Tanzania’s Magufuli cancels Union Day celebrations to save money for road project
Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli has cancelled his country’s Union Day celebrations, saying that the $1 million will be channelled towards a road project, Kenya’s Daily Nation reports.
The president announced this in a statement, saying the money would be used in expanding a road stretch from mwanza Airport in northern Tanzania to the city centre.
The project is aimed at easing the traffic jam menace in Mwanza, a city on the shores of Lake Victoria.
“The money was earmarked to buy food, drinks as well as paying allowances to those who will be involved in the celebrations including parades and mass plays,” said the statement.
The East African nation will mark its Union Day on April 26, to honour the 1964 union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
Last year, President Magufuli similarly cancelled Independence Day celebrations and ordered the $2 million that had been set aside for the festivities to finance the construction of a 4.3km road section in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. He then led Tanzanians in a clean-up exercise instead.
He also cancelled celebrations marking World Aids Day on December 1 to cut what he termed as “unnecessary government spending”, ordering the money saved be used to purchase drugs.
Magufuli is set to visit neighbouring Rwanda in his first foreign trip since taking over office last year.
