This is why Msimbazi valley project faces further delays

The project is funded by the World Bank (WB), which has approved $260 million (about Sh598 billion), while another Sh600 billion will be provided by Spain and the Netherlands.

The flood-prevention project will include the construction of a bridge along the Morogoro Road as well as extensive works on the river basin.

The six-year project was set to start in December 2022, but it couldn’t.

Over 680 flood victims in the lower Msimbazi River basin were evacuated and given plots at Mabwepande in 2011, some 25 kilometres from the city centre.

However, some of them returned to the area despite receiving the compensation, and some of them could be among those involved in the compensation row, according to authorities. The lower Msimbazi River Basin is designed as a beautiful, green, open city park that is clean and safe from flood risks and offers prime locations for housing and sports in the heart of Dar es Salaam.

According to World Bank guidelines, the project should take effect after all people are compensated; this means that it will take a little longer to commence after the government settles the protesting group.

A three-volume report titled Msimbazi Opportunity Plan, which was prepared in a participatory process known as ‘charrette’, outlines different options for residents of the lower Msimbazi River Basin who are to be affected by the project.

These include replacement land, replacement housing, cash compensation, or a combination of the three.

Further, the resettlement package is to include a livelihood restoration programme aimed at restoring and improving the residents’ sources of income that will be disrupted by the project. Residents along the lower Msimbazi River Basin in the Jangwani area say that they are not opposing the project; rather, they want the fair compensation that they were promised at the very beginning and that is stipulated in the World Bank and government documents.

Speaking with The Citizen, Msimbazi-Jangwani residents committee chairman, Mr Saleh Cheyo, said that the compensation valuations were made illegally and that most of them are to be paid between Sh27,000 and Sh100,0000 per house.

According to him, some people refused to sign documents after learning that the compensation was unrealistic. But he further claimed that others were forced to sign after being intimidated by the possibility that they would possibly lose the money if they didn’t.

“We are not against this project; rather, we are against the amount of compensation,” he said. He further noted that they wonder why land is not part of the compensation package.

 It should be, he noted. He called on President Samia Suluhu Hassan to intervene in the matter so that they receive fair compensation according to the market price.

On his part, Mr Thomson Moshi, who is the secretary of the committee, urged authorities to revert to the original land valuation compensation of between Sh100,000 and Sh115,000 per square metre as suggested by the Government Chief Valuer from the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Settlement.

“The compensation is inhuman; we were filled with hopes that this project would benefit every one of us, but we are wondering why they want to chase us without any due compensation,” he added.

Mr Moshi said that they are aware that all the 16 streets that have to be vacated are to be compensated a total of Sh4.2 billion, but they don’t know their fate, and they are told not to develop their areas. Ms Regina Beda, a resident of Msimbazi Bondeni, said that she was compensated a total of Sh4 million for a six-bedroom house with crops outside. She noted that the amount is not sufficient if compared with the value of the house itself.

“Some of us signed the document after being intimidated that we could possibly lose the opportunity of being compensated. Government officials were walking from house to house with armed police officers,” she said.

Sharing the same opinion, another resident, Mr Dennis Emmanuel, said that the whole process of valuation was not properly conducted and that most people were forced to sign the documents despite the fact that they didn’t agree with the valuation.

“We were promised to be compensated in accordance with the values of our properties, but what they are planning to give us cannot do anything. We want President Hassan to hear our cries,” Mr Emmanuel insisted.

Government response

The government chief valuer from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Settlement, Ms Evelyne Mugasha, said that a fair valuation was conducted and only six percent of all the people refused to sign the documents. She said the government is currently reviewing their concerns. She said that the people were convened and evaluated, and they agreed to the payments of compensation. She noted that there is a group of a few individuals who persuade others that they are less compensated.

“More than 90 percent agreed with the compensation; the remaining few wrote a complaining letter to us; we are currently working on their complaints, and our team is on the site,” she explained.

Ms Mugasha said that some people think that the government has a lot of money to offer for free, but if you visit their houses, you find them not worth it and not useful.

On the question of land valuation, Ms Mugasha agreed that the land is not valued because Msimbazi Jangwani is a hazardous area, and the people were compensated back then, but some of them remained in the place.

“Jangwani is a hazardous area, and people are not allowed to build their houses. Try to visit the area, and you will see for yourself that the area is not suitable for human residency. The government’s position is that everyone will be paid what they deserve,” said Ms Mugasha.

She insisted that the team has been on the ground for two weeks now to work on the complaints filed by some people to learn if their complaints are genuine or not. She said initial findings show that most of the complaints are not genuine but just a way of trying to fleece the government.

On his side, Mr Humphrey Kanyenye, who is a coordinator of World Bank-funded hazardous projects from the President’s Office (RALG), seconded Ms Mugasha’s statement that Jangwani is a hazardous area, and therefore, it is valueless. That is why its land is not considered in compensation.