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House buyers rush to clear NHC debts
2006-05-24 09:46:14
By Pacifique Nkeshimana
Nearly half of the 14bn/- owed to the National Housing Corporation (NHC) has been paid, just a week after a government threat to repossess the houses from defaulting buyers.
The rush to pay follows a directive last week by Prime Minister Edward Lowassa to all ministries to ensure that individuals and ministries owing the NHC billions of shillings pay the debts immediately or risk losing the houses.
Minister for Lands and Human Settlements Development John Pombe Magufuli said yesterday in Dar es Salaam that after the Premier gave ministers a one-week ultimatum on May 12, NHC had received 5bn/- from buyers.
’’After the Prime Minister gave us the directive to forward the money to the National Housing Corporation, a total of 1bn/- was paid by some ministries, another 4bn/- by individuals,” he said.
He said: ”Ministries and individuals owed the National Housing Corporation a total of 14bn/-. We hope that this debt will be cleared to enable NHC to expand its activities.’’
Magufuli warned that buyers who default in payment, especially those in his ministry, would lose the houses in accordance with the law that regulates housing.
Magufuli issued the warning during a ground-braking ceremony to build 23 houses in Boko Settlement in Kinondoni Municipality that was officiated by Premier Lowassa.
’’A total of 214 houses were built at Boko. There are also 35 plots on which other houses will be built,’’ Magufuli said.
The prices of the houses to be built at Boko settlement range from 22m/- to 65 m/-. It will be paid in instalments, but potential buyers must make a 25 per cent down-payment.
He said out of the 23 units to be built, 15 had already been bought by Tanzanians living abroad.
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