Samia: Use land or lose it

TANGA: PRESIDENT Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed the Ministry of Agriculture and the Attorney General to review land contracts for idle farms in Korogwe District, Tanga Region, stressing the government’s commitment to reclaiming unproductive estates for better use.

Dr Samia told a campaign rally in Korogwe yesterday that some farms in the district have remained undeveloped for years, despite being allocated to investors.

“I have instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and the Attorney General to look into the contracts and advise how they can be revoked, so the farms return to the government for alternative decisions,” Dr Samia said.

The candidate, who is also Head of State, assured residents that the CCM government if re-elected, will continue to revive dormant industries.

She said the Korogwe tea factory will be equipped with new processing machinery under the tea cooperative, while sisal farms and factories will be upgraded with new equipment managed through AMCOS and supervised by the Sisal Board. She also pledged that the Tangold factory would be reassessed to identify a capable investor, or taken over by cooperatives if none is found.

On infrastructure, Dr Samia promised to tarmac the Soni–Bumbuli–Dindira– Korogwe (74km) and Old Korogwe–Kwa Mndolwa– Magoma–Mashewa–Bombo Mtoni–Mabokweni (128km) roads.

She said the Manundu road will also be considered through Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), while the proposal for a dry port at Old Korogwe remains on the government’s agenda.

The candidate wound up her campaign in Tanga Region with a rally in Korogwe before commencing her Kilimanjaro trail in Same and Mwanga districts.

In Same District, Dr Samia pledged to improve road infrastructure in gingergrowing areas.

She said the 101-km Mkomazi–Kisiwani–Same Road is already under construction, with the contractor having completed 10-km in the first phase. She added that the CCM government, if re-elected, will build mountain roads using concrete and tarmac to ease transport challenges for farmers.

“We will also increase TARURA’s budget so they can implement more rural road projects,” she said, noting that improved access will boost ginger cultivation and ensure food security from the highlands.

In Mwanga District, Dr Samia said significant progress had been made in social services and infrastructure. She pointed to the Same– Mwanga–Korogwe water project, first proposed by retired Prime Minister the late Cleopa Msuya, saying phase one was complete and water was already flowing.

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“Phase two will connect the remaining areas and this project will be completed,” she said. On tourism, she said a new gate had been opened at Ndea to allow easier access to Mkomazi National Park.

She pledged to build a modern market in Mwanga town and another in Kileo Ward to ensure farmers benefit from their produce.

Dr Samia also addressed human–wildlife conflict, promising surveillance posts, patrol guards and drones to monitor elephant movements. “We have even fitted elephants with special collars that send signals to drones that make it easier to track them when they enter people’s habitat,” she said. On environmental management, she said 1.9bn/- had been allocated for machines to clear invasive water weeds at Lake Jipe and other affected sites.

“For what we have not yet completed and what we have not started, we ask you to elect CCM so we can deliver. CCM is here to ask for work; give us the job so we can uplift the dignity of our people,” she said.