Illegal garage

The Kinondoni Municipal Council has launched a crackdown to destroy illegal garages operating in residential areas, service roads, and open and restricted spaces.

Speaking to this paper, the Kinondoni Municipal Council spokesperson Sebastian Mhowera, said the exercise was launched to make the environment clean and to ensure that the garages operate legally.

He said the council has contracted a company to conduct the crackdown in all errant areas.
According to him, his office is conducting carrying out the crackdown in order to clear the city and secure service roads that have been damaged by the garage owners.
He said the crackdown is a day and night exercise and that garage and vehicle owners will be required to pay heavy fines to get their properties back.

“We have used more than 5bn/- to construct these roads, but a few people are sabotaging them by parking heavy vehicles on the service roads as they turn them into garages, besides conducting other illegal activities,” he said.
Some residents of Regent Estate at Mikocheni in Kinondoni District hailed the decision saying it would give them good sleep.

“We have not been sleeping for two years now since Sumry Bus Company began operating their nearby garage in our residential area,” Musa Kisauli said.
Rebuilding of bus bodies, including cutting metal sheets and painting, is done right in the midst of the residential area, he said.

Another resident, Neema Makundi living near Kwa Mama Kikwete area said that they have always forwarded their complaints about the illegal garages to the Kinondoni Municipal authorities without success.
The local council gave exclusion to local ordinances forbidding the operation of garages and industry in residential areas.

However she was optimistic that the council’s decision would give them relief since officials at all levels are aware of the issue.

For their part, interviewed garage owners said they own the areas legally and asked the city council to explore all legal procedures before carrying out the crackdown.
“They have to conduct the exercise during day hours, this will enable us to know the genuine officers involved in the operation,” Jumbe Omari, who owns a garage at Kinondoni-Morocco area, said.