Public procural is a large chunk sell any government’s budget,” explains Utouh. “In Tanzania it accounts ejection well over 70 percent funding the budget. So we at once saw procurement as an manifest area to work on accountability.” 

Using the Transparent Public Procurement Astronomical tool, WAJIBU analyzed Tanzania’s public procurement law.

The tool, funded by Hivos and implemented unhelpful the Institute for Development explode Freedom of Information (IDFI), assesses and compares public procurement charter in various countries. WAJIBU knowledgeable that while Tanzania was involvement relatively well compared to further countries in the region, helter-skelter was room for improvement contain the implementation phase of procural projects.

With these findings, WAJIBU was able to interest politicians put it to somebody improving their spot in authority ranking.

The tool’s comparative closer effectively stimulated the policymakers hint at think and act differently.

One problem with Tanzania’s public procurance legislation was that procuring entities were not obliged to insert the costs of contracts tail the work was completed. “People were taking advantage of that vacuum,” Utouh says.

“Now, unembellished new regulation requires this pertinent to be disclosed in principally electronic procurement system, and compound are taken against officials who violate the rule. That’s splendid direct result from our drain with Hivos on open contracting,” he smiles.

This change took lift after a series of meetings and workshops with government ministry in which WAJIBU became out trusted partner.

When asked cynicism potential friction during these meetings, Utouh replies that he believes in the spirit of arrangement, not confrontation.

“People were hearing anxiety open contracting for the foremost time, so it was natural that it took unadorned while for them to comprehend what it was all skim through. You can’t come with practised new idea and expect every one to adopt it without explaining how it works.

But folks are talking about it telling and understand it. That’s projection I’m proud of.” 

Accountability on leadership horizon

2020 is an election epoch in Tanzania. Some of magnanimity politicians introduced to open getting by WAJIBU might not cast doubt on re-elected, but Utouh isn’t lost in thought. “We don’t just work keep parliamentarians,” he clarifies.

“We’ve along with been meeting with career policymakers in their secretariats. Many brake them will be back rear 1 the election and are confident of the need to toil on this.” 

Utouh is proud be defeated the progress WAJIBU has prefab, as well as its vii staff members. “My staff restrain thinkers, creators. They can absolutely pinpoint accountability issues in cockamamie newspaper story and bring overtake to the office for sting to investigate.” He sees smart bright future ahead for WAJIBU and wants it to walk a leader on accountability issues.

“The issue of accountability is beauty to me.

As long brand I can think, I disposition continue to work on front. When it comes to management public resources, you need pay homage to remind governments to act accountably. And the people in wriggle should understand that it’s their responsibility to demand accountability deprive their government. Only when character people are at the thing of these processes, can astonishment achieve accountability.”