Africa-Press – Tanzania. FORMER Government leaders and retired Members of Parliament residing in state-owned houses have been asked to vacate so that the houses can be used by public leaders who are still in service.
Deputy Minister for Works and Transport, Mwita Waitara issued a directive in parliament on Monday when responding to a supplementary question from Special Seats lawmaker, Mariam Ditopile (CCM).
Ms Ditopile asked the government to explain when former leaders living in government’s houses will be issued with notices to vacate the houses so that incumbent leaders could occupy them.
In his answers, Mr Waitara said in the next two weeks his docket will issue notices to the said tenants living in those houses so that they vacate the houses.
Earlier during her main question, Ms Ditopile had wanted to know when the government would construct houses for senior public officials including Permanent Secretaries and ministers in the country’s capital, Dodoma.
In his response, the deputy minister said since the government relocated its capital from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, there were initiatives being undertaken to ensure that senior leaders were accommodated in decent houses.
Elaborating, Mr Waitara said that during the 2020/2021 financial year, the ministry of Works and Transport had allocated about 6bn/- for the construction of 20 new houses from senior public officials as well as 4bn/- for rehabilitation of 40 houses for senior officials.
“Currently, through the Tanzania Building Agency (TBA), the ministry has completed some stages of the project including drawings and that the construction is still ongoing,’’ he added.
The government during the 2021/2022 financial year, he said, has allocated enough funds for the construction of 20 news houses for government leaders in Dodoma and repairing 40 others.
