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Lawmakers raise alarm as new government payroll system underpays civil servants
Ziwani Representative Suleiman Makame Ali speaks during the session of House of Representative. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Responding to the concerns, Minister of State in the President’s Office (Constitution, Legal Affairs, Public Service and Good Governance) Haroun Ali Suleiman admitted that the system was facing challenges, noting that it was still in its early stages of implementation.
Unguja. Members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives have expressed concern over a government payroll system that has led to the underpayment of public servants, calling for urgent reforms to address the problem and restore morale in the public sector.
The lawmakers said the Integrated Human Resource and Payroll Information System (IHPRIS), officially rolled out in February 2025, has been marred by technical errors that have seen some civil servants receive only a fraction of their salaries for more than three months.
Raising the issue during the 19th session of the House yesterday, Ziwani Representative Suleiman Makame Ali said the new system, although well-intentioned, has caused serious financial hardship for affected workers.
“Some employees are receiving just a quarter of their usual pay due to system errors,” Mr Ali said. “The system was supposed to streamline operations and eliminate ghost workers, but instead it is destabilising the lives of genuine public servants.”
He added that despite the government’s aim to improve efficiency, there are still individuals receiving salaries while living outside Zanzibar.
Wawi Representative Bakari Hamad Bakari said there had also been delays in information flow between government institutions, further slowing efforts to resolve salary discrepancies.
Mwanakwerekwe Representative Ameir Abdalla Ameir asked the government to provide an evaluation of its human resource management systems and their effectiveness.
Responding to the concerns, Minister of State in the President’s Office (Constitution, Legal Affairs, Public Service and Good Governance) Haroun Ali Suleiman admitted that the system was facing challenges, noting that it was still in its early stages of implementation.
“Any new system is bound to face initial setbacks. The government is actively addressing the issues, and we are confident the situation will stabilise soon,” he said.
He urged affected employees to report their cases to human resources departments, adding that some have already had their salary scales corrected.
“There are even those who have received inflated salaries. We urge them to come forward and declare the overpayments. That would be the responsible thing to do,” he said.
Mr Suleiman said the government was continuing to audit payroll records to identify ghost workers, and promised that a full report would be released once the exercise is completed.
