A new survey on corruption in the Tanzania roads sector indicates that despite a comprehensive anti-corruption framework, corruption is serious, extensive and increasing in severity.

The survey was developed and implemented by a team from Tanzania and the UK, led by IT Transport (now Cardno ITT) in association with Design Partnership Ltd of Tanzania and Engineers Against Poverty. It was undertaken for the Tanzanian Prevention and Combating Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and funded by the African Development Bank.  Jill Wells, Senior Policy and Research adviser at EAP, participated in all stages of the project.

The survey solicited information on corruption in the roads infrastructure sector and its developmental impact from a randomly selected sample of public officials and private business enterprises.

The survey responses revealed that corruption takes place at all stages of the project cycle and not just during the tender process when paying a bribe to win a contract is most commonly reported.

Recurring issues commonly linked to corruption during the project planning and design stage include exaggerated economic benefits during appraisal, incomplete or inadequate designs and contracts signed with inadequate project budgets.

Survey respondents also report corruption during project execution, with payment of bribes to have bogus claims, defective work or payment certificates approved. Collusion between contractor, client’s representative and/or supervising engineer to steal project funds through fraud is also reported to occur.

The report found that the causes of corruption in the sector are now deeply rooted in the socio-economic fabric of society and emboldened by weak enforcement of existing anti-corruption laws and public procurement regulations. The apparent social acceptability of corruption coupled with the low risk of detection and prosecution of offenders allows corruption to thrive.

The report recommends the strengthening and enforcement of laws governing anti-corruption and public procurement and enhancing transparency and accountability in the procurement of roads infrastructure projects by supporting the CoST Initiative. It also suggests establishing a regular dialogue mechanism with the professional and industry associations to advise PCCB and PPRA on combating corruption, and promoting the use of independent professionals to advise and assist local government authorities where additional capacity is urgently needed.