Tasaf set to weed out ‘ghost’ beneficiaries

President John Magufuli and retired presidents (from left) Benjamin Mkapa, Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Jakaya Kikwete pose with the Tanzania Social Action Fund (Tasaf) Productive Social Safety Net II Program Operational Manual during the launch of the second stage of Tasaf’s third phase in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO l STATE HOUSE

Dar es Salaam. Thousands of households will be removed from the Tanzania Social Action Fund’s cash transfer programme.

This is after the government announced changes in the scheme’s implementation. Households set to be sidelined include those that do not qualify for the cash transfer scheme due to their current economic status and non-existent beneficiaries.

President John Magufuli made the announcement in Dar es Salaam yesterday during the launch of the second stage of the implementation of the third phase of the Tasaf programme.

The launch came after the government secured Sh2.03 trillion in funding from the World Bank for the implementation of the programme’s latest stage.

The sum was part of funds that were initially withheld by the World Bank over concerns about government policies.

The new stage’s cash transfers will benefit families living in extreme poverty only, while those whose status has improved will be involved in livelihood programmes, which include providing them with seasonal employment in public projects such as the building of infrastructure, schools and health facilities.

Speaking during the event, President Magufuli said the change of strategy is meant to ensure proper use of funds.

An audit conducted by the government between November 2015 and June 2017 established that there were 73,561 phantom beneficiaries who were included in the scheme and 22,034 ineligible households.

Some 9,903 beneficiaries were registered even before the programme started, while 5,134 were leaders at various levels.

“A total of ten local councils had large numbers of phantom households, while another ten attempted to the best of their ability to prevent ineligible individuals from laying their hands on the money,” Dr Magufuli said.

Cash transfers will be cut from 67 percent to 38 percent of the funds as part of measures aimed at preventing misappropriation.

“During the previous phase, a huge chunk of the funds, reportedly 67 percent, was in the form of cash transfers, which, however, did not have the desired impact because most of the money was misappropriated,” President Magufuli said.

He added that beneficiaries of cash transfers will include the elderly and people with disabilities in 185 areas under local councils in Tanzania Mainland and 11 districts in Zanzibar.

Some 1.2 million beneficiaries from poor families will undergo capacity building and skills development needed for short-term employment in development projects under the programme.

The projects include health (Sh121.76 billion), education (Sh365.07 billion), water (Sh585.97), infrastructure (Sh49.66 billion) and environment (Sh96.41 billion).

Tasaf director general Ladislaus Mwamanga said the programme was launched in 2000 with the purpose of alleviating extreme poverty.

He said the second phase ran from 2005 to 2013 during which a total of 12,347 social projects worth Sh430 billion were implemented in areas under 126 local authorities in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar, benefiting 18,682,208 Tanzanians.

“Following the success of both phases one and two, the government decided to implement the third phase, which runs in ten years in two phases from August 2012 to 2023.”

Mr Mwamanga said the first stage of the third phase is expected to end this year, and will pave the way for the second stage which is scheduled to end in 2023.

A total of Sh4,109 trillion has so far been spent in implementing social projects, including construction of classrooms, rural roads, health centres, teachers’ house, irrigation systems and water reservoirs, benefiting residents in areas under 40 local councils in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.

The Minister of State in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Mr George Mkuchika, said beneficiaries will now be verified biometrically in order to weed out phantom households.

World Bank representative Preeti Arora said the programme aims to contribute to human development.

“Despite solid foundations to end poverty, a third of the population remains poor and vulnerable,” she said.

According to the World Bank, over five million Tanzanians, more than half being women, are benefiting from the Tasaf cash transfer programme.

National Bureau of Statistics statistician general Albina Chuwa said the programme has helped to reduce poverty to 26.4 per cent of the population in 2018 from 28.4 per cent in 2012.