From Fina Lyimo, Moshi
Among the people cheering the inauguration of the 406 billion/- Same-Mwanga-Korogwe water project by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on March 9, 2025, was Mr. Cleopa David Msuya, Mwanga’s first Member of Parliament (MP).
Mzee Msuya (94), now confined to a wheelchair, is a prime stakeholder in the project billed to benefit 456,931 people in Same and Mwanga towns, 38 villages in the two districts, and another five villages in Korogwe district of Tanga region.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan greets former Prime Minister Cleopa David Msuya in Mwanga.
President Samia confided that the former Prime Minister pestered her whenever they met to expedite implementation of the project, financed by four Development Funds from the Gulf states, which dragged on for nearly two decades. The President laid the foundation stone after a lengthy lull seven years ago, when she was Vice-President.
The Minister of Water, Mr. Jumaa Aweso, revealed that heads rolled over the delays in implementation of the project.
“People were sacked and others arrested,” he recalled.
During the inspection of the project in March last year, Vice-President Dr. Philip Mpango gave the minister three months to complete the works. Failing which, the VP would resign because he couldn’t face the President to explain the failure.
“I can’t guarantee what will happen to the Minister and the Permanent Secretary (PS),” he warned.
The works involved:
Construction of a water intake and treatment plant at Nyumba ya Mungu dam in Mwanga district A pumping station 81.8 kilometers of main transmission pipe 308 kilometers of distribution pipes Seven storage tanks holding between 300,000 and 9 million liters
The project has raised water supply in the two districts multiple times, from 3.7 million to 51.6 million liters daily, increasing coverage from 40% to 90%.
In an interview before the inauguration ceremony, Mzee Msuya said the project was primarily intended to address chronic water shortages for Mwanga, an idea he started in 1979/80.
“Obstruction of water flow from Nyumba ya Mungu to Kifaru or drill wells failed,” he recalled.
The water project was financed by soft loans from: The Arab Bank for African Development OPEC Fund for International Cooperation Kuwait Fund Saudi Fund for Development
