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Registration of machingas underway
2006-09-05 08:14:59
By Judica Tarimo
Registration of hawkers operating in Dar es Salaam has begun, ahead of an exercise to clear them from the streets as directed by Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa.
Lowassa’s dateline for the hawkers, otherwise known as machinga’s to operate in undesignated areas in Dar es Salaam is September 30, this year.
Ilala Municipal Council Information Officer Lucy Semindu said about 1,242 petty traders had already been registered for relocation to the designated areas for their business operations.
’’We had put up adverts in the media requiring them (hawkers) to come forward for registration. In fact, they are now registering,’’said the council official.
The exercise comes in the wake of the Prime Minister’s directive that hawkers should voluntarily move out of their current locations in the city centre and tasked city authorities to oversee the exercise.
Semindu said the authorities had set up strategic business locations for the traders in Kilwa Street, Mchikichini, Kibasila markets, and Kigogo Sambusa.
She said the authorities had already informed the hawkers through media adverts to register in order to secure places in the designated places.
The hawkers would be forcefully evicted from the city centre if they decline to shift to their respective locations, according to Semindu.
’’That’s why you can see many of them turning up for registration. We involved them in almost every stage of implementing the plan,’’ said Semindu.
However, there is a likely hood of a confrontation between the authorities and the hawkers as they have vowed to remain put in their current positions.
Musa Michael, a hawker, said they were not ready to relocate to the new places, which they termed ’’business-unfriendly’’.
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