Kigamboni Hii ni ya Watu

Kigamboni city’s view in Tanzania which is underconstruction

The area for development of the proposed Kigamboni satellite city in Dar es Salaam has been increased from the initial 6,494 hectares to include all 50,934 hectares of the area, comprising all wards and Sinda Islands, it has been revealed.The envisaged city will be autonomous from the Temeke Municipal Council and will be run and managed by the Kigamboni Development Agency (KDA), the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Prof Anna Tibaijuka, announced on Wednesday.At a news conference in Dar es Salaam the minister said KDA will be responsible for planning, designing, construction and management of the proposed metropolis.

“KDA was established on January 18, this year, under the Government Executive Agency Act of 1997. It will be managed by a Director General who shall be responsible for proper management of its funds, property and business,” Prof Tibaijuka said.Upon its completion, the ambitious project is expected to be a home to about 400,000 people from the current 80,000, Prof Tibaijuka, a former Director General of the Nairobi-based UN Habitat, said. She said the 80,000 residents in the area will be resettled and that they will be compensated fairly at the rate at which the land is sold at the market price in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act of 1967 and the Urban Planning Act of 1977. The areas to be covered include Kigamboni, Tungi, Mjimwema, Vijibweni, Kibada, Kisarawe II, Kimbiji, Pemba Mnazi, Somangila and Kendwa wards. Also to be included are the inner and outer Sinda Islands.

Execution of the mega project is expected to be completed in the next 20 years at an estimated cost of 11.6trl/-. In the initial three years a total of 3trl/- will be spent on the project.Prof Tibaijuka said the government will make use of budgetary allocations in addition to extra-budgetary resources such as municipal and treasury bonds. The minister noted also that the government was committed to involve the people in development of the area through a Consultative Council which will include the area MP and local councillors.“There will also be a ministerial board that will be advising the Minister and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands as well as the DG of KDA on the best way through which the project can be implemented,” she said.

She wooed private developers in the ambitious project noting that development of the city will be done through Public Private Partnership (PPP). Prof. Tibaijuka also hinted that some investors from China and Oman had shown interest to invest in development of residential houses in the area.The National Housing Corporation (NHC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) are among local developers that have constructed low cost housing units in Kigamboni area.

The new city master plan seeks to provide sufficient infrastructure such as residential, commercial, trade and business, industrial, educational, and tourism facilities.

By ALVAR MWAKYUSA, Tanzania Daily News