Reforms Towards Ethical Leadership for Effective Public Service Delivery in Tanzania: Perspectives from the Local Government Authorities

Abstract

Globally, transparent, accountable, and efficient governance for the sustainable development of nations requires ethical leadership. The unethical behaviour among leaders has been widely spread among organizations in recent times and is among the problems facing Sub-Saharan African countries, particularly Tanzania. Trust in leadership is declining, and this is affecting public service delivery. Although various institutions in the public sector have undergone various reforms to address the situation, many African Governments still face leadership and governance challenges that result in poor public service delivery. Most countries, including Tanzania, have seen huge maladministration of public funds and corruption, hence poor service delivery. Although reforms to address challenges of unethical leadership have been done in African countries, most have focused on the private sector, neglecting the public sector, where citizens' lives depend much more. The public sector reforms transform service delivery; however, such reforms have proven ineffective in Tanzania. This chapter assesses the role of ethical leadership in enhancing effective public service delivery in Tanzania. Specifically, the chapter aims to identify the sectoral-wise reforms that have been implemented, their effects on effective public service delivery, the challenges that inhibit their success or implementation, and strategies used to enhance them for effective public service delivery in the country's local government authorities (LGAs). The analysis uses secondary data from document reviews pertinent to the topic, and the generated data is analyzed using MAXQDA qualitative data analysis software. The analysis showed that despite ethical leadership and reforms in the country, unethical practices still exist and significantly affect service delivery in LGAs. The study recommends strategies such as improved salaries, training, motivation, and incentives to 361 improve the reforms toward ethical leadership for effective public service delivery in LGAs. The highlights in this chapter prompt the responsible authorities to produce effective measures for combating unethical practices and uphold the highest possible ethical standards in the rubric of new public management in Tanzania.