Africa-Press – Tanzania. FORMER President Jakaya Kikwete has lauded President Samia Suluhu Hassan for successfully keeping the country calm, steering it on and restoring hopes in Tanzanians after the death of her predecessor Dr John Magufuli.
Mr Kikwete showered the praise on incumbent President, Ms Samia after she had handed over a newly-built house to the fourthphase president as his retirement benefit.
A statement issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communications, signed by Chief Government Spokesperson, Gerson Msigwa said Kikwete appreciated the way the new leader picked the baton from the fallen Dr Magufuli and steadied the country.
JK said the nation has remained calm and citizens were optimistic about President Samia’s leadership.
Samia has assuredly steered the country since assuming presidency following the untimely death of Dr Magufuli, which occurred on March 17, this year. Her boldness and sweeping ambitions have won her plaudits, both in and outside the country.
Addressing the parliament for the first time since she was sworn in as the Head of State on April 22, this year, President Samia gave a reflection of the sixth phase government’s priority areas for the next five years.
President Samia told the Parliament that her government will maintain the good deeds of the previous regime and accomplish all initiated development projects while bringing in new ones.
She pledged to maintain especially the projects which the previous government, under the late President John Magufuli, advocate for, including continuing with all mega projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway and Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP).
President Samia, also, insisted that the government will take specific measures to ensure the growth of investment, including harmonization of the policies and laws aimed at attracting more investors.
Some of the changes as the President suggested will be on harmonization of tax policies especially tax administration policies. President Samia insisted on creating a tax collection system that will attract investors rather than the one focused on forceful measures which often leads to investors closing their offices.
Modernization and industrialization of agriculture is another priority area in the next five years, said the President, noting the emphasis will be put on the construction of industries, especially ones which use agriculturaraw materials available in the country.
Presenting the modern house to Mr Kikwete, built by the government through the Tanzania Buildings Agency (TBA) as part of the implementation of the law on pension for political leaders, Ms Samia assured that the government will continue taking good care of retired leaders.
The law directs that, among other benefits, the retired president deserves to get a newly-built presidential house. President also noted that the government considers reviewing the law to ensure that widows or widowers are also taken care of.
The construction of the modern house for Kikwete in Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam Region, started in 2018. It is the third house to be presented to retired presidents.
The government had already presented houses to the former president, Mzee Ali Hassan Mwinyi and the late former president Benjamin Mkapa.
The late Dr Magufuli, when handing over a house to the second-phase President Mwinyi, was emphatic that retired presidents should have their houses built within time.
After he presented the house to Mzee Mwinyi in October last year, Dr Magufuli took time to inspect construction of the house for Kikwete, at which he was furious over delayed completion of the house.
Dr Magufuli ordered the contractors to speed up the implementation of the project and gave them until January 31, 2021, to complete the construction.
He even told them that he would have been passing near the site once in a while to check whether the construction was going well In that note, he directed the contractors to beef up manpower so that the work could not delay.
