Impact of Public Service Reforms on The Quality of Service Delivery in Tanzania: The Cases of BRELA and RITA.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of public sector reforms on the quality-of-service delivery in selected executive agencies. Data collection involved a structured questionnaire with 198 clients and interviews with 30 employees from the Registration Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA) and Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA). The two datasets were supplemented by review of official reports. Chi-Square test of independence was used to analyze the association between pertinent variables. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings on quality-of-service delivery revealed mixed perception where many perceived the services as poor, because of long waiting time (63.1%), poor promptness (62.6 %), and poor communication (76.4%). Corruption and bribery (76.3%), cumbersome procedures (51.5%), poor customer care (71.2%), and nepotism and favoritism (52.5%) still affect the perceived quality of services. This makes the majority 131 (62.2%) out of 198 respondents see no connection between the reforms and improvement in service delivery. Remarkable success was, however, reported in Information Communication Technologies innovations, which contributed to improved relationship between service providers and service recipients. The study identified six key factors that were holding back the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery by RITA and BRELA. These were: inadequate numbers of skilled staff, gap between qualifications and skills, and financial and governance challenges. The study recommends a review of existing laws and regulations to increase the autonomy of executive agencies. This will optimize planning for effective and efficient service delivery by agencies