Tanzania's National Assembly Budget Committee has been instructed to investigate how much the government has spent on buying vehicles, fuelling them and keeping them on the road over the past 13 years, according to ippmedia.co.tz. Speaker Mussa Zungu announced the inquiry through the customary notification given to MPs, saying it will cover the period from 2013 to 2026. The committee is also expected to check whether ministries, public agencies and state-owned companies followed the rules on acquiring and using official vehicles.
Why it matters
The audit puts a spotlight on one of the recurring drains on public funds identified by successive Tanzanian leaders. According to ippmedia.co.tz, the Speaker said spending on vehicle purchases, fuel, operations, spare parts and maintenance was running above 558bn/- a year, based on a 2022 budget presentation. He said the government fleet at that time numbered 15,742 vehicles, alongside 1,447 cargo vehicles and 373 pieces of machinery. The inquiry is intended to establish the actual costs and produce recommendations for cutting them.
What the committee will examine
The Speaker set out a broad mandate. The committee is to determine the sums spent on acquiring vehicles, on fuel and on repairs. It must then propose ways of bringing those costs down through suitable engine sizes, appropriate vehicle types and alternative energy sources.
He asked that strategies be introduced to discourage the purchase of vehicles with large engines, and that the acquisition of hybrid vehicles running on a combination of electricity, gas and fuel be encouraged. "This includes avoiding purchasing vehicles with large engines and instead focus on hybrid vehicles," he said, as reported by ippmedia.co.tz.
The committee will also review Public Service Circular Number Two of 2021, which sets out guidelines on the use and suitable types of vehicles for public officials, and lays down procedures for disposing of ageing government vehicles. The Speaker noted that some ministries, agencies and corporations had not fully complied with the circular, and said the committee should identify violations and recommend appropriate action.
"We must tighten our belts and reduce expenditure. The situation regarding fuel prices and the cost of living is difficult across the world, and Tanzania is also experiencing these challenges. Those who violated the Public Service Circular by purchasing vehicles without following the procedures must face administrative action," he declared.
To carry out a thorough assessment, the committee is expected to work with the Ministry of Finance, the Prime Minister's Office, the Clerk to the National Assembly, the Ministry of Works, the government chief valuer and other relevant bodies.
A concern raised before
The Speaker said controlling expenditure on government vehicles was not a new issue. He recalled remarks by former prime minister Mizengo Pinda on November 20, 2012, when the House adjourned, calling for an end to the purchase of luxury vehicles. At the time, Pinda cited the Toyota Land Cruiser VX8 high special, priced at 300m/-, and pointed out what that sum could otherwise fund: a dispensary with two staff houses, six staff houses for health centres, or 17 primary school classrooms. The same amount could buy 2,500 school desks, he said, illustrating what is given up when large sums go to official cars instead of social services.
The Speaker also referred to Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba, speaking as finance minister on June 20, 2022 during budget estimates for the 2022/23 fiscal year, who said the government intended to control vehicle purchases and use by enforcing Presidential Circular Number One of 1998 and Public Service Circular Number Two of 2021. Nchemba identified vehicle purchases, fuel, spare parts and maintenance as major contributors to excessive expenditure, and suggested that loans be made available to public officials entitled to them rather than having the government bear the cost of buying vehicles, fuelling them and maintaining them.
He further cited Finance Minister Khamis Musa Omar, who made similar points when closing the 2026/27 Budget presentation on June 23, stressing the need to control vehicle purchases and use in line with the 1998 and 2021 circulars. The current premier has also directed public institutions to cut unnecessary spending, including on official vehicles, celebrations, domestic and foreign travel, meetings and conferences.
The Speaker pointed to the large number of officials who travel from different regions to attend parliamentary committee meetings when only three or four representatives are needed to present particular issues. Some meetings involving all regions draw 500 to 600 officials, he said, producing substantial costs for vehicles, fuel and other logistics. He likewise questioned the practice of having more than 150 vehicles accompany top leadership on visits to inspect development projects, even where the cost is small — say 24m/- — arguing that such money would be better directed to development work.
Regional and district commissioners should reduce the number of people and vehicles on official visits, he said. He noted that rising global fuel prices and the cost of living require officials to show restraint in public spending, and pointed to President Samia Suluhu Hassan's decision to reduce the size of her convoy on domestic trips as an example for senior public officials to follow.
The Budget Committee is expected to complete its investigation and present a report on its findings and proposed measures during the next session early next year.
