Magufuli embarks on three-day Dar campaign

What you need to know:

  • The first rally attracted voters from different areas of the city but targeted people from Temeke, Mbagala and Kigamboni constituencies.

Dar es Salaam. Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) presidential candidate John Magufuli is expected to engage voters in the commercial capital for three consecutive days starting today.
Dr Magufuli - who is seeking re-election in the polls scheduled for October 28 this year - will hold three rallies in different city locations, also market the party’s ten parliamentary candidates.
He started campaigning in the commercial capital with about six million people on Friday with the first rally at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
The first rally attracted voters from different areas of the city but targeted people from Temeke, Mbagala and Kigamboni constituencies.
Today, Dr Magufuli will address another rally at Kinyerezi and tomorrow at Mburahati. The final rally in the city will be at Tanganyika Packers grounds on Wednesday, according to the timetable issued by the party yesterday.
“As usual, all the meetings will be divided into two parts. The first part will focus on the success stories about the implementation of the party’s 2015-2020 election manifesto and this will be done by the parliamentary candidates who will also be requesting votes.
The second part will involve Dr Magufuli who will take us through where we came from, where we are and the plans for the next five years,” CCM stated in a statement signed by the secretary of ideology and publicity, Mr Humphrey Polepole.
The meetings will also be entertained by Tanzanian artistes who have prepared special songs carrying success messages of the current government in the last five years.
The statement also indicates that Dr Magufuli will lead Tanzanians to receive Sh100 billion from Barrick Gold as part of the new agreement with the Canadian company in the country’s mining sector.
Part of the deal signed to end the dispute between Tanzania and Barrick after banning exportation of concentrates included a settlement of $300 million to be paid by Barrick to the government.
In May this year, Barrick said it had paid $100 million after resuming the gold shipment.
The payment would be followed by five annual payments of $40 million each, the miner said.
Meanwhile, Dr Magufuli’s running mate, Ms Samia Suluhu Hassan, yesterday pledged to solve geographical and infrastructural challenges facing residents of Kwera constituency in Rukwa Region.
 Ms Hassan noted that she was aware of the construction of 37.6 kilometres of road connecting the area with three regions, hinting that the same has been included in the party’s election manifesto for 2020/2025 in order to promote trade and simplify transport .
“Through the manifesto, we have pledged to complete construction of roads connection regional and district headquarters to neighbouring countries. I would like to assure that this will be implemented because it is in our manifesto,” she said.
Ms Hassan said the CCM government would build capacity of the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (Tarura) through increased human resources and allocation of funds in order to increase efficiency in implementing its duties.