Machinga complex not yet open for operation

WHEN the fourth phase government came into being five-year ago, President Jakaya Kikwete made many promises to small working groups and other business enterprises that his government would empower them by giving micro credit facilities to run up their businesses He also made promises to many small scale organizations who toils to gain their livelihood for a token f of USD 1 per day, that his government would improve their life standards. Under his newly introduced slogan that is aimed to achieve development targets by applying new strength, new vigor and with much faster pace for the attainment of the social and economic goals, the President also urged the working groups in the country to work in order to achieve their targets. Among the lowest working class in the community the president had promised to improve their lives, were the petty traders commonly known as Machinga who he promised would be given created for good business environment. Better working environment was a major focus in line by the government to relieve their worries. In a move to implement the government’s plans, the Dar salaam City Council (DCC} had initiated a major development project that would help few business member groups to fulfill their objectives into solving out their woes. To practice its move, the DCC built a business park with a view to accommodate the needs of few or many petty traders in the city of Dar es Salaam. A year has now passed since the construction of the business park known as “Machinga Complex” project with three units each with four storey was completed, but to the great surprise, one can see from far a distance floors of the buildings are empty and never occupied for business. There are so many questions arising as regards the whole arrangement about the allocation so as to accommodate the targeted traders in their appropriate compartments to conduct their businesses in the buildings, but t no avail. Despite of this uncertainty, hopes by most targeted groups of petty traders alias ‘Machingas’ to acquire spaces for trading and conducting their businesses in these newly constructed parks seems to have dashed away from their minds as the authorities of the DCC continues to be silent and reluctant to utter a word as regards its occupation. According to the Mayor of the Dar es Salaam city, Alhaji Dr. Adam Kimbisa, the buildings were purposely intended for the petty traders as earlier planned. However, he assured the people that the buildings were constructed specifically to improve their trading activities and nothing else.

'Machinga Complex’ facing Karume stadium at Ilala Mchikichini. Since the construction of the building was completed a year ago, it has been seen vacant without occupation an aspect that it has brought surprise to the intended business groups.
Machinga Complex was designed by the DCC for specific registered trade organizations of the petty traders who are recognized by a supreme group name known as VIBINDO who operates within the city of Dar es Salaam.. The groups had earlier been promised by the city fathers to have such a State-of-the-art building of their own in a bid to improve their businesses and earn a better life standards like other business people in the country. The move is to accomplish the ruling CCM party’s manifesto and a promised it had issued to small scale business people during the n2005 general election campaigns. But to the great dismay, most traders are surprised to have seen that the delays in opening the complex has taken so many days. Some say the arrangement might have some political agenda behind the whole exercise. This is because they could see no action is being taken in order to clear out their worries. As a result most of them are desperate over what they think might have been perpetrated by corruption an aspect which has driven them into such an extreme bearing in mind that none of them has yet acquired a space to trade within the complex. This is a surprise to us, says Juma Temu a famous hawker at Ilala-Mchikichini Machinga market when interviewed. However he added and compared the issue like a jungle of justice delayed and ultimately would be denied. A famous trader at the same market, Mr. Omary Rashid pointed out that, it was meaningless for the government to spend a lot of money for constructing the machinga complex as a development project and yet still a substantial number of the targeted groups can be seen with their merchandise spread on the ground all along the pavements as though there is no an area for business. Reports shows that about 5,000 machingas are expected to occupy the area to trade but none has yet been allocated ever since the construction of the complex ended a year ago and handed over to DCC officially. It’s really shameful as one can see the buildings which have been conjoined by a flying over that passes over the Kawawa Road at Ilala suburb that are still vacant. However, an economist, Mr. Joseph Silvanus did not hesitate to make a comment on the issue about the delay . He has appealed to the city fathers to hurry up with the allocation as the delay denies the government with the revenues to be charged from the prospective trading groups. The government started the construction of the complex in 2006 and ended up in late 2008. Already Tshs. 2.4 billion has been spent to construct 1,600 kiosks to be occupied by more than 5,000 businesses people.