Ombudsman for closer professional coop with other countries

2026-02-18 - 20:53

A 17-member delegation from the Tax Ombudsman Service of Tanzania (TOST), headed by Mr. Erasmus Vincent Mtui, which called on Wafaqi Mohtasib (Federal Ombudsman), Mr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi and was briefed about the working and performance of the institution of the Federal Ombudsperson. Welcoming the Tanzanian delegation, Mr Qureshi said that the institution of the Wafaqi Mohtasib has decided a record number of 261,101 complaints during the outgoing year 2025, as against 223,198 cases decided in 2024. This increase in the number of complaints decided has been attributed to initiatives like the KhuliKatcheries (Open Courts), Outreach Complaint Resolution (OCR) mechanism, the Informal Resolution of Disputes (IRD) and Inspection Visits of government agencies and departments. It has achieved an unprecedented implementation rate of 96.8% during the year, he maintained. Mr. Qureshi further informed that with a view to enhancing outreach and accessibility, a number of new Regional Offices and Complaint Collection Centres (CCC) have been established during the last two years mostly in the remote and far off regions of the country. Now the institution has presence in 28 cities across the country, which is instrumental in dispensing administrative justice virtually at the doorsteps of the people. He particularly called for exchange of experiences and best practices between the two institutions in areas of public sector accountability and institutional capacity building. Later, the delegation was given a detailed presentation on the Federal Ombudsman’s mandate, operational modalities, role and functions, particularly the mechanism for receipt and disposal of public complaints. It was followed by a lively Question/Answer session. The leader of the Tanzanian delegation commended the outstanding performance of the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s Institution, saying that it is rendering very useful service to the people. He emphasised the need to establish closer professional linkages between the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s Institution and Tax Ombudsman of Tanzania to their mutual advantage. The delegation also visited the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA)’s Secretariat located in the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s.