Poverty and Human Development Report 2009 - UNDP in Tanzania

Information Dissemination and Accountability of Local Government Authorities
The current MKUKUTA indicator used to measure information dissemination by LGAs is the
‘proportion of LGAs posting public budgets, revenue and actual expenditures on easily accessible
public notice boards’. The latest data available is from the Community Characteristics Report of HBS
2007 which reported that 40% of LGAs had posted fiscal information on public notice boards. 71
Data from the 2003 and 2006 citizen surveys indicate a significant increase in public access to
information on local government operations, albeit from very low levels. This is most likely a result
of PMO-RALG’s efforts to enhance citizens’ access to local government information, in particular
financial data, through the O & OD planning process. Announcement of local government budget
information in all wards is now required.
The results in Table 25 indicate that respondents most often reported seeing information on
local government budgets as well as taxes and fees collected in their area. Audit information
and sector allocations were less frequently available to citizens. Interestingly, a larger increase
in access to budget information was recorded among women than men. This may be explained
by the general trend towards greater women’s involvement in public affairs, as local government
reform initiatives have not explicitly targeted women. Despite the gains recorded over the period,
only a small minority of respondents overall reported access to local government information.
Moreover, qualitative interviews also indicated that citizens have difficulties in making sense of
the financial data that was made available to them (PMO-RALG, 2007b).
Table 25: Percent of Adults Reporting Access to Local Government Fiscal
Information, 2003 and 2006
Percentage of respondents who:
Have seen the local government budget posted in
a public place in the last two years
Have seen reports on tax and fees collected in this
area posted in a public place in the last two years
Have seen audited statements of council
expenditure posted in a public place in the last two
years
Have seen financial allocations to key sectors
posted in a public place in the last two years
CHAPTER 1 - CLUSTER III - GOAL 1
2003 2006
Male Female Male Female
6.9% 4.0% 14.4% 12.6%
3.5% 1.5% 13.2% 11.1%
3.5% 1.5% 6.2% 4.9%
5.1% 3.7% 8.6% 6.6%
Source: Formative Process Research Programme on local government reform, 2003 and 2006
(See Tidemand et al., forthcoming).
71 Based on responses provided by community leaders, usually village chairs or village executive officers.
113