‘Kigongo-Busisi Bridge construction not stalled’

Paul Chacha, the district commissioner for Misungwi in Mwanza Region, its construction is progressing well and the contractor’s speed is satisfying. He was optimistic that its construction will be completed within schedule, which is 36 months and not 48 months as suggested in some opposition remarks in the lakeside city lately.

Rejecting speculations that the project was now stalled, the DC said the contract for the project can be accessed online, “but people do not want to trouble themselves looking at it.” Reports show that the government signed the contract with the contractor mid-2019 and before resource mobilisation was conducted, COVID-19 set in, disrupting supply chains especially for the Chinese contracting firms.

He said that until the end of March 2021, the contractor had received a quarter of the finances at 87bn/-, which has since risen to 400bn/- and the project is 81 percent complete.

Shabani Itutu, an Alliance for Democratic Change (ADC) vice chairman, recently said that Misungwi District is one among areas with large government projects, including the JPM Bridge, intimating that its implementation was now stalled, asserting that by the four year projection since 2019 implementation was to be completed a year ago.

He said that the contract for the project was for 36 months but until late March 2021, the project was still in the resource mobilization stage, similarly mentioning that the district has a massive water project at Kashwashwa that supplies water to Shinyanga and Tabora regions while the area lacks clean and safe water supply.

The DC said the water project was developed for Kahama and Shinyanga regions as well as pumping water to Singida, Dodoma and Tabora regions.

Water is being supplied to those areas and work is on-going for supplying water to upwards of 33 villages in Shilalo and Mbalika wards in Misungwi District, he added.