Tanzanian Association Oslo

Who is behind this

clandestine change of

Dar es Salaam

street names?

EDITOR , THISDAY

DAR ES SALAAM

 

THE Mayor of the Ilala Municipal Council, Abuu Jumaa, last week rebuked the ongoing trend of people clandestinely changing street names in the city without following proper channels, including getting the blessing of the City Fathers. 

He was particularly referring to the name-change applied to one of Dar es Salaam´s most historically famous street  Kisutu  which now apparently goes by a rather strange name of Pramukh Swami. 

In his statement, which is a direct contradiction of that made some time last year by the former deputy mayor of the same Ilala Municipality, the mayor said that his office had never received any official application to change the Kisutu Street into the Indian name. 

Whereas the former deputy mayor, Mohamed Yakoub, said the Kisutu Street name-change had been duly approved by the municipality, the incumbent mayor maintains that there are no records showing such a change. 

It is clear now from this contradiction that something must be seriously amiss in the whole exercise of changing street names. We are tempted to believe suggestions that corruption at certain levels may be involved. 

It is for this reason that we call for prosecution of all those who will be found to have been involved in this exercise. As rightly stated by Mayor Abuu Juma, it amounts to sacrilege for anyone to change a street name on the basis of racial, tribal, or religious beliefs. 

City authorities mandated to oversee street name changes must use basic criteria when endorsing suggestions for such changes. 

We totally oppose the change of Kisutu name to Pramukh Swami because we don’t see any reason why such a traditionally famous name should be changed to a bizarre- sounding new name. 

Nobody, regardless of his status, should be allowed to influence a street name change just to suit their own needs. 

It is our hope that the municipal authorities will seek explanations from the local government authorities regarding the Kisutu Street name-change, as promised by the mayor. 

The mayor may wish to seek assistance from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to investigate corruption allegations in the entire process of changing the Kisutu Street name and others. 

It must be established who were involved in the exercise and whether all legal procedures prescribed by the Ilala Municipality in changing street names were properly followed.