10,000 houses for TPDF soldiers

ashery mkama

Defence and Security Minister, Dr Hussein Mwinyi.

THE government has embarked on an ambitious project to construct 10,000 housing units for Members of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) to reduce the housing problem for the combatants.

Defence and Security Minister Hussein Mwinyi, responding to a question by Mwantakaje Juma (Bububu-CCM) before the National Assembly here, said the government was determined to improve working tools, infrastructure and settlements for TPDF soldiers.

In her question, the legislator explained that the country depended on TPDF for security and sought to know when the government would provide suitable and conducive settlements to officers and soldiers of the force.

The minister said that in the first phase project whose execution has started, 6,064 houses have been built in different camps in the country. According to Dr Mwinyi, for the second phase, the government intends to construct 3,034 houses for soldiers and officers of different positions.

He said that the government would continue to budget for renovations of available houses to improve settlements for TPDF members.

In a supplementary question by the law- maker over actual places where the said houses have been built, the minister explained that the over 6,000 houses have been built all over the country.

He said that for Zanzibar, the first phase covers houses that were built in Pemba, while the second phase would cover the construction works in Unguja.