One of the standing committees of the Parliament of Tanzania — the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)— is an important institution for overseeing the implementation of the national budget and the expenditure of public monies. Properly functioning, the PAC has the capacity to promote good governance, curb corruption and increase the trust of citizens in the political system. This brief compares the organizational characteristics and level of activity of the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) in Tanzania with the PACs from five other countries in Eastern Africa. The data presented in this brief are drawn from the results of a survey administered to PAC chairpersons and/or clerks at the meeting of the Southern Africa Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) held in Kampala, Uganda, in May 2013. The survey questionnaire was designed by the World Bank Institute (WBI) and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to map PAC capacity and performance worldwide.
