Dar works on new law to end scandals

Dar es Salam; Tanzania: In response to a growing outcry over corruption and abuse of office, Tanzania is working on a new law to ban elected leaders and civil servants from using their positions to build business empires and enrich themselves.

The law is intended to end the numerous scandals that have arisen in the absence of a clear definition of conflict of interest. Gertrude Cyriacus, the Ethics Secretariat’s Assistant Secretary, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation the conflict of interest law would prohibit public officials from transacting private business while in office and ban them from holding positions in private companies.

It would include penalties of up to two years in prison if public servants, their families or companies strike business deals with public institutions they manage. She expects it will be enacted before the October 2015 presidential election.

“Conflict of interest is still a big challenge in our country. We hope that this law will bring a lasting solution to the problem by ensuring leaders make decisions in the interest of the public,” Cyriacus said in an interview. Tanzania requires asset disclosures but has no law that specifically defines conflict of interest, a loophole that has left room for scandals.

It also does not address broader concerns over independence of the Ethics Secretariat.