Why continued unplanned urban development is a security risk
The Ministry for Home Affairs has a new Minister after the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
The appointing authorities clearly have their own expectations. But we, the general public, have our own expectations as well, especially from such a sensitive Ministry.
Our peace and security, the protection of our properties and assets is highly dependent on how efficient the Ministry discharges its duties.
Institutions, including a sector ministries, have their own ‘permanent’ gate keepers, who are always there, come this or that Minster.
They may be in defence of the status quo, and may be wondering what changes can a new Minister make. After all, he is a short-term tenant in their sector.
Three or four years down the road, he will have gone. He possibly has no checklist or indicators that will tell his achievements.
Unless the Minister comes with his own vision, the established set up may give little room for him to make changes, although in the early days of taking office, he may bare his teeth here and there.
It is my considered opinion that if a new Minister wants to have a stamp on the sector which he is leading, he must open up to receiving new ideas from the general public, without these ideas being filtered by his assistants, who may be in defence of the status quo.
He must come up with new approaches to understanding and dealing with problems and development requirements in his sector.
The current Minister for Home Affairs has been seen several times on the media, being down to earth and participating with the public, especially the ordinary folk in solving their problems. Hopefully, such an approach will be upheld in his new portfolio.
In the spirit of contributing ideas which may bring about change, here are five areas which the Minister may want to look into.
One, our prisons are congested. This was noted as long ago as during the Presidencies of both Dr Kikwete and Dr Magufuli.
In order to understand what the real situation is in our prisons, the Minister should not depend on third party reports. Let him spend a day or two in a prison, especially one that is notorious.
Not only are our prisons congested, they are run on outdated principles. Is it true that prisoners have to use shared pails for a toilet? This is a practice inherited from the colonial era.
Can congestion, and sanitation in the prisons be greatly improved? Could the private sector help?
Many people who are in prison should not be there in the first instances. Laws may need to be changes to minimize prison sentences.
Improvement in this area, by for example, showing that prisons are getting decongested, will greatly improve the face of Tanzania in upholding human rights and human dignity.
People who look after our public security live in measly circumstances.
The Minister may want to spend a day or two in police quarters to a get first hand picture on how the police live.
If you travel around and see dilapidated and overcrowded quarters, chances are you are looking at dwellings, if they deserve such a name, housing the police.
Police efficiency depends in small way on how comfortable they are accommodated.
Our police stations are poorly equipped and the remand prisons overcrowded and insanitary.
The Minister may want to spend a day in the prison of a police station and see how people are suffering there, much as they are suspected of doing something wrong.
Many should not be in such detention, and many deserve better treatment.
Our roads have turned into death chambers. Drivers, including public sector, and public passenger vehicles drivers, do not recognize a single law related to regulating traffic.
People travel in overcrowded and rickety vehicles. The law enforcers seem to have given up. Daladalas and bodabodas also seem to have their own republic.
The Minister may want to spend a day or two on the roads to appreciate the lawlessness that there is, and come up with a solution or solutions.
Finally, and most relevant to this column, the fact that our urban areas are developing chaotically in an unplanned manner, means that cities are becoming unsafe.
According to UN-HABITAT, “60 percent of all urban residents in developing countries have been victims of crime at least once over the past 5 years”.
Urbanisation has been accompanied by an increase in levels of crime, violence and lawlessness. City dwellers are facing growing violence and feeling of insecurity.
Planned neighbourhoods, with good roads, street lighting, named streets and numbered houses increase urban security. The opposite is the case.
Crime and lawlessness thrive in congested and unplanned areas, which our cities are growing into. People and property in unplanned areas are exposed to high levels of crime.
Both the police and fire services are difficult to enforce in such areas
The Minister may want to spend a week living in the highly congested unplanned areas and experience how the majority live.
He may be able, with the assistance of urban experts, to come up with approaches that may improve urban safety and security in our urban areas, including the establishment of community patrols, but also ensuring accessibility in these unplanned neighbourhoods.
We hope, that way, the Minister will leave a stamp, when his tenure comes to an end.
