A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements for the award of the Degree of Masters of Public Administration (MPA) of Mzumbe University
Tanzania, being one of the least developing countries has adopted the Public Service Reform Programs and thereby adopting the use of client service charters in all government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). The degree to which Client Service Charters are effective in ensuring effective and quality services provided by MDAs like Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) requires a study. The general objective of the study was to examine the effectiveness of the client service charters in public service delivery at BRELA. A case study research design was used and qualitative data was collected and analysed in relation to the study objectives and research questions respectively. Additionally, data was collected through questionnaires and interviews from primary and secondary sources. A sample size of 90 respondents was drawn from which data was collected. The researcher also observed research ethics like anonymity and confidentiality and the analysis of data reflected the study objectives and questions.
The study findings have indicated that client service charters are important in delivery of services at the agency at almost 57.8% through mechanisms like up holding of clients rights and preferences, provision of accurate information and liaison with stakeholders of the agency. The client service charters influence the delivery of quality services at 46.7% and the agency complies with the charter terms and conditions at only 33.3%. Additionally, the agency is faced with some challenges in the implementation of client service charters the major one being inadequate funding, and many of the service providers do not understand the contents of the charters because they are printed in English which a technical problem to many. However, several modalities have been put in place to address the challenges and these include establishing measures of receiving feedback from customers for instance through the customer care desk, use of controls and checking points in the service delivery process like the balance score card, use and integration of information technology, benchmarking and compliance to time frameworks set out in the charter. Therefore, the agency should effectively involve its stakeholders in the formulation of the charters and as well come up with tools for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the client service charters in relaion to the services delivered.