The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Vicent Mnyanyika
22 May 2008
Members of Parliament yesterday opposed a move by the Tanzania Commission for Aids (Tacaids) to channel funds through the Tanzanian Social Action Fund (Tasaf).
Tacaids has already signed a deal with Tasaf to handle the funds at the grassroots level as a measure to circumvent bureaucracy.
MPs sitting in the committee dealing with HIV/AIDS openly opposed the contract when officials of Tacaids appeared before them to explain their activities.
The MPs wanted Tacaids to also explain how they reach and assist people at the grassroots level needing care and treatment.
But the Tacaids director of finance, administration and resource mobilization, Ms Beng'i Mazana Issa, said they had already signed a one-year contract with Tasaf to manage the money disbursement, with the implementation being left to Tacaids.
"We have chosen Tasaf to perform the financial management bit only. But all the implementation is with us and we promise to be keen with MPs' recommendations," said Ms Mazana.
She said for three yeas, Tacaids used the Rapid Funding Envelop (RFE) to manage the funds and also as consultants, a factor that saw them use a lot of money.
After the end of the contract with RFE, they decided to use Tasaf to minimize costs, something which was strongly opposed by the MPs.
This has come at a time when the government has realized that so much money from the Global Fund, which is the biggest donor in the fight against HIV/aids, was being mismanaged and misused.
Voicing her concern, Ms Beatrice Shelukindo (Kilindi, CCM) said she did not approve of the idea to channel HIV/Aids funds through Tasaf.
She argued that it would not solve the problem of bureaucracy for the funds to reach the intended people. Rather, it would increase bureaucracy, the MP argued.
Ms Shelukindo accused Tasaf of regional imbalance in its operations, pointing to the spread of its funded projects in the education and health sectors.
"Let Tacaids channel funds directly to local authorities because that is where many people in need are," said Ms Shelukindo.
The MPs criticized the contract which stipulated that Tasaf be paid ten percent of the money it would be given to disburse to local authorities. They argued that the cost would not differ from the past arrangement.
They said Tasaf did not have enough facilities, including human and physical resources, to meet requirements of the expansive country.
However, the Parliamentary Committee's deputy chairman, Dr Luka Siame, toned down the MPs' opposition.
He called for the inclusion of all stakeholders' views so as to succeed in the war against the scourge.
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