Nchemba said all projects must fully comply with agreed Bills of Quantities (BoQs), amid growing concern over substandard work and misuse of public funds. He issued the directive while inspecting the Nachingwea District Council headquarters in Lindi region.

“Inspection should happen early, not after a building has been completed and found wanting,” the prime minister said, noting that demolishing substandard structures wastes scarce public resources.

He instructed regional and local authorities to strengthen inspection capacity by equipping professionals with modern tools and skills to assess projects while construction is ongoing.

The directive, Nchemba said, reflects President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s insistence that development funds released by the government must correspond directly with work delivered.

While laying a foundation stone for the Lindi–Ruangwa–Nachingwea water project, the prime minister ordered the head of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA), engineer Wolta Kirita, to review all projects that have received advance or staged payments.

Contractors whose work does not match payments received, he warned, will face legal action and be barred from future government contracts.

“Taxpayers’ money must be evident in the quality and value of the work delivered,” Nchemba said.

He added that the ruling party’s manifesto commits the government to expanding access to clean and safe water through a national water grid linking large- and small-scale schemes. He also instructed the Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) and the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (Tarura) to conduct a nationwide audit of road projects where advance payments have already been made.

On public service delivery, the prime minister urged civil servants to be more responsive to citizens at grassroots level, noting that decentralisation is intended to bring government closer to the people. He acknowledged that negligence by some local officials continues to frustrate communities seeking basic services.

Nchemba also linked development to peace and political stability, saying progress under the government’s agenda depends on sustained national harmony.

“Peace is not only the responsibility of the state,” he said. “It is the responsibility of every citizen, and ordinary people benefit first.”

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fulfilling its manifesto and national development goals, citing reforms already under way. These include ensuring families are not denied the bodies of deceased relatives due to unpaid hospital bills and guaranteeing immediate treatment for emergency patients, particularly pregnant women.

The prime minister said recruitment of health and education professionals has begun under the government’s first 100-day programme, with further hiring planned. He also announced plans to provide 200bn Tanzanian shillings in loans for young people, alongside increased investment in water and productive sectors.

“We cannot win the fight against poverty without discipline at work and meaningful partnership with the private sector,” Nchemba said.

During his visit to Nachingwea, the prime minister also toured the district hospital and inspected construction works at the Nachingwea College of Nursing and Midwifery.

Notes to Editors

• The government has intensified oversight of public development projects to curb waste and improve quality.
• Audits will focus on projects that received advance or staged payments.
• Infrastructure, water and social services remain key priorities under Tanzania’s development agenda.

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