HOW roadworthy are the vehicles that ferry children to and from schools on a daily basis?
This was among the concerns raised by
people who assembled at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium in Arusha
yesterday to pay last respects to 32 pupils, two teachers and the driver
who died in a horrific motor vehicle accident at the weekend.
Vice President Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan,
who led thousands of Tanzanians tobid farewell to the deceased reminded
authorities the importance of ensuring that vehicles that ferried
school children met road safety standards.
She issued a stern warning to reckless
drivers, simultaneous with assuring the aggrieved families of the
government’s full support in the wake of the gravely sad incident.
“President John Magufuli and the entire government would like to extend
their consolation and support to parents, teachers, relatives and
residents of Arusha for the great loss, which is also a big blow to the
nation as these children were future leaders, scientists and builders of
the country,” stated Mama Samia.
The Vice President directed school
owners, parents, the police and other authorities across the nation to
ensure that vehicles that carry children were not only roadworthy but
also adhered to safety regulations.
These include the way the pupils were
seated as well as ensuring that their drivers were fully qualified to
control passenger vehicles. “All passenger vehicles must carry the
number of people specified by the manufacturers; owners should not
tamper with their seating arrangements or be tempted to increase
carrying capacity,” the visibly concerned Mama Samia stressed.
Shortly after the accident, the Arusha
Regional Traffic Officer, Mr Nuru Suleiman, stated that, from now on,
school buses will be placed under close scrutiny as it is likely that
owners used the advantage of gullible parents to serve them in old
contraptions.
Kenyan Head of State, President Uhuru
Kenyatta, sent his condolences through the Minister of Education,
Science and Technology, Dr Fred Matiangi, who assured Tanzanians that
all Kenyans were with them during this difficult time.
Earlier on, the Minister for Education,
Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, paid
a visit to the bereaved families living in Arusha as well as the Lucky
Vincent School, to extend her condolences.
She warned Tanzanians against using the
issue of dead pupils to circulate Unpleasant speculations, including
rumours that more pupils had died, and faked reports of parents dying of
shock as these only served to hurt the families most affected by the
tragedy.
Meanwhile, Members of Parliament and the Office of the Speaker yesterday contributed 100m/- for bereaved families.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Job
Ndugai, informed the grief stricken National Assembly that it was
proposed by both camps that the legislators should forfeit their
allowance of the day to contribute towards the families of the deceased.
“I have been advised by both camps,
meaning the opposition and the ruling party, that we should surrender
our one day’s allowance as our condolences to the bereaved families,” he
said. The current parliament has a total of 392 legislators out of the
393 slots, and allowance per day for every legislator is 220,000/-.
The total amount given yesterday
amounted to 100 million/- which includes the contributions of the
Speaker’s Office. Earlier yesterday, Members of Parliament were gripped
by shock as Speaker Ndugai recalled the grisly road accident.
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