DODOMA: HUMAN resource officers who failed to process promotions for eligible public servants during the 2025/26 financial year face disciplinary action, while heads of public institutions have been ordered to dedicate time to listening to and resolving employees’ grievances at workplace level.
The directive was issued on Tuesday by Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Professor Riziki Shemdoe, while closing the Public Service Week celebrations in Dodoma.
Prof Shemdoe warned that negligence and poor service delivery in handling public servants’ welfare would no longer be tolerated, saying it was unacceptable for employees who had met all promotion requirements to be denied their rightful advancement because of inefficiency by officials responsible for human resource management.
He directed the Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance) to conduct an assessment of chief human resource officers whose actions or omissions led to eligible employees missing promotions during the current financial year.
“Those responsible for denying public servants their promotions despite meeting all required criteria should face appropriate disciplinary action. If there are human resource officers who are not performing effectively, they should be relieved of their duties and replaced with competent officers capable of delivering the required services,” he said.
Prof Shemdoe said many public servants were being forced to travel long distances to Dodoma in search of assistance from senior government leaders over matters that should have been resolved at their respective institutions.
“It is painful to see a public servant travelling from distant regions to Dodoma to seek help from ministers or permanent secretaries simply because his or her promotion has not been processed despite fulfilling all requirements,” he said.
He urged heads of public institutions to create time for employees and address their concerns promptly.
“I appeal to all heads of institutions to make time for our employees. If we do that, public servants will not face difficulties travelling from faraway places to seek solutions from ministers and permanent secretaries. Let us solve these issues where we are,” he said.
The minister further called on human resource officers to serve public servants with professionalism and humility.
“Let us not behave as though we are untouchable. We are in these positions because we have been entrusted to serve others. Use your positions to support and unite employees rather than frustrate them,” he stressed.
The minister also directed the e-Government Authority (e-GA) to accelerate the review and integration of government digital systems to improve information sharing and service delivery across public institutions.
“It is important to ensure government systems communicate effectively with one another. The directives have already been issued by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the time has come for implementation,” he said.
“It is important to review these systems and ensure they communicate effectively with one another. The directives have already been issued by the President and it is now time to implement them,” he said.
Prof Shemdoe also instructed the Permanent Secretary for Public Service Management and Good Governance to submit a report to the Chief Secretary by June 30, 2026, identifying institutions that have failed to comply with government directives requiring integration into the e-Mrejesho feedback management system.
The event also witnessed the launch of the Government Service Directory (GSD), a digital platform designed to enable citizens to access government services through a single gateway, and the Ngao cyber-security system aimed at strengthening protection of government information systems.
Through the GSD platform, citizens will be able to access information on government services, requirements, processing timelines, costs and payment procedures from a single portal.
Speaking earlier, Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Juma Mkomi, said more than 500 institutions had already integrated their services into the GSD platform and adopted the Ngao security system.
He attributed many complaints from public servants and citizens to inadequate use of ICT systems by some institutions, saying proper utilisation of digital platforms would significantly improve accountability, efficiency and service delivery across government.
“In many cases where public servants fail to receive services on time, it is because institutional leaders have not embraced available digital systems. If these systems are properly utilised, accountability will improve and services will be delivered within the required timelines,” he said.