AfricaPress-Tanzania: GOVERNMENT will start to address long-standing land conflicts in Dar es Salaam beginning next week, Parliament was told on Tuesday.
Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development William Lukuvi said he will personally visit all areas with land disputes in the country’s commercial capital, starting with Kinondoni District’s Kawe Constituency.
Mr Lukuvi was responding to a supplementary question raised by Kawe MP Josephat Gwajima who called for government intervention on land disputes in his constituency.
The MP mentioned Chasimba, Chatembo and Basihaya as among areas that have been dominated by land disputes for a long time.
“I have planned to visit all areas entangled in land disputes in Dar es Salaam soon after the end of this Parliamentary session. The work will kick off next week,” said the minister, commending Mr Gwajima for dedicating most of his time on looking for a solution on challenges facing residents of Kawe Constituency.
In another development, nominated MP Humphrey Polepole said that President John Magufuli has no intention of extending his last five-year term beyond what is stipulated in the country’s constitution.
Mr Polepole, also the Chama Cha Mapinduzi Secretary for Ideology and Publicity, was responding to Konde MP (ACT-Wazalendo) Khatibu Said Haji, who was challenging CCM MPs, who on different occasions in the debating chamber suggested for the necessity of the president extending his term limit.
Mr Polepole said Dr Magufuli has repeatedly made it clear that he would not extend his presidential term beyond stipulated 10-year period.
“MPs have freedom of expression to speak whatever is in their minds; but the fact is that Dr Magufuli has made it clear that he isn’t intending to exceed the stipulated term limit,” he said.
“CCM issues are discussed in CCM platforms. The decisions of our party can’t be affected in any way by whatever is discussed here. MPs have the freedom of speaking out their minds,” he said.
This has come in the wake of some CCM MPs, Joseph Musukuma (Geita Rural) and Deo Sanga (Makambako) who on different occasions suggested for the necessity of constitutional amendment to provide room for extending the presidential term limit because of Dr Magufuli’s outstanding performance as the Head of State.
