Judge Manento urges govt to speed up drafting of access to information regulations

Dar es Salaam. Former chairperson of the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) Judge (rtd) Amir Manento has advised the government to speed up the drafting of regulations on the Access to Information Act to help fight against misuse of public funds in the country.

Speaking during the opening of International Day for Universal Access to Information on Thursday September 28, he said Tanzania had enacted the Access to Information Act, but the regulations had yet to be formed.

"The Access to Information Act was assented to by President John Magufuli, but the regulations had not yet been drafted. If the law starts operating it can help curb corruption and misuse of public funds," he said.

He noted that there were examples from countries, which had enacted a similar law and it helped to disclose government officials, who were misusing public funds.

He further said  the right to information was important for giving people an opportunity to deal with development issues.

Judge Manento added that, if the regulations were drafted members of the public would be able to question how certain companies won tenders, the amount of money being paid and the time the project should start and end.

For her part, Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHCR) representative Anna Henga said the Access to Information Act was vital since it gave an opportunity to people to question the government.

"Access to information is the right of everyone and should be protected. People should not be afraid of using it. So, it's time the government speeded up the process of drafting the regulations," he said

Meanwhile, deputy head of Mission-Kingdom of the Netherlands Lianne Houben said around the world access to information laws had transformed the relationship between citizens and their governments.