Commission decries arrests of civil servants

Dar es Salaam. The Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) has condemned the detention of some public officials by their seniors for failing to carry out their duties in their respective areas, describing the tendency as violation of human rights and good governance.

The Commission says it has received reports through the media of some senior government officials, especially Regional Commissioners and District Commissioners, who have been ordering arbitrary arrests of public servants on allegations of not being accountable enough in their areas of duty.

In a statement yesterday, the commission named some of the incidents as the recent detention of six land officers from Kinondoni District who were arrested for arriving late at a land conflict meeting under the order of the district commissioner, Mr Paul Makonda.

The other incident, according to the statement which was signed by CHRAAG chairman Mr Bahame Nyanduga, is the detention of a ward health officer in Musoma District by DC order over failure to implement directives he was given by his bosses during Independence Day cleanliness campaign.

The commission says in its analysis it has noticed that the officials committed an offence of not obeying their seniors which is an administrative error, saying it is wrong and inhumane to arrest and detain them as if they were criminals.

“Giving them administrative disciplinary punishments was the best option instead of detaining them as if they were criminals,” reads the statement in part.

The commission says despite the good motive behind the decision aimed at enhancing the availability of services to the people, leaders should exercise their powers while respecting human rights as stipulated in the mother law of 1977.

This is the second statement of criticism from human rights defenders, the first came from lawyers who described the arrests as abuse of powers vested in the DCs.