Civil servants’ homes for construction in Dodoma

ROSE ATHUMANI in Dodoma

TANZANIA Building Agency (TBA) is in the process of constructing 100 public servants’ houses in Dodoma following the government’s decision to relocate to the capital city.

The Infrastructure Development Committee has also directed the government to pay the 30bn/- it owes TBA so that the agency can implement other projects to compete with other building agencies in the country.

This is in line with President John Magufuli’s directives of moving the government to the designated capital before 2020 when his tenure expires.

Briefing journalists shortly after presenting their report to the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure, TBA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Arch. Elius Mwakalinga, said initially the 100 houses were to be built in Dar es Salaam and other regions.

However, following the government’s announcement to relocate to Dodoma, TBA management and board of directors were forced to rethink their earlier plans and decided that the housing units should now be built in Dodoma to avail homes to public servants.

Arch. Mwakalinga noted that TBA has land in areas including Itega and Zunguni, but would discuss with the CDA for the possibility of getting land near Ihumwa which has been set aside for government offices.

“The aim is to build the houses near the government area so that public servants will, if possible,walk to their offices,” the TBA CEO noted.

Meantime, the Infrastructure Development Committee has directed TBA to start operating as a profit based agency instead of depending on government’s subsidy while urging the government to pay a debt of 30bn/- owed to the building agency.

Issuing the directive, deputy committee chairperson, Mr Selemani Moshi Kakoso (Mpanda Rural-CCM), said TBA should review its renting contracts and ensure those who are not supposed to be in the TBA housing units are asked to leave.

At the moment, those renting the houses, including former Members of Parliament (MPs), have not left while some have gone further to rent the houses to current MPs. “Those houses are for government workers including MPs and Judges.

It defeats the purpose of having those houses if retired staff are still living in them, while those appointed to take their positions are living in hotels with the government covering the costs,” deputy chairperson noted.

The committee members had earlier directed TBA to build housing units that had initially been planned for Dar es Salaam in Dodoma because the government is relocating to the capital city.

“Now that the governments is moving to Dodoma, it is better you build those houses in Dodoma instead. If you don’t have land to build the houses then talk to CDA, he said.”