Author: DEOGRATIUS KAMAGI
AfricaPress-Tanzania: CHAMA cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has vowed that it would continue to protect and add value to natural resources including minerals, if it would be reelected to form the government in the coming general election slated for 28th next month.
The pledge was made by the party’s member of the Central Committee (CC) Kassim Majaliwa, who is also the Prime Minister over the weekend, while addressing Nyamongo residents in Tarime district, Mara region, in a campaign rally to ask for votes for the party’s candidates.
He said, the dedication of protecting natural resources remains unchanged and that the government through the party would put deserving weight on the sector for the benefit of the nation.
At the event, Mr Majaliwa was campaigning for the party’s presidential candidate, Dr John Magufuli, Tarime Urban Member of Parliament candidate, Mr Michael Kembaki, Tarime Rural aspirant, Mr Mwita Waitara as well as those vying for councillor seats.
Speaking on the achievements the CCM raised government has so far achieved, Mr Majaliwa said on implementing their 2015-2020 election manifesto, they managed to establish 28 Mineral Trading Centers including the one in Nyamongo that indeed has lifted lives of small scale miners .
“The government established 28 mineral trading centers, 28 small mining trading posts as well as constructing seven training centers for training small scale miners in Bariadi (Simiyu), Musoma (Mara), Bukoba (Kagera), Mpanda (Katavi), Chunya (Mbeya), Handeni (Tanga) and Songea in Ruvuma region,” he said.
Expounding, the Premier noted that the government in the past five years also removed some nuisance tax that was imposed on small scale miners for the sake of enabling them to enjoy the fruits of their sweat.
“Among others, we removed withholding tax and the five per cent of the Value Added Tax (VAT),” he noted, adding the government has also started to pay compensation to all Nyamongo residents, who vacated their houses to pave way to construction of the dam for sewage water.
He said, the payment started in May this year where a total of 232.9bn/- has so far been paid to 1,620 residents, and still only 13 remaining to be paid 833m/-.
“The 13 remaining residents are yet to be paid because they weren’t satisfied with the amount they were entitled to receive after the evaluation, so their houses would be assessed again,” said Mr Majaliwa.
Regarding the water sector, the senior party official said a total of 1.1bn/- had been released for the renovation of water infrastructures, where 50.3m/- was spent on the Garasama water project that has been completed.
Another 2bn/- was spent on renovating water scheme in Nyamwaga, some 11.2m/- to finance renovation of Korotame water scheme and 35m/- for Nyarwana, all projects have been completed and are now in operation.
Other projects were implemented in Keisangora, Nyamwaga, Gibaso and borega A. All projects consumed 637m/-, with some 137.6m/- being spent on renovating 46 water pump and drilling of five water wells in Kwisarara, Borega A, Nyantira, Kitawasi and Gibaso.
However, he added that 62 out of 88 villages in Tarime district have already been electrified, and that the remaining 26 villages have been lined up for electrification.
List of the villages in Tarime that would be connected with electricity in the coming round are Korotambe, Nyakangara, Keroti, Kiongera, Kikomori, Nyabirongo, Nyabichune, Pemba, Kyoruba, Nyabitocho, Kitenga, Kitawasi, Masurura, Kenyamosabi, Msege, Gibaso, Karakatonga, Nyabirongo, Kegonga, Nyandage, Nyamombara, Nyankoni, Soroneta, Magoma, Nyasaricho and Kebweye.
