Where the works ministry’s Sh3.8 trillion will be spent

Dar es Salaam. The government has raised the development budget for the Works and Transport docket as it seeks to maintain the tempo of improving infrastructure in line with the country’s development endeavours.

Figures presented in Parliament yesterday when Works and Transport minister Makame Mbarawa requested the House to endorse a total of Sh3.867 trillion for the ministry for the 2022/23 financial year show that the government has maintained the tempo of injecting over 96 percent of the money for two dockets on development projects.

In the coming financial year, Sh3.728 trillion – which represents 96.24 percent of the ministry’s budget - will be spent on development projects.

A breakdown of the money indicates that the Works docket will receive a total of Sh1.422 trillion as development expenditure while the Transport docket will get Sh2.306 trillion for the same reason during the coming financial year.

This signals that the government maintains its massive spending on the two dockets, considering that during the 2021/22 financial year, the Transport docket was to receive a total of Sh2.028 trillion while some Sh1.589 trillion was to go to the Works docket.

However, briefing Parliament yesterday, Prof Mbarawa said out of the Sh2.028 trillion in development budget for the transport docket, Sh2.5 trillion, representing 124 percent of the budget had been disbursed by the Treasury as of April.

In the same vein, of the Sh1.589 trillion development budget for the Works docket, a total of Sh1.533 trillion – which is equivalent to 96.48 percent of the money - had been released as of April, 2022.

Detailing how the government will spend Sh2.306 trillion for development funding for the transport docket during the coming financial year, Prof Mbarawa said out of the money, Sh294.8 billion will be spent by the Railway Infrastructure Fund on projects associated with rehabilitation of the existing railway line.

“Another Sh1.263 trillion will be spent on the ongoing construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR),” he said.

Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) will spend a total of Sh750.11 billion in projects associated with the improvement of various sea and lake ports.

Of the development funds for the Works docket, Prof Mbarawa, some Sh599.756 billion will be spent construction and rehabilitation roads and will be ring-fenced in the Road Fund.

In the coming financial year, the Works docket will receive a budget of Sh1.422 trillion as development expenditure.

The ongoing construction of Phase 2 of the Bus Rapid Transit in Dar es Salaam as well as the start of Phase 3 of the project will consume a total of Sh49.312 billion.

Construction of airports will consume a total of Sh86.1 billion during the coming financial year.

Efforts, Prof Mbarawa said, will also be directed on reducing congestion in city roads, focusing primarily on the ongoing construction of flyovers.

Sh1.01 billion will be spent on the Ubungo Interchange while a measly Sh500 million will be spent on improvement of intersections/junctions at Kamata, Magomeni, Mwenge, Tabata/Mandela and Selander at the Ali Hassan Mwinyi/UN Roads JCT), Mbezi Mwisho, Buguruni and Morocco in Dar es Salaam.

The process to start building Mabey Flyovers in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Mwanza will also start this year with a measly Sh60 million of internally sourced funds being set aside for preliminary projects.

The government revealed six years ago that it was in discussion with the UK-based Mabey Bridge Company in an effort to build the flyovers. Mabey flyovers are designed to be used by pedestrians.

MPS expressed their satisfaction, noting that the government was increasingly releasing funds for the development of strategic projects, including construction of the SGR