By Zephania Ubwani, The Citizen Bureau Chief
Arusha:
Kaloleni never used to be an attractive place in Arusha in the past
either as a residential area or a site on which to set up business
ventures.
Until the 1970s, much of what now
makes the contested area was a farmland owned by peasants who were later
pushed into the hinterland as the town expanded.
There were some scattered houses though.
But
one businessman who was born and grew up there would recall how the
area was notorious for crime, being a centre of local brews and illicit
spirits. The notoriety earned it the name of Qibla.
But
the suburb was famous for having a residential estate for junior
government employees from the colonial days. This may have continued to
be the case to date if the occupants of the houses to be demolished are
still public servants.
Though covered with
tiles, most of them are tiny living units and some old to the point of
crumbling. Few others have one storey.
For decades, the structures have remained more or less the same despite some repairs often done by the tenants themselves.
It
was when Arusha’s growth picked momentum, especially with it becoming
the headquarters of the former East African Community (EAC) from 1967
to 1977, that the fortunes for Kaloleni started to change.
The
entire area was surveyed and plots allocated to developers. But much of
it remained a residential suburb, save for one of the oldest primary
schools in town (Kaloleni) and a health centre.
The
suburb gained more prominence as a residential quarters for the public
servants when the EAC constructed grade C houses in the 1970s; again, as
was the case for the colonial government, for the junior officers.
By
the late 1970s, individual houses sprouted like mushrooms. A decade
later, the area had been well built and, as expected, many houses were
turned into guest houses, bars, restaurants and retail shops.
Enter
the 1990s when high rise buildings started to appear on the skyline of
what was then considered a backyard suburb of Arusha.
It
was from around the year 2000 that major investments began to flow into
the area which had been virtually turned into a zone for bars, guest
houses and eating joints.
Kaloleni's proximity
to the Arusha city centre, shopping area, the main stadium and the
central bus station plus relative peace (less
crime) made it a haven of investor both public and private.
The
first major investor was the Parastatal Pension Fund (PPF) which
constructed an office block and residential complex along the
Moshi-Namanga road.
This was soon to be
followed by a string of high rise hotels while old guest houses were
upgraded with added facilities to attract more customers. At the same
time, residential houses were turned into shops and lodges.
Hotels
which came up included Hotel AM, Stereo, Palm Springs, Williams,
Bristol and a host of others under construction or lodges being
refurbished.
The most conspicuous major
building investments under construction now are the 15-storey Parrot
Hotel and a similar size NSSF Plaza, all along the Col. Middleton Road.
The
Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC), the leading landlord in
town with over 650 residential units rented out, has not been left
behind in the craze for investments in Kaloleni area, also known as
Soweto.
The parastatal is planning to pull down
18 blocks comprising of 72 living units and put up modern shopping
outlets, a few metres from the towering NSSF Plaza near the Florida
round about.
The facility, according to Mr.
Elishilia Kaaya, the AICC managing director, will cost some $ 12 million
(Sh.18billion). This is a joint venture between the centre and the
Local Authority Pension Fund (LAPF).
Demolition
of the AICC living quarters, which originally belonged to the former
EAC staff members, will start anytime this year to pave way for the
construction of the shopping mall, the second in Kaloleni after the one
linked to investors from Dubai.
With a string
of investments flowing into the area, the once prestigious living
quarters for the African government servants now under contention appear
to have been forgotten, giving in to the crave for the land they stood
on.
This is partly evidenced by the tussle over
the likely demolition of the houses in question, many of them now old
and posing danger to its occupants during heavy rains or earth tremors.
Mr.
Estomihi Chang'a, the acting Arusha municipal director, says he was not
sure of the occupants of the houses owned by the council. It would not
matter whether the tenants were public servants or not.
But
the city administrator says the houses would have to be pulled down if
the council was to make economic use of the prime land right in the
heart of the fast growing city.
Some
discussions have been underway between Phils International, a
consultancy firm based in Dubai, with the municipal council to pull down
the old structures and put up a shopping centre and modern residential
flats.
According to him, some of the
shareholders or owners of the company yearning to invest in the area are
Tanzanians. However, he could not name them or give their addresses.
Other
structures to be put up include walk-ways to the adjacent Naura
Springs, one of the rivers that cuts through Arusha city from the slopes
of Mt. Meru and recreation centres that are familiar with shopping
malls.
But the local authority official
admitted there was a stiff opposition to the proposed shopping centre
which has generated much debate in the town in recent weeks.
He
and other officials have been at pains to explain to people that the
project was not bent on discriminating the tenants of the buildings
earmarked for demolition.
"Nowhere has it been
written or said that the tenants would be thrown out without alternative
places to live in. Nobody has said that,” he said.
He
told The Citizen on Sunday that some three to four multi-storeyed flats
to be constructed would be reserved for the tenants to be evicted, but
they will have to pay for them.
"These houses
belong to the municipal council. We also have a title deed for the land
which we now plan to make full use of. These are not individual houses
whose owners have to be compensated when there is a government project,"
he elaborated.
However, Mr. Chang'a, said
they may be forced to bow to some of the demands of tenants who will be
forced out because many of them are seeing the project as aimed to
discriminate against them.
These may include
looking for an alternative land or residences for them or ensuring they
got some preferences in occupying the new flats at affordable rent and
the like.
He admitted that the project has not
sailed well with some local politicians, especially the outspoken Arusha
Urban MP (Chadema), Godbless Lema.
According
to the municipal official, the legislator has vowed he would not allow
the project to go on as long as no alternative accommodation was secured
for the 196 families whose members are more than 5,000.Sunday, 29 January 2012 09:05
|
Send to a friend |
|
|
No comments :
Post a Comment