Eleven legislators irked by water development projects in their constituencies

In unprecedented move, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Tulia Ackson last week had a hard time to listen to queries related with water development projects from eleven constituencies represented by its legislators in parliament during question and answer session. The deputy speaker allowed as many supplementary questions which were raised and directed to the ministry of Water and Irrigation and helped forward their grievances to the minister in charge of the ministry and demanded clarification or explanations to satisfy their demands. The legislators who included those from the ruling party CCM and the opposition camp, without shadow of fear demanded for an urgent answers with some claimed of the unfulfilled promises made by the president when he toured their constituencies. But the deputy speaker showed her expertise to conduct the motion in free and fair practice regardless of their political affiliations. On his part, the Minister for Water and Irrigation Isack Kamwelwe cooled down the irate lawmakers by making promises and in some instances clarifications that quenched their demands when the minister told them that “their water development projects would be fulfilled during the 2018/19 financial year”. 

However, he confidently noted with surety the completion of these projects after the government had signed the recent pact with the government of India whereby the latter would provide Tanzania with USD 500 million to run water projects in the country. With this commitment, the minister also affirmed the disbursement of the fund to accomplish some of the running projects such as the Tshs. 5 bn/- which the government has already set aside for water projects in Ilula village in Kilolo district in Iringa region. He also noted that, the government has already acquired USD. 4.3 m/- from the African Development Bank (ADB) to accomplish water projects going on in various places in the country. However, Minister Kamwelwe thanked the government through an effective mobilization campaign organized by the ruling CCM party’s manifesto which has managed all these development initiatives.