| Why Kawe constituency is hard to clinch | Send to a friend |
| Tuesday, 24 August 2010 18:41 |
 By Frank KimboyThe National Electoral Commission (NEC) has already blown the whistle. Now that the campaigns have started, aspirants for the presidential post, parliament seats as well as councillorship posts are hunting for votes that will enable them to take over the seats. With seventeen of the candidates aspiring to enter the National Assembly unopposed so far, a stiff battle is expected in some of the constituencies, including Kawe in Dar es Salaam. Nine candidates are seeking to replace the Kawe former MP, Ms Ritha Mlaki, who opted out without defending the seat. The battle for the Kawe constituency is expected to be a three-horse race among aspirants on tickets of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Ms Angela Kiziga, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), Halima Mdee and the NCCR-Mageuzi, Mr James Mbatia. The three apparently are considered as serious contenders for the seat due to their experience in representing wananchi in the August House. While Ms Mdee is an immediate former Chadema Special Seat MP, Mr Mbatia served as Vunjo MP between 1995 and 2000. Mr Mbatia’s academic commitments abroad actually compelled the NCCR-Mageuzi national chairman to disengage himself from active politics. The former MPs have one thing in common, they have successfully distinguished themselves as articulate speakers and anti-graft advocates. Ms Mdee, whose political career date back to 2005, says she decided to contest for the Kawe constituency in a bid to increase the number of elected women legislators in the lawmaking organ. Owing to her five-year experience in Parliament, she believes she was the right person to assist the Kawe residents in overcoming five main challenges they encounter, she says. Ms Mdee enumerated the challenges as poor infrastructure, poor health service provision, illegal selling of plots and unemployment among youths. The daughter of the former University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) lecturer, Prof James Mdee, believes the Kinondoni District Council, to which Kawe belongs, was furnished with sufficient resources to solve the challenges if the resources were properly managed. “I have also decided to vie for the seat because I want to give others an opportunity of being nominated Special Seats MPs,” Ms Mdee says. But Mr Mbatia attributes his decision to vie for the seat to his ambition to amplify the Opposition camp’s voice in Parliament. His agenda include ensuring sanitation and humanitarian services are improved in the constituency. “I heard some of you are threatened by the government’s eviction order. Let me assure you that NCCR will work along with you to ensure none of you is unlawfully evicted from his or her plot,” Mr Mbatia tells a public rally at Kawe shortly after declaring his intention to vie for the seat. “We need candidates, who could give CCM a run for their money during the election and in Parliament. That is why I am contesting,” Mr Mbatia adds. Mr Mbatia vows that he would hold the Kinondoni District Council officials accountable for the city’s dirtiest suburbs in the constituency to be cleaned and beautified. But who would the Kawe wananchi exactly prefer to become their third MP since the multiparty political system was adapted in the country about two decades ago? “My ideal MP is the one, who will come up with good plans to end Kawe roads nightmare…most of the roads are not accessible throughout the year,” Mr David Malima, a Msasani suburb resident says. According to Mr Malima, most of the Kawe roads are not accessible in rainy season as a result of dilapidated drainage systems. Addressing the ever-growing poor sanitation in the constituency should pose as a challenge to the new Kawe MP, he adds. “None of the two MPs, who served Kawe since 1995, managed to get a lasting solution for the sanitation woes. Most of the wananchi will be eagerly waiting to hear from the aspirants’ strategies tailor-made for ending these hitches,” he stresses. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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