Up to 800 affordable houses for civil servants under construction

Construction of eight hundred low cost modern houses for civil servants has started across four regions in the country which includes Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Tanga and Mwanza. The projects are funded by the Public Pension Funds (PPF) and managed by the Watumishi Housing Company (WHC) which aims at providing a lasting solution to persisting lack of accommodation for public servants be in active service or retired. Announcement of the project commencement was made yesterday in Dar es Salaam by the WHC Chief Executive Officer, Dr Fred Msemwa who detailed the number of houses, with the regions in brackets, as follows Mwanza (56) to be built in Kisesa township, Tanga (40), Morogoro (40) while Dar es Salaam will have the lion share of housing units to be built in Kigamboni (400), Bunju (190) and Magomeni Usalama (104). “We have sped up the projects...it was supposed to be done some years back given the severity of the problem ....we must afford descent accommodation for our public servants both  in-service and retired,” he said. He said the project is as per a promise made by former President Jakaya Kikwete’s desire to fulfill his dream promise of empowering public servants with their own houses as opposed to rented ones. Dr Msemwa singled out the Magomeni Usalama project where a double tower building of 15 floors each will be set up saying the building when complete will transform Magomeni completely.  “The double towers mini-skyscraper of 15 floors is being built in strict adherence to modern city standards,” he reassured stakeholders.  “All key services such as shops, car parking arcade and other human social requirements have been considered,” he said. On the Kigamboni and Bunju B projects, the WHC Chief said they are both multi-billion projects and will contribute in turning Dar es Salaam into one of the fast growing cities with superb structures the likes of those in Africa, Europe or North America. He said after Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mwanza regions in the near future will follow Dodoma, Ruvuma, Mtwara, Mbeya, Kigoma, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Arusha, Tanga, Lindi and Coast regions. “In Kibaha Township in the Coast Region, WHC is all undertaking a multi-billion project to set up 1,000 housing units in what will be a satellite town,” he added. Prior to launching the 800 housing units’ construction drive, WHC had earlier launched a project to construct 40 housing units at Mkundi few kilometres outside the Morogoro Municipal.  Established in 2013, WHC is primarily a fund manager for the Public Servants Housing Scheme by the way of operating the Real Estate Investment Trusts (WHC- REITs’) which do operate like any other investment in shares. To clear the way for public servants to purchase the affordable  yet durable and descent houses under WHC, the outfit has signed transactions agreements with 5 commercial banks in the names of CRDB, Azania, NMB, Bank of Africa (BoA) and Exim Bank.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN