President Jakaya Kikwete has called on all government officials in the country to be creative in executing their duties in order to solve problems facing the public.
Tanzania’s President, Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete
He made the call on Monday at Itigi in Manyoni district when inaugurating construction work for Manyoni-Chaya road via Itigi which is being upgraded to tarmac level. The president was forced to issue the directive after he was dissatisfied by explanations by the Manyoni District Water Engineer, Mr Deusdedit Magoma, on the persistent water shortages in the town.
He summoned the engineer to the podium and had a few exchanges with him for at least ten minutes where he wanted him to explain to the gathered crowd why there is a serious shortage of water in Itigi and whether there are any plans to remedy the situation.
“Please tell us if you have any immediate plans to solve water problems in the area,” he asked the engineer. Mr Magoma responded in the affirmative, saying that they already have a programme to solve water blues at Itigi which is expected to cost 1.8bn/- upon completion.
“We have prepared drawings and design works at an estimated cost of 500m/-,” he said. To which the president was not amused, noting that 500m/- for drawings and design works is too much and demanded to know what has happened to existing wells. The engineer explained that the pumps for the wells have been damaged and not in use at the moment and that people have invaded areas which were envisaged as water sources and where water pipes would have been laid.
Mr Kikwete directed the engineer to fully utilize all water sources before embarking on research, adding that research can always wait when there are pressing and immediate needs. “As government officials, you have been given responsibility to be creative and innovative, instead of doing research which definitely takes time, you simply have to find alternative ways to solve peoples’ problems immediately,” the president said.
“Renovate the existing water wells, purchase all necessary spare parts and if people have constructed houses at water source areas then demolish them and compensate the owners, if you do that you are my friend, short of that you are not my friend,” he told the engineer.
He called on the Regional Commissioner, Dr Parseko Kone, to supervise the exercise closely so that Itigi residents got water at the earliest possible time. The President concluded his two day working visit in the region here on Monday and left for Dodoma.
By ABBY NKUNGU, Tanzania Daily News
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