Major expansion program for the Kariakoo market still in a dilemma

PLANS by Dar es Salaam based Kariakoo Market Corporation (KCM) of constructing a 30 storey modern shopping centre seems to be faltering despite of the readiness of all the documentation of a master plan of the building. The new structure to be located adjacent to the current main market built in early 1970s, is an extension to the current small market complex which is to be demolished to pave way for the modern multi-storey structure. The project was scheduled to be completed within 18 months since it was first commissioned to a Chinese strategic investor in 2010. Due to this delay, investigations has discovered that, there is a likelihood of the investor who was initially awarded the tender of erecting the modern facility to pull out of the contract if the government would not give a go ahead of the project sooner or later. The KMC General Manager, Florence .M. Seiya, told the Guardian on Sunday in an exclusive interview early this week in Dar es Salaam that, the investor in this project is still waiting for the permission to be granted by the higher authorities. However, he couldn’t disclose who the authorities are, and the name of investor’s company or the costs of the building when required, but maintained that his management has been told to hold on the project until further notice. He is however astonished by the higher authority’s call and their negative attitude about the project and yet everything is on the table including business and site plans as well as architectural drawings which are waiting for the permission from the authorities concerned to start on straight. “We are only waiting for the higher authorities to give us a green light in order to kick off the project whose feasibility study and other details are already handed over to the strategic investor to start working, but to my great dismay I am surprised to see that the authorities have halted the project telling the investor to wait for unknown reasons”, he said.

According to him, the construction of this project seems to have been hijacked by political motives and driven by few who seek for the opportunity to benefit from it, and this is a mindset that retards its development. He has however blamed some few politicians among whom are decision makers who have turned the project as a political agenda and that is why have failed to make a quick decision. In this way, he said an investor might decide to withdraw his contract for lack of inconsistency. The current management of the market came with an idea of extending the market by introducing such a project in order to decongest the area which is impractically impassable due to many traders who flocks everyday to do businesses. Mr Seiya said the new building would have parking facilities capable of accommodating up to 1,000 vehicles at a time. Over the years the Kariakoo market has been overwhelmed by the growing population of petty traders who use the small market adjacent to the main one with some of them trading their goods literally spreading them on the street pavements. The building functions like a vacuum inside the crowded commercialized zone. Official statistics from the market management shows that a four-decade-old market is currently recording over 55,000 wholesale and retail customers daily and 1,558 businesses. The market offers a wide range of items including cereals, household supplies, fruit and vegetables. The whole market has an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, the area proposed for construction covers square meters of 8699.74 which have enjoined two streets of Swahili and Sikukuu. The rest on which the main market stand would be renovated in future, he said. Meanwhile, KMC is also seeking investors to come and develop their proposed market projects in a joint venture agreement. The projects to be built on the outskirts of the city in areas such as at Tabata, Mbezi, Tuangoma and Pugu Kajiungeni. The move according to Seya aims at decongesting the current Kariakoo Market in the city centre. He added that, funny enough, the government has been giving promises without being implementing its objectives. Kariakoo market was designed in 1974 by a locally registered architecture B.J. Amuli. At that time, it was the biggest in East and Central Africa, and is one of the outstanding landmarks of Dar es Salaam city. It grew to become a busy trading hub, with daily business transactions amounting to hundred millions of shillings. The market is owned by the Treasury which has 49 per cent stake in the market, while the rest is owned by the Dar es Salaam City Council (DCC). Its whole management programs are under the Ministry of Local government Authority The building offers three layers of market area and forms the centre of the larger Kariakoo business district area spread out in the neighborhood. It attracts thousands of people every day. The name "Kariakoo" is said to be a corruption of "Carrier Corps," a British army unit in World War (WWI) which provided transport and other support services.