PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has instructed Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) to ensure that it awards road construction tenders to contractors with the necessary expertise and capacity to build roads that meet acceptable standards and are durable.

Majaliwa made the instructions yesterday in the National Assembly while responding to a question from Kinondoni MP Tarimba Abbas who asked whether the government does not see the need to reinstate the previous system whereby local government authorities or TARURA handled road repairs instead of relying on private contractors.

He said: “As government we’ll continue to monitor the performance of contractors involved in road construction across the country as some roads have been deteriorating shortly after their completion.”

Majaliwa instructed TARURA to ensure that contractors selected for road construction have the necessary ability to meet the required standards.

He also advised TARURA to make use of the short-term maintenance funds provided by the government to repair roads when they deteriorate, ensuring that roads do not remain full of potholes for long periods, which could negatively impact the public.

“We’ll continue to monitor TARURA's performance, particularly when it comes to private contractors. We want to ensure that when they are given work, they have the capacity to build durable roads according to the required standards, so they can last for a long time,” he said.

The premier further explained that previously, road construction and repairs were handled by local governments, but the government realized that some local governments lacked the financial resources to effectively carry out such tasks.

He also noted that the government responded to requests from MPs, who frequently asked for certain roads in their areas to be transferred to the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), as they believed it was performing better.

Following an evaluation of road repairs in both rural and urban areas, the government decided to establish TARURA to take charge of constructing both urban and rural roads.

He concluded that despite ongoing challenges, the government continues to assess TARURA’s performance in road construction, acknowledging that they have been doing a commendable job.