Tanroads verifies compensation records as Mandela Road BRT phase five advances
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Tanzania's roads agency is checking compensation records for property owners along Nelson Mandela Road in Dar es Salaam, with payments still to be scheduled as it prepares the fifth phase of the city's bus rapid transit corridor.
The Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) is verifying compensation records for property owners affected by the planned upgrade of Nelson Mandela Road ahead of the fifth phase of the Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The corridor runs from Ubungo at the Kijazi Junction to Kurasini and the port.
"We are currently verifying the compensation documents so that payments can begin," Tanroads Dar es Salaam regional manager Alinanuswe Kyamba told The Citizen. He said procurement of a construction contractor was under way but no contractor had yet been selected, and the agency was clearing the road corridor of obstructions before handing it over for construction.
Kyamba did not disclose the number of affected property owners, the compensation budget or when payments were expected to begin.
At the same time, Tanroads has intensified efforts to remove unauthorised structures and activities from road reserves across Dar es Salaam. Affected structures are marked with an "X" and occupants are issued notices giving them time to remove their belongings before enforcement. Garages, food stalls, kiosks and advertising signs operating without the required permits are among the facilities targeted, on roads including Kiwalani, Kigamboni, Kongowe-Kibada, Mwakyembe, Mbagala-Chamazi, Mbezi Victoria-Bunju and the Bunju-Mabwepande corridor.
The regional manager said not all activity within road reserves is prohibited: parking areas, fuel stations, restaurants and sports facilities are permitted provided operators obtain permits, which are valid for one year and must be renewed. Permit holders must nonetheless remove their facilities at their own cost whenever the government needs the land for road development, even if their permits have not expired. Tanroads collected Sh257 million in September and October alone from applications and permits for the use of road reserves.
A 2019 World Bank report cited by the newspaper describes Dar es Salaam as one of the fastest growing cities in Africa, projected to reach 10 million residents by 2030, with congestion worsened by an undeveloped road network. The BRT project began operating in 2016 and currently runs on two corridors, with other routes in the pipeline.