Tanzania Association of NGOs (TANGO)

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have stepped up engagement in the anti-corruption fight. This is in a wake of a meeting called by TAKUKURU to form a network which will coordinate the CSO engagement in the anti-poverty fight. The meeting was officiated by Commander of the Anti-corruption Bureau in Morogoro Mr. John Joseph who said, “This opportunity will enable TAKUKURU to have the CSO’s taking on the issue of corruption and the fight thereof.

“The meeting is organized to implement the national corruption strategy NACSAP two, which emphasizes the need to the formulation of a CSO anti-corruption network”, noted Joseph.

According to Mr. Joseph the CSOs have a wide reach in the communities as could be exemplified by the assortment and large number of CSOs who are present at the meeting.

He also went on to say that there have been some cases where the CSOs have been accused of proliferating corruption and graft by eliciting money on behalf of people which they use for their own good. Therefore, the formation of the network will help alley such allegations.

The corruption boss quoted both the Koran and the Bible stating scriptures which speak to the issue of being selfless as we go through life’s path.

The process of formulation of a coordination mechanism for CSOs engagement in the anti-corruption fight  dates back to 2004 during the first NACSAP, but the process has been slow and disappeared in oblivion.

Dr Godwin Kahensa the NACSAP Coordination CSOs of TAKUKURU hinted that in the early years of independence there was low corruption partially due to the economic performance and secondly due to sound and workable anti-poverty strategies, which include the leadership code of ethics.

“ The major economic crisis following the Kagera War, which led to the incapacity by the government/public sector to remunerated their staff well marks the stage when corruption escalated to enormous proportions”, Dr Kahensa went on to say..

Hebron Mwakagenda of the Leadership Forum hinted that two years ago a coalition undertook a study to see the CSO engagement in corruption issues, the study finding are that; governance and development, awareness creation on the governance issues including, right land rights and youth rights promotion.