Tanzania's public ghost workers surpass 19,000

The government of Tanzania said Tuesday the number of public ghost workers in the east African country reached 19,708 by January 31, 2017.

Angellah Kairuki, Minister of State in the President's Office responsible for public service management and good governance, told Parliament the flushing out of the ghost workers enabled the government to save 9.9 million U.S. dollars of taxpayer's money that would have been spent on their salaries every month.

She said an earlier crackdown on fake certificates had identified 319 public servants who used fake secondary school and teachers training certificates or other people's documents to secure employment.

Kairuki said in August last year the number of public ghost workers stood at 16,137, who claimed 8 million dollars monthly on salaries.

Chief Secretary John Kijazi said recruitment of public servants had resumed following achievements recorded during the ghost worker clampdown that commenced in March last year.

"The government is satisfied with the crackdown that is why recruitment has resumed after a temporary stop to allow revision of public servants," Kijazi told a television station in an interview.