New Act to recognize Dodoma as a new capital city is in pipeline

In a move to implement the government’s decision of transferring the national capital city from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, the Prime Minister’s office has already convened two meetings in order to get opinions from stakeholders with a view to enact a new law which would recognize Dodoma as a new national capital city. The Minister of State in Prime Minister’s office William Lukuvi yesterday made the clarification in Parliament and said that, the first meeting was held on 19^th of October 2012 which drew participants from different ministries in the country. The second meeting he said was held in early February 2013 at St. Gaspar in Dodoma town whereby honorable members of parliament for Dodoma region including the district commissioner for Dodoma urban were among the participants who took part in the meeting. Lukuvi further elaborated that during the second meeting, other participants were drawn from the government institutions, political parties, religious institutions, non governmental organizations, representatives of business people including elders drawn from different parts of the Dodoma region.  He said due to opinions collected from the stakeholders out of these two meetings, the government has already prepared and put in place a bill of the report of the cabinet ministers for the sake of further decision for the enactment of a new law that would recognize Dodoma as a new capital city. Lukuvi was responding a question which was earlier asked by Dodoma urban legislator Dr. David Mallole (CCM)  who wanted to know the outcome of the government’s process of collecting views from people concerning with the restructuring of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) which was formed to develop Dodoma town into becoming a capital city, a move which was initiated during 2008/09 national budget meeting.

 

The minister of State in Prime Minister's office responsible for Parliamentary affairs, William Lukuvi

 

However, minister Lukuvi clarified that, reports of the meeting, shows that Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda had promised that the government would collect views from different stakeholders and not directly from the people over the decision to transfer the capital city from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma with a view to prepare the proposals of enacting a new Act to officially recognize Dodoma town to become a new national capital city. In elaborating more about the development of the CDA and the idea of transferring the capital city from Dar es Salaam to Diodoma, Lukuvi noted that, the government has reiterated its commitment to continue its plans of collecting views which would decide either the proposed Dodoma town should become a national capital city in future or not.  “We shall continue collecting views to would be stakeholders in order to reach a firm decision” he said adding that, the government has hired technical experts from South Korea in order to work on the newly restructured master plan of the Dodoma town. Responding a query by a Special Seat legislator for Singida Dayana Chilolo (CCM) who has become  so worried about over the high prices of a piece of land (plots) being sold to the people in Dodoma, and wanted to know what action has the government taken so far to reduce prices.  Minister Lukuvi noted that, these are available in three different categories as Dodoma is rapidly expanding in terms of population the price rates on the plots in the town has varied in respect of their sizes depending on their locations.  He clarified that, plots can now be available at a low price, middle and high levels and these are surveyed and given a title deed irrespective of their price quotations, which for the highest normally is issued on loan basis. It is now over 40 years ever since the government declared the decision of making Dodoma to become a capital city, but it’s unfortunate that, the government’s ambition has never been fulfilled. Critics on the issue have once quoted as saying that, the slow pace of the government’s decision is likely to dash off plans in future.