Decentralization in Tanzania: Perceptible Efficiency and Effectiveness in Management of Community Health Care, Free Basic Education and Public Private Partnership

Abstract

Decentralization has been a means to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the management of local government affairs. Tanzania has undergone a reform through decentralization by devolution (D by D) and shifted relative power to lower levels of government known as local government authorities. The purpose is to improve the management of local government affair including the management of community health, free basic education and the management of contracts through public-private partnership. The objective of this paper is to review and analyse on how D by D has enhanced efficiency and effectiveness in the management of local government affairs in Tanzania. Data were collected through reviewing different documents including published journal articles, unpublished Master and PhD thesis/dissertations, government reports and online materials. Efficiency and effectiveness in the management of local government affairs are enhanced by D by D as there are improvements in the management of the community health fund as the number of households enrolled is consecutively increasing in the past five years from 543,328 in 2012/2013 to 2,251,055 in 2017/2018giving a total of 13,506,330 beneficiaries out of the total population. In the management of free fee basic education, head masters, mistress and head teachers in Singida and Ruangwa districts are successful in overcoming the challenges of free fee basic education while there is improved community participation in the management of management of contracted services in Ulanga district council. This paper recommends for reviewing and analysing how D by D has enhanced management of waste collection, the use of Government electronic Payment Gateway (GePG) in revenue collection and the efficiency and effectiveness of Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA).