Africa-Press – Tanzania. PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday led mourners in bidding a grand farewell to former Chief Executive Officer of Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads), the late Eng Patrick Mfugale, describing him as a patriotic civil servant who served the country diligently.
President Samia and other mourners gave moving tributes as they reflected the life of Eng Mfugale both at personal and national level.
Mfugale, who died on Tuesday June 29, 2021 while undergoing treatment at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) in Dodoma, will be laid to rest on Monday in his home village, Tanangozi, Iringa region.
Speaking at the Karimjee grounds, President Samia said the country has lost a competent engineer who played a crucial role in building a number of infrastructure projects across the country.
The Head of State used the occasion to ask Tanzanians and government leaders to follow the footsteps of the late Mfugale by ensuring that they leave remarkable footprints for the greater interest of the nation.
“It’s a great loss for his family, Tanroads, Ministry of Works and Transport, the government and country at large. The late Eng Mfugale was a hard working person, well experienced and a true patriot who dedicated much of his lifetime constructing road infrastructure projects,” she said.
Adding; “He worked tirelessly, he has already completed designing and drawing of the construction of 110 kilometers ring-road project and the Msalato Airport project in the Dodoma capital city”.
Apart from supervising construction of roads and bridges, the late Mfugale was also in the team of experts for construction of other flagship projects, such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Julius Nyerere Hydro Power Project (JNHPP).
Earlier, the Minister for Works and Transport, Dr Leonard Chamuriho said Eng Mfugale fell ill suddenly on Tuesday in Dodoma when he was attending a meeting at the ministry’s headquarters.
“He was attending a meeting that was being chaired by the Permanent Secretary for Works, Eng Joseph Malongo. However, around 10.00am, the late Mfugale told the chairman of the meeting that he was not feeling well. He was then asked to take a rest in the PS’s office that was next to the conference hall,” said the minister.
Dr Chamuriho went on to explain that a few minutes later, the PS left the conference hall to check on how Eg Mfugale was doing, upon arrival at his office, he saw Eng Mfugale looking so sick and asked for cooler temperature from the air conditioner. The PS then immediately made coordination for transport to rush him to the BMH for treatment.
“The doctors at the hospital received Eng Mfugale for immediate attention, but however they learnt that Eng Mfugale was already dead,” explained Dr Chamuriho, saying the ministry has lost an iconic civil servant who held a number of positions in the infrastructure sector under Works and Transport docket.
For his part, the Acting CEO of Tanroads, Eng Crispianus Ako said the agency has lost a visionary and great leader who dedicated all his skills and knowledge to transform the infrastructure sector.
“Under his administration, Tanroads was able to execute several other projects apart from roads and bridges, as a result we are not participating in the construction of airports, hydroelectric dams, and SGR,” he said.
Going forward, Eng Ako pledged that Tanroads will work hard to honor the legacy left behind by the late Mfugale, who served at the helm of the agency for the past 11 years.
The late Mfugale will be remembered for his remarkable contributions on overseeing the construction of some of Tanzania’s most iconic bridges. Some of the projects he supervised were the construction of various bridges, including Kikwete Bridge on Malagarasi River in Kigoma, Rusumo Bridge on Kagera River in Kagera and Mkapa Bridge on Rufiji River in the Coast Region.
Others are Nyerere Bridge in Kigamboni, Mfugale Bridge that was named after him by the late president John Magufuli, and Kijazi interchange at Ubungo, all in Dar es Salaam. Mfugale was appointed to the post in May 2011 by former President Jakaya Kikwete.
Prior to that he was the Acting CEO of Tanroads. He also held various government positions in the works ministry as Director of the Regional Roads Department.
