For the first time, people in Mpemba and Mpande Wards are benefiting from a new road that will help grow the local economy and improve their lives.
Engineer Yusuph Shabani, the TARURA Manager for Momba District, said they have built the Mpande-Katenjele road, which connects these two wards.
The road is 8.24 km long, is now finished, and was built by the contractor HSS ENGINEERING with funding from the Constituency Fund.
"In the past, this road didn’t exist, and the people here, who mostly work in farming, had big problems transporting their crops to the market," said Engineer Shabani.
"Now, as you’ve heard from the local people, this new road will help them get their crops to market on time."
"Before, they had to use a very narrow path, but now we’ve opened this road, and they can use it,” he added.
Engineer Shabani also mentioned that TARURA is responsible for roads in two areas: Tunduma Municipality and Momba District.
"In Tunduma, we have 230.5 km of roads, and in Momba, we have 649.21 km, totaling 879.71 km. We take care of these roads by doing regular maintenance, fixing damaged parts, and carrying out development projects."
"We now get funding from different sources, like the Road Fund, Constituency Fund, and the fuel levy, which we’ve been receiving since the 2021/2022 financial year."
"These funds have been very helpful in opening new roads and fixing roads that were in bad shape," he said.
In Momba District, there are three areas: Tunduma Town, the Upper Zone (Momba Municipality), and the Lower Zone, where the district headquarters is located.
Engineer Shabani explained that the Lower Zone faces the biggest challenges because it has many large rivers that flow into Lake Rukwa.
"The roads there are in poor condition, but we are working hard to keep them usable all year round."
"Thanks to the Constituency Fund, we’ve opened nearly 50 km of new roads in Momba District that didn’t exist before," he added.
He also talked about two important projects in Momba District. The first is the effort to make the steep mountain along the Ikana-Makamba road easier to travel on, so people can move between the Upper and Lower Zones.
"Before, vehicles couldn’t easily pass through, and traders had problems transporting goods between these two areas."
"We’ve made the mountain less steep, so now trucks can travel from the farming Lower Zone to the business Upper Zone."
He also said, "The contractor is still working on the project, pouring concrete on the mountain, and we will continue in phases as we get more funding."
Another big project is the construction of the Msangano Bridge, which will connect the district headquarters with Tunduma Town.
"The work is halfway done, and once the bridge is finished, it will improve business for the people in Msangano and Kamsamba areas."
"We plan to complete the bridge by September this year, and then farmers can easily transport their crops directly to the market in Tunduma," he added.
In Tunduma Town, they have also made good progress by using the fuel levy, Constituency Fund, and development funds.
"We’ve built 10.27 km of tarmac roads. To reduce traffic in the town, we’ve proposed building a bypass road as part of the TACTICS Project. This road, which is 10.2 km long, will allow vehicles going to Sumbawanga to avoid the town."
"We’ve also installed 95 street lights, and our plan for the 2025/2026 budget is to install even more lights so businesses can run 24/7.
The lights that are already up are helping businesses continue even at night," he concluded.