By Lucas Liganga
The Citizen Chief Reporter
Dodoma.The Parliament yesterday approved the Constitutional Review Act 2011 Amendment Bill after making changes in a section that sought to remove  district commissioners from convening public meetings for airing views on the subject.The changes were made on Thursday night by the Parliamentary Committee on Constitution, Justice and Public Administration following a stormy debate by MPs from both the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi and the opposition camp.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Anne Makinda, on Thursday night directed the committee to look at the possibility of making the changes after Mrs Anne Kilango Malecela (Same East-CCM) had moved a schedule of amendments asking for the reinstatement of the district commissioners to undertake the task.

The section was part of the amendment Bill that had been tabled in Parliament on Thursday by the Attorney General, Mr Frederick Werema, the thrust of which was that a DC would be replaced by the director of a local government authority in discharging that role.

The ensuing debate on Section 17 (a) was heated, pitting members of the ruling party who opposed it, against those of the Opposition camp, who pressed for endorsement of the proposed amendment.The vice-chairperson of the parliamentary committee on the Constitution, Justice and Public Administration, Ms Angellah Kairuki (Special Seats-CCM) told the House that the section had reinstated the district commissioners allowing them to convene the meetings.

She said other personalities to play that role were district executive directors, ward executive directors and village executive directors.Ms Kairuki said the changes were made during a meeting that brought together members of her committee, the Attorney General, MPs from Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo, former Attorney General and MP for Bariadi West (CCM), Mr Andrew Chenge and the MP for Simanjiro Mr Christopher Ole Sendeka (CCM), among others.

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