Elected and Appointed Officials’ Attitudes and the Interaction in Construction of Health and Education Infrastructures in Morogoro District Council

Abstract

This study assessed interaction between the elected and the appointed officials and their attitude toward each other in the construction of health and education infrastructure in Morogoro District Council. The study was carried out in four wards in Morogoro District Council. The data were collected from the selected as sample size of 64 elected and appointed officials. The study adopted a case study research design and qualitative approach. The data were collected using a questionnaire, a FGD guide and a key informant interview (KII) guide. The findings indicate that the level of political-administrative interaction between elected and appointed officials in the project was moderate. The moderate level of interaction is likely to be the cause of low transparency and accountability of the elected and appointed officials. The findings indicate further that both elected and appointed officials had negative attitude towards each other in the implementation of the projects. The study concludes that there is negligence in monitoring the relationships between elected and appointed officials in the implementation of development projects which results to moderate interaction. Based on the conclusions, it is recommended that, in increasing interaction between elected and appointed officials and creating conducive environment for positive interactions, Morogoro District should facilitate regular training and awareness campaigns on the importance of their relations and positive attitudes towards each other. The study recommends further that the appointed officials should practice the principle of neutrality in their implementation of development projects. Political neutrality will minimize politicization of public services and reduce conflicts between the two parties.