The government has been urged to speed up verification of the flood victims stranded at Benjamin Mkapa High School in Dar es Salaam so that children start going to school.

Speaking to The Guardian yesterday, some of the children complained about delays, saying they did not know whether their families would be among the eligible ones for the surveyed plots in Mabwepande area or not.

At least 21 children from tenant families have no uniform, foodstuffs and don’t know where to go, while those from landlord families have been shifted to transitory shelters and have started going to school.

“Although President Jakaya Kikwete ordered Dar es Salaam regional commissioner (RC) Said Meck Sadiki to include us on the list of the people to be reallocated plots, delaying the process unnecessarily means denying our rights and our children’s rights,” said one of the flood victims, Jackson Seza, in an exclusive interview with The Guardian at the Benjamini Mkapa camp.

He said the place they were staying since last month after having no where to go was not friendly to them because it was prone to road accidents as children would cross the Uhuru road and risked being knocked down by speeding cars.

However, The Guardian recently contacted Ilala Member of Parliament Idd Zungu and asked for his opinion on the flood victims at Benjamin Mkapa High school, who were also his voters. Zungu pass the ball to the RC, saying he was the right person to comment on flood victims’ issue.

“I know that the flood victims are there and I am making a follow-up to know what is next but the person who can to give you more details is the RC,” he told this reporter.