Minister warns against infighting among officials

KILIMANJARO: HEALTH Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa has warned government officials in Kilimanjaro Region against infighting and poor supervision of development projects, saying the practices undermine service delivery and delay development.

Mr Mchengerwa issued the warning yesterday at a meeting with government and political leaders in Kilimanjaro on the third day of his tour of the region, during which he inspected various development projects.

“It will be difficult to implement development projects successfully if government officials choose to fight instead of working together,” Mr Mchengerwa said.

He cautioned leaders against allowing personal differences to interfere with their duties, saying public office is a responsibility entrusted to them by the appointing authority and should be exercised with commitment, integrity and accountability.

Mr Mchengerwa also urged leaders to stay close to wananchi by listening to their concerns instead of waiting for senior officials to visit before taking action.

“Go from house to house and listen to citizens’ concerns. Do not lock yourselves in offices, go out and engage with people in their communities,” he said.

He reminded leaders that many of the challenges facing citizens can be resolved at local level and urged them to act within the powers vested in them instead of waiting for intervention from regional or national leaders.

“If there are challenges you can solve, solve them. Do not wait for the Regional Commissioner, minister or national leaders. Those within your authority should be addressed,” he said.

Mr Mchengerwa said negligence by some leaders and public officials remains one of the biggest obstacles to development and effective service delivery.

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“Our biggest enemy to development is ourselves. If everyone performs their responsibilities on time, many of the challenges facing citizens will be resolved,” he said.

He also reminded leaders that public office is temporary and should be used to serve people rather than for personal comfort.

“Power is like a coat; today you have it, tomorrow you may not have it. Do not see positions as places to rest. We must work hard because that is our capital,” he said.

During the tour, Mr Mchengerwa inspected the construction of the modern Moshi Bus Terminal, a project worth more than 18bn/-.

The facility will accommodate more than 200 vehicles and over 600 passengers at a time.

He called for proper maintenance of the terminal after completion and urged authorities to develop a sustainable revenue plan to recover the investment.

Mr Mchengerwa also directed regional leaders to closely supervise management of the facility to ensure allocation of business spaces and service delivery are conducted fairly and transparently, without favouritism.