Towns of Dodoma, Moshi to be accorded city status
Member of Parliament Suzan Masele (Special Seats—Chadema) asks a question in Parliament in Dodoma yesterday during the ongoing 11th Sitting of the National Assembly. PHOTO| ANTHONY SIAME
What you need to know:
- Presently, the country has five cities—Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Mbeya, Arusha and Tanga. The deputy minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities), Mr Suleiman Jaffo, said yesterday that the process of upgrading Moshi Municipal Council was at an advanced stage.
Dodoma. Tanzania will soon have seven cities after completion of the ongoing process to upgrade Moshi and Dodoma municipalities, the Parliament was told yesterday.
Presently, the country has five cities—Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Mbeya, Arusha and Tanga. The deputy minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities), Mr Suleiman Jaffo, said yesterday that the process of upgrading Moshi Municipal Council was at an advanced stage.
“A team of experts has been sent to undertake a comprehensive study on the matter and has completed the task. It is now preparing a report and soon the decision will be made,” Mr Jaffo said.
He was responding to Raphael Michael (Moshi Urban-Chadema), who wanted to know reasons for te delay in upgrading Moshi to a city while the municipal authority had undertaken all relevant processes since 2012. “We have gone through all relevant processes, including President Jakaya Kikwete’s approval and endorsement by both the Kilimanjaro Regional Consultative Committee and the Moshi District Council Consultative Council and now we want the government to tell us the date on which Moshi will be officially elevated to city status,” he said.
The minister responded that the delay had to do with lack of space as Moshi had to be expanded to include some parts of Hai District. “The area had to be expanded and now the process is in a final stage,” he noted. As regards Dodoma, Mr George Lubeleje (Mpwapa-CCM) said as the country’s designated capital, time was ripe for it attain city status.
In response, the minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities), Mr George Simbachawene, said with the government’s decision to move key offices to Dodoma, the process of upgrading Dodoma municipality would go swiftly.
“Besides that, with an area covering 250,000sqkm, Dodoma has enough space to suit the requirement of a city. What follows now is the process and it will go swiftly since Dodoma already has all relevant qualifications,” said Mr Simbachawene.
