- Samia pledges construction of residential houses
- Lauds TR, all entities for contributing 2bn/-
TANZANIA: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has said the government will build houses for survivors of flash floods and mudslides that hit Hanang District in Manyara Region last week.
Besides the support currently availed to victims of the mudslide, resettlement is required for their lives to be restored.
Dr Samia revealed this while receiving a 2bn/- dummy cheque issued by the Treasury Registrar, Mr Nehemiah Mchechu in Dodoma as a donation from public entities, which is part of government efforts to mobilise aid to the victims of the mudslide.
She noted that there were so many needs among the victims including houses, furniture, school supplies and clothing among others.
She said when the incident occurred, she was in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) attending the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) and she collected one million US dollars (about 2.5bn/-) as donations from countries that had attended the conference.
“The donations received up to now is around 5bn/-…nothing will prevent us from constructing residence houses valued between 25m/- to 30m/- for each affected family so that we can restore the lives of our fellow Tanzanians,” said President Samia.
The president’s pledge to construct the houses comes hardly two days after the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Mr Jerry Silaa, visited and inspected an alternative site where survivors of the catastrophic mudslide in Katesh Township of Hanang District will be relocated.
The 216.01-acre site is located at Gwadaat Hamlet in Jorodom Ward. A total of 450 plots and 50 farms will be surveyed and provided to the survivors.
Thus, Dr Samia directed the Prime Minister’s Office to fast-track the assessment of the damage, stressing that people’s lives need to be restored so they can return to normality.
To effectively execute the restoration process, President Samia reached out to Tanzanians to continue donating to the government to go and restore the lives of the survivors of the mudslide, who have lost their loved ones and properties that they depended on for sustenance.
She, however, cautioned there must be proper management of all the contributions, directing the Premier to put the figures in monetary terms for more openness among the public.
Dr Samia expressed appreciation to the Office of Treasury Registrar (OTR) and all entities that have contributed to the course, indicating such has demonstrated the true meaning and existence of public entities in a country.
“It’s evident that public entities must always be mindful and touched by what is happening in the communities. Their role is to provide service to the public,” said Dr Samia.
She directed the Treasury Registrar to send her deepest appreciation to the entities on her behalf in writing.
“This is a huge transformation in our institutions and companies…I thank you and congratulate you for this,” noted the president.
President Samia said that most of the entities and institutions were now moving in the right direction as per her directives issued on August 31st this year in Arusha when she met with heads and boards of the entities.
Dr Samia also extended appreciation to all Tanzanians, government institutions and the private sector for the support shown during the entire time since the incident occurred a week ago.
As the slogan for this year’s 62nd Independence Anniversary states “Unity and Solidarity is a Beacon for Development of the Country,” President Samia said Tanzanians have vividly demonstrated this by deeds.
She added: “It’s evident that unity and solidarity are catalysts of development in the country because the country is being hailed by international media for acting boldly in containing the situation without soliciting help from outside.”
Earlier, the Treasury Registrar who is the custodian of public entities and institutions said that other institutions went beyond by providing support in relation to their sectors such as water, infrastructure, medicines and equipment presented straight to the incident area and victims.
