The Tanzanian government has ordered disciplinary action against supervisors who fail to conduct performance appraisals for public servants and warned of sanctions against employees who misuse artificial intelligence and official government communication systems.
Deputy Minister of State in the President’s Office for Public Service Management and Good Governance Regina Qwaray said negligence by some supervisors has denied public servants promotions and career advancement, undermining accountability across the public service. She spoke at the closing of a working session for heads of human resource management and administration units from ministries, public institutions, regional secretariats and local government authorities in Dodoma on Wednesday.
Qwaray said the government had established that some public servants missed promotions and salary grade advancements not because of poor performance but because their supervisors failed to conduct mandatory annual performance appraisals required by public service laws and regulations. She directed the permanent secretary for public service to identify supervisors who neglected the responsibility and take appropriate disciplinary measures.
She also instructed all public servants operating under the financial-year performance management system to submit their progress reports through the e-Performance system to their supervisors on or before June 30, with supervisors required to review, verify and approve the reports within the stipulated timeframe. “I wish to emphasise that supervisors who fail to discharge their responsibilities during the completion of the 2025/26 financial year, including conducting performance appraisals for employees under their supervision, should face appropriate action in accordance with public service laws, regulations and procedures,” she said.
The deputy minister noted that human resource managers play a crucial role in ensuring public servants maintain high standards and deliver quality services, and urged HR officers to ensure employees are adequately trained on the e-Performance system. She further directed that employees who consistently receive low performance ratings should be subjected to appropriate measures, while ensuring fairness and transparency. “Accountability remains a cornerstone of a results-oriented public service and managers must fully discharge their responsibilities,” she said.
Qwaray expressed concern over what she described as growing cases of unethical conduct in some public institutions, including inappropriate language when dealing with clients, allegations of corruption and failure to safeguard government information when using digital technologies. Findings from her monitoring visits, she said, revealed inadequate adherence to the Public Service Code of Ethics in several institutions.
“During my monitoring visits, I have observed inadequate compliance with these ethical standards, particularly the use of inappropriate language when serving clients, allegations of corruption and failure to protect government information when using technology,” she said.
She directed human resource managers to strengthen enforcement of ethical standards and ensure public servants uphold professionalism, and instructed employers to build the capacity of employees on information security and the responsible use of artificial intelligence as government institutions increasingly adopt digital technologies in service delivery. She also directed all public institutions to ensure every public servant has an official government email account and that all official communication is conducted through authorized government email platforms.
Qwaray warned that disciplinary action should be taken against public servants found misusing government email systems or using AI in ways that violate public service ethics, regulations and established procedures. The government’s latest directives come as efforts intensify to modernize public service management through digital systems while strengthening accountability, professionalism and service delivery across public institutions.
She also called on employers to ensure public servants receive statutory entitlements on time, including transfer allowances, leave travel benefits and other service-related payments — noting that delays affect employee morale and undermine service delivery to Tanzanian citizens.
