Dar 6-lane highway to raze over 5,000 homes

Prof. Makame Mbarawa

Over 5,000 homes in Ilala and Temeke districts are scheduled for demolition to pave way for the construction of 13km-Kikwete Friendship Highway from Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) via Ukonga, Banana, Kidula and Kitunda outskirts to Chamazi suburban town in Dar es Salaam. 

 

Ukonga Division officer, Jeremiah Makwerere said on Thursday that the exercise to mark the houses for demolition was underway at Kitunda, Kipunguni and Kivule as a part of the project for the six-lane highway expected to connect Ilala Municipality with that of  Temeke.

 

He said so far 5,000 houses have been already marked, with a few more in the list, adding “when the marking exercise is over the (Ilala) Municipality will pay owners compensation for their demolished homes.”  

 

The $64.8m project is part of a bilateral agreement between Tanzania and China reached in October 2014 during former president Jakaya Kikwete’s visit to the Asian nation when a Memorandum of Understanding for Chinese firms to carry out  energy, infrastructure and Real Estate projects in Tanzania, was signed.

 

The project will be carried out by China’s Jiangyin Tianhe Gasses Group which is also expected get involved in the development of Chamazi through construction of shopping malls, the related objects and an industrial park.