Tanzania’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has said he will permanently move his office from Dar es Salaam to the designated capital of Dodoma in September.
Rt Hon Majaliwa also said he had instructed all his cabinet ministers ‘to pack their bags with me. I know they all have houses and sub-offices here in Dodoma’.
Addressing Dodoma’s residents, Mr Majaliwa said he was setting the pace for the execution of President John Magufuli’s directive of moving the government to the capital before 2020 when his term ends.
The PM said he has already instructed minister in Prime Minister’s Office Jenister Mhagama and the permanent secretary to ensure his residence is readied for him to move in by September.
Currently, it is only one ministry, that of President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), which is permanently stationed in Dodoma.
Mr Majaliwa also challenged Dodoma residents to make the best out of the mass shifting of the government offices and migration of officials from Dar es Salaam to invest in service provision.
“We will even have embassies and foreign missions here, we need serious investments. The government has already started with the expansion of the airport, but we need five star hotels here and other top-notch services… that is an opportunity for the locals here to explore,” he said.
On Saturday, President Magufuli told the CCM General Congress delegates that he was determined to accomplish Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s plan of making Dodoma the Tanzanian capital.
He reiterated the remarks saying Dodoma is the place where the government belongs, and if more than 300 MPs can be accommodated in Dodoma at a go, then his government, which has only 30 ministers and deputies, can also get ample space here.
The decision to move to Dodoma was taken in 1973 by first President Julius Nyerere.
The aim was to bring government services closer to the people owing within the centrality of Dodoma. However, the move has been dragging on for years due to financial constraints coupled with a lack of political will.
