A recent tour by top members of the ruling party secretariat led by Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, the secretary general, has highlighted the urgent need for solutions to infrastructure and social service challenges faced by residents in Simiyu and Shinyanga regions.

Key issues were raised prominently during rallies across various areas, where the party chief executive directed ministers and government officials, notably regional and district commissioners, to address urgent community concerns.

The party chief was accompanied by departmental secretaries including Amos Makalla (Ideology, Publicity and Training) and Rabia Hamid Abdalla (Politics and International Affairs), where he emphasized the need for effective solutions for public concerns.

The party secretariat says the regional tour is part of a wide ranging outreach exercise for inspections related to putting into effect the 2020-2025 election manifest, with Dar es Salaam, Coast, Mara, Tabora, Iringa, Morogoro and Dodoma lined up for such visits

The tour began on October 6 in Simiyu, at Lamadi, where discussions covered various sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, water, agriculture, electricity, natural resources and tourism.

The visiting party chieftain often stood up local leaders to clarify issues and at some points contacted ministers directly, issuing instructions to resolve the issues raised.

A long list of ministers were given urgent tasks to settle, including Dr Doto Biteko, the deputy prime minister and Energy minister, Mohamed Mchengerwa, the Regional Administration and Local Governments  state minister in the President’s Office (PO-RALG), as well as ministers Dr Pindi Chana (Natural Resources and Tourism), Innocent Bashungwa (Works), Hussein Bashe (Agriculture), Jumaa Aweso (Water), Prof. Adolf Mkenda (Education, Science and Technology), Jenista Mhagama (Health) and Hamad Masauni (Home Affairs).

The queries related to locally based needs where substantial installations were promised and planned for but implementation is slow or not visible, for instance the building of a market and bus terminal in Lamadi.

There are also works to improve local schools infrastructure and roads, under the Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA).

Repeated invasion of elephants into farms and residential areas, destroying crops and risking lives was raised by a number of MPs from the two regions, where the minister was asked to take immediate action to ensure the safety of residents and their property.

MPs Luhaga Mpina (Kisesa), Kundo Mathew (Bariadi), Leah Komanya (Meatu) and Simon Lusengekile (Busega) raised the matter at a rally in Kahama, while MPs Jumanne Kishimba (Kahama) and Idd Kassim (Msalala) raised concern about electricity service challenges.

 They demanded that Kahama be upgraded to a Tanesco regional service centre, which the party executive seconded, pointing at Kahama’s potential as a major mineral refinery hub, as well as the Bulyanhulu gold mine.

The Energy minister accepted the MPs’ request, explaining that after expert analysis, it has been determined that Kahama will become a Tanesco region this financial year.

Concerns about cotton prices and agricultural inputs prompted the party chief to demand that the Agriculture minister ensure the timely delivery of quality seeds and fertilizers to farmers.

The government was committed to support agriculture, he declared, demanding that these queries be quickly resolved.

A personal initiative was on the cards in interaction with the Education minister, tasked with ensuring that a new Meatu primary school opens its doors early next year, directing a 10m/- allocation from the party chief’s office. This was in response to residents' concerns about children having to travel long distances to attend school.

Water supply issues were also addressed, with the party chief stressing the need for strong oversight in ongoing projects to carry out plans outlined in the poll manifesto. 

The Kahama MP has also demanded regulated medicine prices, citing the high costs that are a burden to most rural dwellers in particular.

Concerns about arbitrary arrests by police officers were also raised, where the party executive directed the Home Affairs minister to make a review of existing regulations and their being observed.