They arrive before dawn, brooms and mops in hand, to make sure public offices are spotless before civil servants begin their day. Yet despite their essential role, cleaners in Tanzania’s public institutions earn between TZS100,000 and TZS150,000 a month—wages that barely cover their most basic needs.
Although treated as full-time employees, many cleaners work shifts of up to ten hours a day while earning pay closer to that of casual labourers. Rebeka Anderson, who works for Bensal Investment in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, told our reporter on 19 December 2025 that she earns just TZS110,000 a month while working 50 hours a week. “Cleaning should be a part-time job,” she says, “so that we can look for other ways to survive.”
Working full time, living on the edge
Instead, cleaners describe long hours of underpaid work, often worsened by delayed salaries. Baraka Mogwa, employed by B & H Solutions, says late payments are routine. “Sometimes I go up to three months without pay,” Rebeka adds.
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Daily expenses make survival even harder. A cleaner spends at least TZS3,000 a day on food and about TZS1,400 on transport. By the end of the month, little—if anything—remains. “I wake up at 5 a.m. every day for a job that leaves me in debt,” says Robert Elia, who works for African Diverse Limited in Dar es Salaam. Living alone, he spends about TZS3,000 daily on meals—almost his entire monthly income.
To cope, many cleaners borrow money while waiting for overdue wages, sinking deeper into debt. Their struggles remain largely invisible, even as their labour keeps public institutions functioning.
Rights on paper, reality on the ground
For some, the situation reflects a broader failure of labour protection. “This is not fair, but we have nothing we can do,” says Mariam Ali, who works for Caveha Enterprises in Dar es Salaam. At the bank where she cleans, she says staff assume she earns more than TZS300,000 a month—nearly double her actual pay.
Tanzanian labour law sets the normal workweek at 45 hours and requires overtime to be paid at a higher rate. For cleaners working 50 hours a week, the extra five hours should attract additional compensation of more than TZS21,000 a month.
William Maduhu, an advocate with the Legal and Human Rights Centre, says cleaning companies are among the worst offenders. “Most of these cleaners work without contracts or health insurance,” he says.
Delayed wages, experts warn, deepen economic vulnerability. On 19 December 2025, Prof. Omary Mbura, a business expert, told our reporter that even short delays can be devastating. “A cleaner may fail to pay rent, afford transport, or buy food if this small salary is delayed,” he explains. He argues that cleaning should be treated as hourly work rather than full-time employment.
Some cleaners agree. “Working in shifts would allow us to find other income,” says Stephano, who works for Msukumo Yoth Group.
Demands for dignity
Labour unions say responsibility also lies with institutions that outsource cleaning services. Rehema Ludanga, deputy secretary of the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA), told Nijuze on 6 January 2026 that organisations hiring cleaning companies must demand stronger protections. “Contracts should clearly state wages, working hours and health insurance,” she argued.
Often unseen but indispensable, cleaners continue to keep public offices running while struggling without fair pay or dignity. Labour experts argue that recognising cleaning as hourly work—paired with fair compensation and enforceable contracts—could help restore both livelihoods and dignity to those who do the job.
