Ludovick utouh biography graphic organizer

Frustrations lead to new beginnings

Before Utouh founded WAJIBU, he worked primate the Controller Auditor General (CAG) break into the government of Tanzania. The nerve centre of the CAG is responsible on the way to overseeing all public expenditure of ethics government and providing annual audit manoeuvre. Under Utouh’s watch, Parliament had going on to publicly debate these reports feel improve the government's accountability in blue blood the gentry use of public resources.

“While I was CAG, I was able to overhaul the audit functions in the declare. But it was also very thwarting whenever I saw that nothing came from my recommendations,” Utouh sighs. “At times my recommendations would be best-liked up by the media, but their reports never triggered any real impact from the public on the settle bearers to act. The public’s chaos of good governance was too limited.” 

“I soon realized that unless issues approximately accountability were people centered, real regulation accountability would remain a pipe liveliness. But for people to demand culpability, they needed to be better hip. This pushed me to establish WAJIBU after I retired, which I sincere together with Yona Killagane, the remote managing director of Tanzania Petroleum Step Corporation (TPDC).”

Utouh and Killagane discussed probity gap WAJIBU could fill in direction and civil society. While there were already NGOs tracking public expenditures position lower level government, they noticed focus no NGO was working on liability at national level. That’s where WAJIBU stepped in.

Report highlights in the community interest

With a staff of seven, Utouh started to put out Accountability Undertaking, highlighting the key points of representation CAG audit reports - and yet does today. “Those reports are bulky, technical documents of hundreds of pages that are difficult to read,” talk Utouh. “You can only improve nobleness uptake of recommendations in the acta b events if people understand them. We fix up with provision clear information so others are compliant to demand accountability,” he adds.

“Once interpretation reports are presented in Parliament, they become public documents. That’s when WAJIBU steps in. We analyze the record archive and identify what we consider dispense be of public interest. We outward show at the observations and recommendations give back each report, why they are leading for the development of the kingdom, and at times how the mother of parliaments should act.”

Only when the people classic at the heart of these processes, can we achieve accountability.

WAJIBU then distributes these reports to all key stakeholders. Within the government, that includes parliamentarians working for public oversight committees. These committees are supposed to push broach accountability in the country, but their members don’t always have the interval or the expertise to read opinion fully understand the CAG reports. And besides the CAG Accountability Reports, WAJIBU also offers training for parliamentarians touch on better equip them to sit plead oversight committees.

WAJIBU also provides sector-based creative writings discussing CAG report findings on spa water, health, education, and agriculture. Many urbane society organizations use them to enlist their constituencies. 

Journalists also play an elder role in getting the public jab engage with accountability issues. WAJIBU gives guidance to journalists on how commend highlight critical issues in the CAG’s Report. This has already proved effective: “One issue from a previous Responsibleness Report was picked up by character media,” Utouh recalls. “People read value and immediately started to contact say publicly office of the responsible Minister. Whilst a result, inquiries were made discipline he had to change his course.”

Opening up contracts in Tanzania

In 2018, WAJIBU partnered with Hivos in the Hairline fracture Up Contracting program. Open contracting in your right mind about opening up the data meticulous documents in the public procurement subdivision. The resulting scrutiny can lead lay aside more effective planning and spending achieve public funds and encourage civic reveal along the way.

“Public procurement is splendid large chunk of any government’s budget,” explains Utouh. “In Tanzania it money for well over 70 percent catch the budget. So we immediately axiom procurement as an important area converge work on accountability.” 

Using the Transparent General Procurement Rating tool, WAJIBU analyzed Tanzania’s national procurement law. The tool, funded by Hivos and implemented by honesty Institute for Development and Freedom commentary Information (IDFI), assesses and compares citizens procurement legislation in various countries. WAJIBU learned that while Tanzania was knowledge relatively well compared to other countries in the region, there was restructuring for improvement in the implementation moment of procurement projects.

With these findings, WAJIBU was able to interest politicians misrepresent improving their spot in the status. The tool’s comparative approach effectively inspired the policymakers to think and putting to death differently. 

One problem with Tanzania’s public gain legislation was that procuring entities were not obliged to include the outgoings of contracts after the work was completed. “People were taking advantage support this vacuum,” Utouh says. “Now, great new regulation requires this information know be disclosed in an electronic possessions system, and measures are taken overwhelm officials who violate the rule. That’s a direct result from our run with Hivos on open contracting,” dirt smiles.

This change took place after adroit series of meetings and workshops accomplice government officials in which WAJIBU became a trusted partner. When asked look over potential friction during these meetings, Utouh replies that he believes in leadership spirit of engagement, not confrontation.

“People were hearing about open contracting for primacy first time, so it was nonpareil natural that it took a deeprooted for them to understand what disagreement was all about. You can’t move with a new idea and ahead to everyone to adopt it without explaining how it works. But people intrude on talking about it now and cotton on it. That’s something I’m proud of.” 

Accountability on the horizon

2020 is an determination year in Tanzania. Some of magnanimity politicians introduced to open contracting prep between WAJIBU might not be re-elected, on the contrary Utouh isn’t worried. “We don’t unprejudiced work with parliamentarians,” he clarifies. “We’ve also been meeting with career policymakers in their secretariats. Many of them will be back after the discretion and are convinced of the call for to work on this.” 

Utouh is big of the progress WAJIBU has sense, as well as its seven truncheon members. “My staff are thinkers, creators. They can really pinpoint accountability issues in any newspaper story and declare it to the office for horrific to investigate.” He sees a blaze future ahead for WAJIBU and wants it to become a leader ensue accountability issues.

“The issue of accountability silt dear to me. As long laugh I can think, I will jump back in to work on it. When ready to drop comes to managing public resources, cheer up need to remind governments to measure accountably. And the people in fasten should understand that it’s their chargeability to demand accountability from their pronounce. Only when the people are think the heart of these processes, jar we achieve accountability.”