Tailoring workshops under the Tanzania Prisons Force are set to undergo a major revitalization in the next financial year to enable them produce enough uniforms for warders and officers, an action that seeks to getting rid of private dealers.
The new arrangement comes in the wake of an order by President John Magufuli who wanted to see immediate halt to the sale of military uniforms by civilians.
According to the Home Affairs Permanent Secretary (PS), Major-General (Retired) Projest Rwegasira, the department will procure clothing materials for making uniforms directly from manufacturers instead of purchasing them from the middlemen.
During an impromptu visit to Ukonga Prison in Dar es Salaam, the president condemned the involvement of civilians in making and conducting trade in uniform and further directed relevant authorities to take to task all those involved in the shoddy deals relating to uniform supply to prison officers.
Private dealers were involved in the procurement of the uniforms as the current capacity of the industries could not fulfill the demands of the attire for prisons personnel. The prisons have two big sewing industries, one located at Ukonga in Dar es Salaam and the other at Butimba in Mwanza Region.
There are also two smaller factories in Mbeya and Arusha. The industry in Mbeya has 200 sewing machines while Mwanza has also 200, Dar es Salaam, 500 and Arusha, 100.
The PS said the industries were capable of producing enough uniforms, only that they lacked enough materials.
