Why newly appointed Dar RC has a lot on his plate

Dar es Salaam. The in-tray of the new Dar es Salaam regional commissioner, Mr Albert Chalamila, is full.

Mr Chalamila, who is moving to Dar es Salaam from Kagera Region, will have to hit the ground running, starting with the ongoing traders’ strike in the city’s busy Kariakoo area.

Being the chairman of the region’s Defence and Security Committee, Mr Chalamila is expected to know major happenings in the commercial capital before they get out of hand.

“We should have expected the regional commissioner to be aware of the planned strike of Kariakoo traders before it got out of hand and Mr Chalamila will have to know such information before it gets to higher authorities and before any planned action is taken,” said a source who preferred not to be named.

On Monday, President Hassan made four changes to regional commissioners whereby Mr Chalamila was shifted to Dar es Salaam from Kagera, replacing Amos Makalla who was transferred to Mwanza. The reshuffle also saw Ms Fatma Mwasa moving from Morogoro to Kagera while Mr Adam Malima goes to Morogoro from Mwanza.

With traders sustaining their strike in Dar es Salaam, analysts say that should be the first assignment for Mr Chamala who boasts of being a simple but a splendid performer.

Famous on social media due to his administrative style whereby he prefers being simple and with a love for jokes instead of appearing hard, Mr Chalamila will have several other issues to work on as the new boss for the government’s ‘Ilala Boma’ in the city.

One of the issues that he will have to put much of his energies on will be ensuring that petty traders, commonly known as Machinga’s get the right places to run their businesses from.

Mr Chalamila – who prior to joining politics worked as an assistant lecturer at Iringa University - is also coming to Dar es Salaam at a time when the National Environmental Management Council (Nemc) was closing bars due to noise pollution and he will have to work with other authorities to find a lasting solution to the challenge.

Speaking to The Citizen yesterday Mzumbe University Dr Mr Oscar Tefurukwa, from the School of Public Administration and Management (Sopam) said in each region there were rules and procedures that will enable the elected officials to do well, adding that everyone was bound to fulfilling their duties accordingly.

“Chalamila will be able to solve Dar es Salaam’s challenges if each institution will be responsible for its position and in accordance with laws and procedures. Otherwise, it will be a challenge,” he said.

A trader, Mr Mathias Mafue said Mr Chalamila was coming to Dar es Salaam at a time when Kariakoo traders were a big challenge.

“What is happening in Kariakoo is the result of not working together because this strike could have been prevented earlier, but for it to reach its current level, it signals that there was a challenge somewhere and Chalamila must plan well and involve all stakeholders,” said Mafue.

An economist, Mr Oscar Mkude, told Mwananchi yesterday that Chalamila should put in place a mechanism (systems) that will enable him to listen to issues that various city players talk about and work on them accordingly.

It was apparently due to his track record of being a performer that President Hassan reappointed him in July, 2022 to become the new regional commissioner for Kagera Region, being almost 11 months since he was dropped from the list of RCs.

Mr Chalamila was dropped from the list of regional commissioners in June, 2021 during a time when he was serving as the commissioner for Mwanza. He served as regional commissioner for Mwanza for only 23 days before his appointment was revoked just days before President Samia embarked on a three-day visit to the region.