TANGA : PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has warned that the government will not tolerate council executives who received all the funds for execution of development projects in their respective areas but are yet to complete them.
The Premier sounded the warning on Friday evening while addressing wananchi and leaders who attended a ceremony for laying a foundation stone for Handeni District Council Hospital construction project being built at Mkata – Mbweni area in Tanga Region.
Majaliwa said that when President Samia Suluhu Hassan took over the office in 2021, she dished out a lot of funds for various projects but surprisingly there are some councils which are yet to complete their implementation.
“There is a big flaw that has emerged … people were given all the money for execution of the projects but the buildings are yet to be completed…any one who received funds in 2021 or 2022 and are yet to complete the work should know that they are not safe either in Handeni or elsewhere. We will not tolerate anyone who has not finished the project implementation,” he stressed.
He directed District Commissioners (DCs) to visit the projects and identify those that were given all the funds in 2021 but were yet to be completed.
“How come the construction of a dispensary which started in 2022 is yet to be completed to-date … how many bricks and iron sheets are needed for the construction of such a health facility and how many rooms are needed,” the PM queried.
Stressing on supervision of projects, Majaliwa said: “District Executive Directors are not desk officers, they are field officers, you should manage your people …if you have reported to work recently go to the fields…you should be there day and night to ensure the works are being accomplished.”
He added: “Previously we were pointing an accusing finger to the heads of departments but now we want directors to be responsible.”
The Premier further assured Handeni residents and Tanzanians in general that President Samia Suluhu Hassan is very strong, calling upon government executives to support her so that she can realise her dream and vision.
“I want to assure you that our President is very firm, she is doing her work effectively but we, the executives, are the ones who let her down … we will not allow it. Councils should organise themselves,” Majaliwa emphatically stated.
Meanwhile, Mr Majaliwa commended leaders and executives who supervised the projects, urging them to proceed and speed up their implementation so that people could benefit from them by accessing all important services.
“Council directors should make sure that all materials which are bought are properly kept, including maintaining the constructed buildings. You should also take care of other infrastructure,” he ordered.
He urged Handeni District residents and leaders to take care of the hospital infrastructure. “You should remember that this project has used a lot of money which are tax payers and donors’ funds,” he said.
He urged Handeni District Council to set up strategies for renovating infrastructure to avoid incurring huge maintenance costs in the coming days.
The PM stressed that the funds which were dished out for execution of various projects, be it from the government or donors, should be used for the intended purposes.