‘Cut councils’ spending’

ILONGERO: PRIME Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba has directed councils across the country to cut unnecessary expenditure and channel the savings into priority development projects.

Dr Nchemba issued the directive yesterday while addressing residents of Ilongero Constituency in Singida Rural District during a working tour to inspect development projects and address public concerns.

“We must cut expenditure because we need more than 33,000 classrooms and over 8,000 laboratories, all of which are required to be completed within one year ready for the 2028 double cohort,” he said.

He said the government must prepare for the 2028 education reforms, when Form One enrolment is expected to rise from about 900,000 to more than three million learners.

The Prime Minister said the government should begin preparing classrooms, laboratories, libraries and other education facilities well in advance of the expected sharp increase in Form One enrolment when the planned policy allowing pupils to join secondary education after six years of primary education takes effect.

“This is government money. It is taxpayers’ money, and it can be used to address these challenges so that children do not have to sit on the floor,” Dr Nchemba said.

He urged government institutions to rely more on efficient use of available resources rather than depending solely on external funding to implement development projects.

“We have to build our country ourselves. One source of funding for implementing these projects is to make proper use of what we receive,” he said.

As part of the drive to improve infrastructure, Dr Nchemba directed the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) to advertise, within this month, a tender for the initial 11-kilometre section of the road towards Haydom, with construction expected to begin and be completed within the year.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Regional Administration and Local Government (Health), Dr Jafar Seif, said the project had already been allocated 19bn/-. “The 11 kilometres that will connect to our district hospital have already been allocated a budget of 19bn/-.

We are directing our experts to advertise the tender again so construction can begin in line with the Prime Minister’s directive,” Dr Seif said.

Dr Nchemba also said the government had agreed that water and irrigation projects should be designed to benefit several sectors, including agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

“We have agreed within the government that wherever we have such a project, whether irrigation or water, it must also serve these other sectors,” he said.

The Premier urged residents living in low-lying areas to take precautions and move away from flood-prone areas because of possible El Niño-related impacts.

On healthcare, he said temporary interventions alone would not provide a lasting solution, arguing that universal health insurance remained the country’s long-term answer.

“These are only temporary measures and emergency interventions. The lasting solution to this problem is when Tanzanians agree on the government’s universal health insurance plan,” he said.

He called on leaders and the public to continue educating communities about the insurance scheme, saying greater awareness would help reduce many challenges.

Dr Seif said the government had also allocated 200m/- to improve Ilongero District Hospital and 2.3bn/- for Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) projects in the area.

He added that authorities would assess the construction of a dispensary in Itamka Village, where residents had already built the foundation, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG) would work together to establish a produce market to support local farmers.

Dr Seif further directed officials to ensure that 10 per cent loans reach women, youth and people with disabilities, saying about 179m/- was available under the programme in the current financial year.

During the meeting, Ilongero resident, Mr Agustino Kipara told the Prime Minister that a 200kV transmission line from Singida to Arusha passed through his land in 1996 without compensation.

He said another 400kV line constructed in 2016 also affected his property, but only part of the land was compensated, leaving about a quarter of an acre with fruit trees between the transmission lines unpaid for.

Mr Kipara said he had submitted complaints and supporting documents to Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) and the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs but had yet to receive a conclusive response. He appealed for the matter to be resolved after years of seeking compensation.

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Responding, TANESCO Singida Regional Manager, Engineer Mwamvita Ally said records indicated that affected people had been compensated, but added that she was hearing Mr Kipara’s case for the first time.

“I will follow up the matter and provide accurate information,” she said, as the Prime Minister’s representative directed Mr Kipara to submit copies of his documents to TANESCO for verification.