President John Magufuli has ordered district and regional authorities to cut down unnecessary expenditure and use the saved money to purchase school desks and other teaching materials.
The president issued the order at Namfua stadium in Singida municipality yesterday where Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s 39th anniversary celebrations were held at the national level. The party was founded on February 5, 1977.
“You need to control your expenditure to finance school requirements. The disgraceful shortage of desks must come to an end. Those who fail to comply with the order will have a case to answer. Costly trips and meetings must be restrained,” Magufuli said, adding:
“It is quite unfair to have your offices overly furnished with deep-armed sofas, chairs and air-conditioners while pupils continue to sit on the bare floor, This is unacceptable. Every entrusted leader should therefore make extra efforts to make a difference,” the president insisted.
Speaking at the same occasion, CCM national chairman Jakaya Kikwete expressed his wish for an amicable solution to the lingering Zanzibar political impasse, insisting that the scheduled March 20 election rerun simply delayed the party’s celebration for victory.
“We were not happy with the nullification of the Zanzibar election because elections are costly and the process delayed our partying for victory,” Kikwete said.
However, the chairman reiterated his party’s position to support the decision taken by the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), insisting that ZEC remained the only authority with a final say on electoral matters in the Isles.
“We (CCM) are ready for the rerun in Zanzibar and are waiting for victory. The 2015 general election should serve as a lesson that CCM should take ample time to prepare itself for coming elections,” he emphasized.
Kikwete took the opportunity to announce an end to his tenure as CCM national chairman next year, when he would pass on the chairmanship to President Magufuli.
“This is an historical event to me because I started to serve the party in Singida 1975 and today I am marking the end of my national chairmanship in Singida. I am delighted to announce that this is my last time to stand here as CCM national chairman,” he elaborated.
Kikwete commended his successor, President Magufuli, for a job well done and in his meeting the people’s expectations, hence he enjoyed the support of most Tanzanians.
The former president further expressed delight at the way Magufuli was implementing the free education policy, which had greatly beefed up the number of pupils admitted in Standard 1.
CCM Secretary General Abdulrahman Kinana called on all party members and Tanzanians at large to support President Magufuli for effective implementation of pledges he made during election campaigns, saying he was now putting the pledges into action.
Source: The Guardian