Tanzania: Minister explains why Government Flights Agency was moved to President’s office

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Good governance minister George Mkuchika says it is in the President’s discretion to shift roles from one ministry to another.

Dodoma. The Government has explained why Tanzania Government Flights Agency was shifted to the office of the President from to the Ministry of Works.

Public service and good governance minister George Mkuchika told parliament it was at the President’s prerogative to determine which duties or roles a ministry should handle.

“All ministries receive directives from the President and it is not the first time that such a thing has happened. According to the law, only the President has such mandate as to allocate duties as he may deem fit,” said Mr Mkuchika. He was speaking in Parliament on Monday evening, April 15, during the winding up of the budget of the office of the President.

The minister gave the example of Tanzania Investment Centre which was recently moved to the Prime Minister’s office from that of Trade and Industry.

Mr Mkuchika suggested that problems bedeviling the national carrier, Air Tanzania Corporation, formerly Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), could be the reason as well.

The minister was referring to a query, last week, by Kigoma Urban MP and ACT-Wazalendo party leader, Mr Zitto Kabwe, who challenged the government to tell the public the real reasons behind the shift

Mr Kabwe said the relocation of the flights agency to the office of the President was done via government gazette notice No.252 of 2018. According to Kabwe, the government did not want scrutiny of the funds that were currently being expended to purchase new aircraft for use by the national airline.

President Magufuli has ordered the purchase of eight new aircraft for the flights agency for onward leasing to Air Tanzania Corporation. Six of the aircrafts, including a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, have so far been bought.  

Mr Kabwe argues that over Sh1 trillion has been spent on the purchase of the aircraft but was yet to be audited by the Controller and Auditor General. “This year the government is asking Parliament to approve another Sh500 billion for the purchase of more aircraft but it is surprising now that they are moving the flight agency to the office of the president where no one will query the expenditure. What are you out to hide,?” queried the MP.