The impact of client service chapters on public service delivery in Tanzania: the case of drilling and dam construction agency

In 2001, the Tanzanian government adopted client service charters as one of the initiatives to enhance better performance of public service delivery. In 2005, the study was conducted to evaluate the impact of client service chapters. The study revealed that the performance in meeting the commitments had not improved. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to explore the factors hindering the positive impact of client service charters in Tanzania. It covered specifically the client service chapter of the Drilling and Dam Construction Agency (DDCA). The study was premised within the framework of social contract theory and the principal-agent model. The data used in this study was collected through documentary sources, interviews and a questionnaire which was administered to employees of DDCA and to the clients. The study discovered that this dismal performance of the chapter is attributed to the weak organizational and institutional capacity of the DDCA, lack of employee training, lack of awareness about the chapter and poor employee motivation. Other factors include lack of vibrant consumer groups, lack of regulatory agencies, non- involvement of clients and employees during the formulation of the chapter, and lack of systematic monitoring and evaluation of the chapter. The study concludes that the possibility of the client service charters to bring about the positive impact in service delivery is limited. The study recommends tackling all the aforementioned hindering factors so that clients service charters can bring positive impacts.