Wakati tuko mbioni kupata Rais mpya wa sita katika awamu ya tano. Tunamsihi sana apate kutekeleza majukumu yake katika Maslahi Mapana ya taifa. Na apate kutambua pia maana ya kauli ya Maslahi Mapana ya taifa. Maana viongozi wengi huamini Maslahi ya taifa Ni katika vitu tu hususa (miundo mbinu, rasili Mali vitu, n.k) na hukomea hapo.
Kiuhalisia si hivyo, Maslahi Mapana ya taifa huanzia kuunganisha taifa lipate kuwa kitu moja bila kujali itkadi za aina yoyote si za kisiasa na si za kiimani na si kikabila wala za kijinsia. Lengo hapa ni taifa lipate kushikamana na kushirikiana bila chuki Wala ubaguzi. Utawala uliopita ndani yake ulikuwa na chuki na ubaguzi wa wazi wazi.
Pili Maslahi Mapana ya taifa ni upande wa kuindaa rasili Mali watu (wananchi), katika fikra na mawazo ya kisasa na kuwaondolea ujinga (kiufupi ni kuwekeza taasisi za elimu katika elimu ya kisasa ya kuendana na Karne ya 21). Elimu ya Sasa iliyipo nchini Ni duni, maana kwa asilimia zaidi ya 80 Ni theory oriented. Wananchi ndio taifa lenyewe, hawa wananchi hutegemea wameandaliwa na elimu ya ubora aina gani.
Kwa uchumi wetu hatuwezi kutoa elimu bure, na tukitoa elimu basi itakuwa Bora na si elimu Bora. Elimu Bora ni gharama.
Sasa Ni Bora tukawa wananchi elfu 20 wenye elimu Bora (quality education, compatible with 21 century environment) na tukawa wananchi million 60 wanaoujua kusoma na kuandika?
Tatu Maslahi Mapana ya taifa ni pamoja na Sera na Sheria wezeshi kwa wananchi wake. Mfano utawala uliopita Sera za Kodi Ni kandamizi, hazimuinui mwananchi. Tukumbuke mwananchi nae anapaswa kuendelea kiuchumi, na serikali inapaswa kuendelea kiuchumi. Sera za Kodi za Sasa so rafiki kwa mwananchi, Bali Ni rafiki kwa serikali. Kwa biashara za watanzania wengi hususa wa mtaji mdogo baada ya makato ya Kodi na Kodi ya pango hujikuta wamepata pesa ya kula, kuvaa, n.k hapati faida ya kumfanya hafungue biashara nyingine, kiufupi apigi hatua nyingine.
4: Maslahi Mapana ya taifa Ni pamoja na utawala Bora na taasisi imara. Tanzania haitaji kiongozi imara inahitaji taasisi imara za kiserikali. Maana taasisi hudumu Karne na Karne, lakini kiongozi ufa au humaliza muda wake. Ndio maana baada Magufuli alivyokufa watu wametandwa na hofu, yote Ni tokana hatuna taasisi imara, serikali ya awamu tano ilisimama si tokana na taasisi imara Bali raisi imara.
Taasisi imara husimikwa na katiba na Sheria za. Nchi, maanake ya Sasa katiba inapaswa kubadilishwa.
Hongera sana mama kwa kuapishwa kuwa Rais wa Sita wa Tanzania.
Sasa baada ya Tanzania kupata uzoefu wa kutosha kutokana na awamu zake za uongozi, na tukaona mazuri na mapungufu yake, na wewe pia kupata uzoefu wa kutosha chini ya Mzee Magufuli ninakuomba haya yafuatayo:
Kwanza, usiturudishe nyuma tena. Awamu ya tano imetuonyesha nini maana ya uhuru na kujitegemea. Tanzania haina mjomba wala shangazi huko nje. Maendeleo ya watanzania yataletwa na watanzania wenyewe. Jukumu lako ni kutupanga, kutuvuvia, kutushawishi na kutuonyesha kwa mfano wako wewe mwenyewe kwamba inawezekana, tunaweza, tusonge mbele.
Pili, Mzee Magufuli amefariki, lakini spirit yake inaishi. Ni askari aliyefia vitani akiwa mstari wa mbele, katika kupambania uhuru wetu na kujitegemea kwetu. Usije kufanya kosa kufanya mapungufu ya style ya Magufuli ya uongozi, iwe kigezo cha wewe kubadili uelekeo wa nchi yetu katika kujiamini na kuthubutu. Magufuli amefariki lakini kaacha alama na kaacha spirit. Wenye hiyo spirit wamo ndani ya chama tawala, vyama vya upinzani, serikalini, sekta binafsi, kwa wakulima na wafanyakazi. Hili ni jeshi kubwa sana, usicheze nalo.
Tatu, tutakusikiliza kwa umakini, tutakuangalia sana mienendo yako, tutatizama sana namna zako kama zinaturudisha nyuma au zinatupeleka mbele. Nisiseme sana katika hili, lakini itoshe tu kwamba spirit ya Mzee Magufuli inaishi. Tukiona tu dalili kwamba unakotupeleka siko hatutakuvumilia. Tushaonjeshwa uhuru hatutarudi tena kwenye utumwa. Tushaonjeshwa kujitegemea hatutarudi kwenye utegemezi tena.
Mwisho, Mungu akupe hekima ya kuongoza watu milioni 60 kwa akili na ujasiri. Ninaamini utatuvusha salama, karama ya uongozi unayo, itendee haki. Tegemea ushirikano wetu.
Pia soma: Maoni, Ushauri na Mapendekezo kwa Rais Dkt. John Pombe Magufuli
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JP Magufuli Bridge: More than just infrastructure, catalyst for economic transformation
Monday, June 16, 2025
JP Magufuli Bridge set to redefine connectivity across Lake Victoria
By
The Citizen Reporter
Media/news company
Mwananchi Communications Limited
What you need to know:
- The 3.2-kilometre structure is now fully complete and scheduled for official inauguration by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on June 19, 2025.
- The JP Magufuli Bridge is now officially the longest bridge in East and Central Africa—and the sixth longest on the African continent.
Mwanza. As Tanzania continues to invest in transformative infrastructure projects, one stands out for its strategic significance and symbolic weight: the JP Magufuli Bridge also known as the Kigongo-Busisi Bridge.
The 3.2-kilometre structure is now fully complete and scheduled for official inauguration by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on June 19, 2025.
The bridge—renamed in honour of Tanzania’s fifth President, the late Dr John Pombe Magufuli—is not just a monumental engineering feat; it is a lasting tribute to a leader whose vision for local infrastructure has shaped the country's development trajectory.
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After Magufuli’s passing in 2021, there were concerns the project might stall. Instead, it gained renewed momentum under President Samia’s administration, which prioritised the continuation and completion of all key development projects.
The result is a landmark connection across Lake Victoria, linking the Mwanza and Geita regions and opening up new frontiers in transportation, trade, and regional integration.
Rooted in history and vision
The late President Magufuli held a personal connection to the Kigongo-Busisi crossing. On a visit in December 2020, he recounted how, years earlier—before his rise to the presidency—he faced a harrowing delay while attempting to return from a traditional engagement ceremony.
“Back then, I was traveling on my XL125 Honda motorbike,” he recalled. “The ferry broke down—something that happened often. I considered crossing in a canoe but decided against it. Later, I learned the same canoe had capsized, killing 11 people. That memory stayed with me.”
That experience, he said, shaped his commitment to ensuring safer, more reliable crossings for Tanzanians. It was a promise he pursued first as Minister for Works, and later as President.
Samia delivers on the dream
When President Samia took office in 2021, the bridge’s construction stood at just 25 percent. Her administration swiftly made it a flagship priority.
Today, the bridge is ready for public use, thanks to accelerated round-the-clock construction efforts supported fully by government funding—amounting to Sh716.3 billion.
Once inaugurated, the bridge will serve as a critical link on the Usagara–Sengerema–Geita highway, replacing a decades-old ferry route and enabling faster, more efficient travel within the Lake Zone.
A continental record-setter
The JP Magufuli Bridge is now officially the longest bridge in East and Central Africa—and the sixth longest on the African continent. This ranking was confirmed by the Tanroads board during an inspection led by its chairman, Mr Joseph Haule.
Topping the list of Africa’s longest bridges is Egypt’s 6th October Bridge (20.5km), followed by Nigeria’s Third Mainland Bridge (11.8km), Egypt’s Suez Canal Bridge (3.9km), Mozambique’s Island Bridge (3.8km), and the Dona Ana Bridge (3.67km).
The JP Magufuli Bridge follows closely, cementing Tanzania’s place on the continent’s infrastructure map.
Unlocking economic potential
Beyond its engineering acclaim, the bridge is expected to be a game-changer for the region’s economy.
By replacing the Kigongo-Busisi ferry—which currently handles about 1,600 vehicles and over 2,000 passengers daily—the bridge will slash transport costs by an estimated 25 to 30 percent.
Travel times between Mwanza and Geita will shrink from more than two hours to just minutes, boosting mobility for traders, workers, and residents.
The benefits extend beyond convenience. The bridge is expected to stimulate interregional trade—especially in gold, cotton, and fish—linking Geita’s productive sectors to Mwanza’s commercial markets. The World Bank estimates that trade volumes in the region could rise by over 40 percent within five years of the bridge’s commissioning.
Moreover, more than 700 Tanzanians—most of them youth—were employed during construction, gaining valuable technical skills. A 2022 report by the National Development Corporation (NDC) projects over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs to be generated through new businesses emerging around the bridge area, such as restaurants, transport services, and retail trade.
Tourism is another expected beneficiary. Lake Victoria remains one of Tanzania’s top natural attractions, and improved road access is expected to increase tourism traffic to Mwanza and surrounding destinations.
According to the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), tourist arrivals in the Lake Zone rose by 10 percent in 2022, with projections of a further 20 percent increase following the bridge’s opening.
A boost for local expertise
Minister for Works, Mr Abdallah Ulega, commended both the Chinese contractor China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the Tanzanian engineers who participated in the project from inception to completion.
He noted that local professionals played a central role in the bridge’s success—an experience that will be pivotal in future national projects.
“One example is Engineer Katelula Kaswaga, who has been part of this project from the start and is now overseeing similar bridges in Simiyu and Pangani. We are proud of the capacity our engineers have developed,” said the minister.
The government, he added, is increasingly confident in assigning large-scale infrastructure projects to local contractors and experts, thereby reducing dependency on foreign firms and building long-term national capability.
A national asset for generations
As Tanzania prepares to unveil the JP Magufuli Bridge, the occasion marks more than the completion of a high-profile project.
It is a statement of continuity, ambition, and unity—a testament to what the country can achieve through sustained political will, local talent, and strategic investment.
Indeed, the bridge is not just a structure connecting Kigongo and Busisi. It is a gateway to shared prosperity—and a lasting tribute to a president whose legacy continues to shape the nation’s future.