Handeni questions Magufuli pledge
Residents of Mlomela Village in Handeni District, Tanga Region fetch water from a shallow well for domestic use, as captured by our photographer recently. Some residents in the district told this paper in separate interviews that a recent promise by CCM presidential candidate John Magufuli that he would end water woes in the district was not convincing because it lacked a concrete plan and time frame. PHOTO | SALIM MOHAMMED
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Some Handeni residents have said they won’t be swayed this time around by empty promises
Handeni. Tired of years of promises to end water woes, Handeni residents yesterday faulted CCM presidential aspirant, Dr John Magufuli’s promise to end water scarcity in the district if elected president, saying the outgoing President, Jakaya Kikwete, gave similar promises but didn’t fulfil them.
They said this time they will never be swayed by such promises, unless the candidates give a clear plan and time frame to end the problem.
Speaking with The Citizen separately, the residents said politicians have turned persistent water problems in the district as capital for soliciting votes.
“Everyone who comes here promises to end water problems if elected president. When President Kikwete came here to solicit votes in 2010, he promised to end water problems but the promise has never been fulfiled until now when he is about to finish his term in office. Today, Magufuli is passing through the same path,” said Mr Issa Malechela of Seuta Street in Handeni Town. “We wanted Magufuli to tell us how he will solve the problem by giving us a time frame. He just said, he understands we face water problems and will work on them” said Mr Malechela.
He said, residents of Handeni were used to such unfulfilled promises and that they would have understood Mr Magufuli well if he would have drawn a concrete plan to end the problem in a specified time period.
Another resident, Mr Charles Sungura, of Bomani Street said, the problem of water scarcity in Handeni was not new; each time those seeking power ignored it after winning elections.
However, the residents thanked President Jakaya Kikwete’s government for constructing roads that linked the district to the rest of the country. “The road infrastructure today is quite good and all roads are easily passable throughout the year and have eased transportation of farm produce,” said Mr Sungura.
