Revealed: Cyclone Hidaya, El Niño to cost Tanzania Sh986 billion on road, bridge repairs
What you need to know:
- The Minister for Works, Innocent Bashungwa, told MPs on May 29 in Dodoma that out of the Sh986 billion needed to rehabilitate the infrastructure, only Sh72 billion has been released by the Treasury
Dar es Salaam. The Hidaya tropical cyclone and El Niño rains may have gone, but they have left a devastating impact on the infrastructure and people’s property, the minister of Works, Innocent Bashungwa, told MPs in Parliament on Wednesday, May 29.
Mr Bashungwa said the country now needs a staggering Sh986 billion to revamp damaged roads and bridges.
The torrential El Niño rains that inundated the nation between September 2023 and April 2024, followed by the devastating Cyclone Hidaya on May 5, unleashed a barrage of strong winds, floods, and landslides across various regions.
These calamities wreaked havoc on over 51,000 households and impacted the lives of 200,000 individuals, tragically claiming 155 lives in their wake.
He said out of the Sh986 billion needed to rehabilitate the infrastructure, only Sh72 billion has been released by the Treasury.
“The government is awaiting a final report by the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) to allocate more funds and announce tenders for the construction, renovation, and repair of all affected infrastructure,” he said.
The minister for Works, Mr Innocent Bashungwa, tables his ministry's 2024/25 budget in Parliament in Dodoma on May 29. PHOTO | WORK MINISTRY
Furthermore, the government will allocate an additional Sh84.13 billion to completely rebuild the Mtwara-Lindi-Dar es Salaam highway that was damaged by Hidaya.
Landed on Tanzania's coastline in early May 2024, the Hidaya cyclone struck the coastal areas, especially in the regions of Lindi, Mtwara, and Mafia Island.
“The heavy rains accompanying this cyclone led to a breakdown in communications between the Coast and Lindi regions in the areas of Mikereng’ende, Songas, Somanga, and Matandu-Nangurukuru,” Mr Bashungwa said.
“Other severely affected areas include the road from Nangurukuru to Liwale (Miguruwe bridge, Zinga area, and Mlowoka area); Kiranjeranje to Namichiga (Mbwemkuru river bridge and Kigombo bridge); as well as Tingi to Kipatimu (Liomanga river area and Chumo river area),” he added.
The minister also proposed a Sh1.7 trillion expenditure plan for the next 2024/2025 fiscal year, an increase of 20.5 percent from the Sh1.46 trillion that was approved in the 2023/2024 financial year.
In the next budget, according to Mr Bashungwa, the ministry plans to use a majority chunk of the budget [Sh1.68 trillion] for development expenditure and the remaining Sh81.4 billion for recurrent spending.
One of the strategic projects earmarked for a significant portion of the budget is the construction of airport infrastructure, with an allocation of Sh109.71 billion.
Of this amount, Sh63.87 billion will come from external sources, while Sh45.84 billion will be sourced from domestic funds.
The construction of airport infrastructure will take place in the regions of Kigoma, Tabora, Songwe, Mwanza, Mtwara, Sumbawanga, and Shinyanga.
Additionally, there will be a continuation of the development of regional airports as well as the Msalato International Airport.
"A total of Sh90.35 billion, which includes Sh2.96 billion from domestic funds and Sh87.39 billion from external sources, has been allocated for the continuation of the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project’s infrastructure for phases three and four," Mr Bashungwa noted.
According to the minister, these funds will be used to continue improvements to the BRT infrastructure built in phase one, to commence the construction of the Jangwani Bridge, and to begin the construction of Rapid Transit Bus Infrastructure for phase five.
"Other tasks include paying the debts of the contractor for the construction of the BRT infrastructure for phase two," he said.
The government also plans to spend Sh61.58 billion on road rehabilitation in 26 regions across the country. These include the 204.33 km Mtwara-Mingoyo-Masasi road [Sh56.61 billion], the 221 km Mtwara-Newala-Masasi road [Sh46.96 billion], and the 133.9 km Geita-Bulyanhulu-Kahama road [Sh40.33 billion].
The procurement of ferries will cost the government Sh10.82 billion, while rehabilitation of the available ferries has been allocated Sh11.53 billion.
Parliamentary committee not happy with budget
The chairman of the Infrastructure Committee, Mr Selemani Kakoso, expressed dissatisfaction with the budget proposals, stating that the allocated funds are insufficient to meet the existing needs.
He mentioned another committee’s concern as the fact that the allocation of funds for development projects from domestic sources has not increased as compared to the previous budget.
This is despite the fact that the ministry’s overall development budget has slightly increased.
"This indicates that the government does not show a genuine intention to implement the projects, especially considering the significant needs for road and bridge construction in the country," he said.
Mr Kakoso added that before the committee began its analysis of the ministry of Works' budget, it convened a meeting with the minister for Finance to urge the government to allocate at least Sh5 trillion in the coming year to finance infrastructure construction projects.
It seems everything was in vain.
"Given the submitted budget, the committee is dissatisfied with the budget direction because the allocated funds cannot meet the existing needs," he said.
