Unplanned settlements, a growing phenomenon in most towns and cities

THE issue of safe, affordable and quality housing has been a pain in the flesh of policy makers, the world over, including Tanzania. The country has seen a boom in housing in the last decade coupled with emergence of impressive houses that are continuing to be built in areas beyond the traditional Central Business Districts (CBDs) of the country’s cities. In spite of this increase, still there are still unplanned settlements with the number of houses built in their different types and style which are not in proper plan. Numerous houses have also sprung up haphazardly in areas that are not surveyed, technically known as squatter areas. The area from Ubungo all the way to Kimara and Mbezi in the city of Dar es Salaam for example is dotted with homes, some classy with gardens and beautiful landscaping that could be associated with plush Oysterbay area or any other low-density suburbs. There are also many houses of questionable quality built without regard to proper drainage, space for roads, water supply and provisions for other public utilities. The same scenario is repeated itself in places like Sakina and Sanawari in Arusha city, Igogo or Mabatini in Mwanza city and other locations in the country. It may well be that city and town planners together with land surveyors did not keep pace with the demand for building plots. Many Tanzanians prefer to be house owners instead of being renters because of the security that housing provides for the individual and family at present and in future.

A typical example of a squatter settlement which can be found on hilly lands

That may explain why many chose to build houses on inherited parcels of land they obtained from peasants that are haphazardly subdivided. Further beyond the boundaries of cities and towns, there are country homes that can elicit envy of some second or first world countries. There are houses hidden in between banana gardens of Kilimanjaro residents that perhaps were built to salute the grandeur of the mountain. As you drive along Arusha-Dar Highway near Mwanga district, finely built houses located in Mruma-Ndorwe about30 kilometers away from Mwanga can be seen. It is becoming common to find houses tucked away in the hills of Lushoto or Kamachumu, which would fit nicely in Msasani peninsula. Government agencies have also played their part. The National Housing Corporation (NHC) has plans to build thousands more houses to complement the ones already owned by the company. The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) too has built a number of units in the Mainland. The fund is planning to extend its housing development schemes to Zanzibar as well. All these urban and rural efforts are geared towards addressing the housing needs for the growing urban population. But will it quench the thirst for affordable housing in a market where the economy has been growing at 5-6 percent for the last decade? Has the boom resulted to easing of the housing shortage or slowing down of the escalation of rental fees? To some extent the boom may already have eased what would have been an acute crisis but not quite.

Squatter settlement in low lands, the city planning officers aught to foresee for the development of their cities in order to ensure proper housing plans.

As real estate companies and individuals put up their houses in the market for rent, there is a need to address the glaring shortcomings evident in squatter settlements while the stakeholders continues to promote and regulate the expansion of the housing sector. Some investment and efforts have gone into improving urban squatter settlements as in the case of Manzese-Magomeni areas in Dar es Salaam, but the efforts are dogged by the existence of old and dilapidated houses that cannot be simply removed. There are many other settlements that with people’s involvements and contribution of concerned authorities can, and should be demolished to pave way for roads, storm drainage and sanitation facilities. There may be reason to declare sub-standard houses unfit for habitation so that the lives of people can be safeguarded. The absence of proper roads in unplanned housing coupled with situations where houses are crammed together means a small fire can gut down several houses causing significant loss of property and lives.

This is Manzase-Magomeni suburb in the city of Dar es Salaam. The area had been developed with improper housing development plan, the city fathers have to be blamed since earlier for failure to take actions to prevent haphazard construction of such houses around.

To change the present chaotic urban centers into beautiful cities of the future will require making painful choices and decisive leadership from individuals, communities and different levels of authority. One such choice will include demolishing of structures built on road reserves in planned neighborhoods. As the situation exists in most parts of the country, the government’s efforts have resulted into the surveying of thousands of town plots and village land. By 1995, it was estimated that Tanzania needed approximately 1.2 million housing units in all urban areas. At the same time it was also estimated that 70 percent of the urban population lived in squatter areas. Despite good intentions and laws that regulate urban construction, squatter settlements continued to grow in cities and towns due to the large numbers of populations shifting from the villages. At times, people have had to settle in places that are flood prone.