MPs press govt to scale up TARURA funding

DODOMA: MEMBERS of Parliament have called on the government to increase funding for the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) in their constituencies, citing deteriorating road conditions, expanding economic activities and rising demand for infrastructure services. The calls were made in the National Assembly yesterday after Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PMORALG), Dr Festo Dugange, responded to a question from Yagi Kiaratu (Singida Urban– CCM), who sought to know when the government would increase TARURA’s budget for Singida Municipality, arguing that the current allocation falls short of actual needs. In a supplementary question, Dr Kiaratu said Singida is one of the country’s fastestgrowing towns and occupies a strategic position at the centre of Tanzania. He noted that despite rapid population growth, the municipality has, for more than five years, continued to be served by a road network officially recorded at 523 kilometres, while the actual network extends to about 1,200 kilometres. He said some roads are in poor condition, while others have not yet been opened, urging the government to review TARURA’s road inventory so that it reflects the reality on the ground and attract adequate funding. Responding, Dr Dugange said the government has continued to increase road maintenance funding through TARURA in Singida Municipality. He noted that the municipality’s road budget stood at 1.29bn/- in the 2020/21 financial year and had increased to 1.35bn/- in the 2026/27 financial year. He added that through revenues generated from the fuel levy, the allocation to Singida Municipality rose from 500m/- in 2021/22 to 1bn/- annually between the 2022/23 and 2025/26 financial years. According to Dr Dugange, the government has further increased the municipality’s allocation to 3bn/- in the 2026/27 financial year, representing an additional 2bn/-. He said the government recognises the strategic importance of Singida Region, noting that over the past five years TARURA’s regular budget for the area has risen from 1.29bn/- to 4.35bn/-. Dr Dugange further revealed that 24.75bn/- has been allocated under the World Bank-funded TACTIC project to improve infrastructure in the region. In a supplementary question, Dr Johannes Lukumay (Arumeru West–CCM), said his constituency faces significant infrastructure challenges due to its geographical features and appealed for TARURA’s allocation to be increased from 2.2bn/- to at least 6bn/-. In response, Dr Dugange said he had visited Arumeru West constituency two years ago and was aware of its challenges, including volcanic terrain and other geographical conditions that require substantial investment in road construction and maintenance. He said the government has been increasing TARURA’s budget annually, although infrastructure needs still exceed available resources. ALSO READ: TARURA launches a 24.4bn/- project to upgrade roads in Moshi Municipality For his part, Mabula Magangila (Msalala–CCM) said his constituency hosts extensive mining operations, conservation areas, tourism activities and agricultural production, yet many roads become impassable during the rainy season due to flooding. He asked whether the government had plans to raise TARURA’s allocation to at least 5bn/- to facilitate the construction of all-weather roads. Responding, Dr Dugange said TARURA’s national budget had increased significantly over the five-year period from the 2021/22 financial year to 2026/27. He said the agency’s budget rose from 250bn/- nationally in 2021/22 to 1.2tri/-, representing nearly a threefold increase. According to the Deputy Minister, the increase is aimed at accelerating the construction and rehabilitation of roads across the country in order to strengthen social and economic activities nationwide. The post MPs press govt to scale up TARURA funding first appeared on Daily News . The post MPs press govt to scale up TARURA funding appeared first on Daily News .