Nimepekua makabrasha yangu na kupata ujumbe huu ambao ndio yalikuwa malengo ya Dr. Mwakyembe kuhusu Kyela.
My dear brother XXXXX,
Nimerejea Dar kwa mapumziko ya muda mfupi baada ya uchaguzi kuahirishwa hadi Disemba 14.. Kazi niliyoifanya Kyela katika miezi miwili niliyokuwa huko ni kubwa. Nimejieleza vizuri kwa wananchi na kuwaandaa kisaikolojia kuwa miaka mitano ijayo ni ya kazi ngumu na mabadiliko makubwa kijamii na kiuchumi. Nina uhakika kuwa nimeng'oa mizizi yote ya Mwakipesile for a fresh start.
Nimefurahi sana kuona barua pepe ya kwako, ya XXX, XXX na XXX, zote zikiitakia Kyela na mimi mwenyewe mambo mema. Sikuweza kuzisoma mapema kutokana na hali halisi ya Kyela ya kutokuwa na reliable internet services. All the same, thanks a million times for your encouraging remarks.
My two-month long campaign trail in Kyela has been hectic, rough, nerve-racking but also rewarding in the sense that I can now confidently claim to know Kyela"s economic and social landscape thoroughly well. Kyela is, to say the least, a complete shamble and may rank one of the least developed and ill-provided for districts in the country. Whenever it rains, most of the key roads linking Kyela town with the district's productive areas and commercial centres like Ipinda, Matema, Makwale and Ipande, are rendered impassable. A large majority of Kyela residents has no access to clean water, hence the recurrent outbreak of cholera, dysentery and other water borne diseases in the district. Coupled with the rising HIV/Aids infection in the district which places Kyela at the top of the most affected districts in the country by the pandemic, and the abject poverty of most residents in the district, Kyela looks distressing.
Kielimu Kyela imeachwa mbali sana na Rungwe. Wakati miaka ya 80 Rungwe ilikuwa na shule za sekondari tatu tu na Kyela moja, leo hii Rungwe ina shule za sekondari 34 na high schools 7. Kyela ina secondary schools 7 na haina high school hata moja (44 years after independence!) Tena shule mbili kati ya hizo 7 ni mpya tu, zina madarasa machache tu na ujenzi unaendelea! Kutokana na hali hii, idadi kubwa ya vijana wa Kyela wanaishia darasa la saba. Mwaka jana tu, watoto 2,120 wa Kyela walifanya mtihani wa darasa la saba. Waliofaulu walikuwa zaidi ya asilimia 75 (75%) lakini waliochaguliwa kuingia secondary schools walikuwa asilimia 22 (22%) tu! Hivyo, Kyela ina idadi kubwa ya vijana walioishia darasa la saba ambao hawawezi kufua dafu kwenye soko la kisasa la ajira.
Kiuchumi, Kyela imekwisha bila kubadilisha mindset ya watu wake. Watu, hasa vijana, wamekuwa wavivu sana. Wanapenda maisha ya starehe na anasa na wanapenda sana fedha lakini hawataki kufanya kazi. Ukifika Kyela utagundua hilo kwa haraka kutokana na kila kijana, kila mtoto na sasa kila mzee kukuomba pesa. Kyela inakaribia kuipiku Dodoma kwa tabia ya ombaomba. Tatizo la msingi ni kwamba vijana hawapendi kufanyakazi. Pombe imewatawala. Wanakunywa pombe za kienyezi toka ahsubuhi hadi jioni. It is pathetic!
Hakuna kijana anayejishughulisha na bustani za mbogaboga licha ya kwamba Mungu ameipendelea sana Kyela kuwa na mito mingi inayo crisscross the district. Matokeo yake ni kuwa kila siku ya Mungu, wafanyabiashara wa Mbeya wanaleta kila asubuhi mboga za majani kutoka Uyole na Tukuyu ili kuilisha Kyela! Leo hii, Rungwe inailisha Kyela kila siku kwa ndizi na kwa maziwa! Paradoxically, wafugaji wa Rungwe hawana nyasi za kutosha kulishia ng'ombe wao wa maziwa. Nyasi nyingi wanazitoa Kyela!
A lot has gone astray in Kyela but the way forward is to stop mourning and stem the tide of degeneration. Kyela which enjoys several comparative advantages in Mbeya region must, in the coming five years, take up its rightful position as pace-setter in the agribusiness sector. We are producers of the finest organic cocoa in Africa if not the world; producers of a high quality, aromatic type of rice; producers of palm oil,cashewnuts etc. Tulichokosa Kyela for all the 44 years of indepence ni committed and focussed leadership.
I strongly believe that with your support (XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX and our brothers and sisters residing in Dar, Arusha, Mwanza, Nairobi etc.), we shall turn Kyela round and never again let our people down. I have the following rough ideas in mind which I'd like to think loudly with you with a view to implementing them in my five-year term of office. Baadhi ya mawazo nimeyapata kwenye e-mail yenu:
(1) Kuhakikisha kuwa katika miaka mitano ijayo kila kata iwe angalau na shule moja ya sekondari. Wilaya ya Kyela ina kata 15, nusu yake hazina shule za sekondari. Vilevile katika miaka mitano ijayo baadhi ya shule za sekondari zilizopo ambazo hazijakamilika au zina majengo machakavu, zitakamilishwa, zingine kupanuliwa na kukarabatiwa ili ziwe kwenye viwango vinavyokubalika. Ikiwa Prof. Mwakyusa (Rungwe Magharibi) ameweza kujenga shule mpya za sekondari 13 katika miaka mitano tu na Prof. Mwandosya (Rungwe Mashariki) amejenga shule mpya 9 za sekondari katika miaka hiyohiyo mitano, tutashindwaje Kyela kujenga shule mpya 8 za sekondari na zingine kuzimalizia au kuzikarabati katika miaka mitano ijayo?
(2) Kuhakikisha kuwa Kyela inajenga High School moja au mbili katika miaka mitano ijayo. Ili kufanikisha malengo (1) na (2), tutatumia nguvu ya wananchi, pesa za serikali za miradi (TASAF, MES, nk), michango ya wana Kyela wote waishio ndani na nje ya wilaya na vilevile, tutahamasisha taasisi zisizo za kiserikali na watu wenye pesa waanzishe private schools.
(3) Kuchimba visima kadhaa katika kila kijiji ili kuhamasisha uanzishwaji na uendeshaji wa bustani za nyanya, vitunguu na mboga mbalimbali za majani. Baadhi ya visima hivyo vitasaidia kilimo cha umwagiliaji wa mazao ya chakula kama mahindi, maharage, njegere, viazi vitamu n.k. wakati wa kiangazi. What we badly need ni mtambo wa kuchimbia visima.
Gharama za kukodisha mitambo hiyo ni kubwa mno kwa wananchi kuzimudu. Kisima kimoja kinagharimu (pamoja na mabomba yake) kiasi cha sh. milioni tatu hadi nne.
(4) Kuanzisha na kusimamia mpango wa ku-add value ya mazao makuu tunayozalisha Kyela. Kwa maneno mengine, badala ya kuyasafirisha au kuyatoa nje ya wilaya mazao yetu makuu k.m. mpunga, cocoa, mawese, korosho n.k. yakiwa raw au unprocessed, Halmashauri ya Wilaya ianzishe mpango wa kuwahamasisha watu wenye mitaji ili wawekeze Kyela kwa kujenga processing plants za mazao hayo. Mkakati huo utasaidia kuongeza thamani ya mazao yetu katika soko, utaongeza kipato cha mkulima wa Kyela na kuongeza nafasi za ajira kwa vijana wanaozagaa hovyo hovyo mitaani. Nimeomba appointment na mabalozi wa Ghana na Indonesia ili wanipe uzoefu wao katika kuongeza thamani ya cocoa na mawese. Tayari nimeongea na Ministry of Trade and Industries kuhusu uwezekano wa kuupa mchele wa Kyela a distinct Trade Mark ambayo itaulinda mchele wa Kyela usichanganywe na michele mingine mibovu, itaongeza thamani ya mchele wa Kyela katika soko la ndani na nje na kutoa incentive kwa wakulima kuongeza zaidi mavuno yao kwa mwaka. (Proposed Trade Mark itakuwa na maneno yafuatayo: "KYELA RICE – Tasty, Aromatic & 100% Organic". Tutalazimika kuteua kampuni chache zenye sifa na uwezo stahili, kujenga viwanda vya kukoboa na ku-pack kwenye mifuko ya ujazo na uzito mbalimbali wilayani Kyela na kuajiri extension officers wa kuhakikisha ubora wa mpunga mashambani
(5) Kuihimiza serikali kujenga chuo cha ufundi Kyela (vocational training college) ili kutatua tatizo kubwa linaloikabili Kyela la kuwa na kundi kubwa la class seven leavers ambao hawana ujuzi wowote kuweza kujiajiri. Tayari nimeongea na Southern Highlands Zonal Director wa VETA, amekielewa kilio cha Kyela. Nasubiri iundwe serikali mpya tupeleke kilio chetu moja kwa moja kwa waziri mhusika.
(6) Kuongeza juhudi za kuwaelimisha wananchi kuhusu janga la ukimwi, maambukizi ya ukimwi na hali mbaya inayoikabili Kyela. Kwa sasa Kyela ni ya pili baada ya wilaya ya Kinondoni kitaifa katika kuathirika na ukimwi. Licha ya hali hiyo mbaya sana, bado wananchi wanaendeleza mila hatari za kurithi wake wa ndugu zao, wanaendekeza promiscuity, wanaendelea na tabia ya kuchangia unywaji pombe kwenye bakuli moja! Tatizo ni lack of awareness. Kyela haijafaidika na vipindi vingi vya televisheni na redio juu ya ukimwi kutokana na umbali wa Kyela na vituo vya kurushia habari. Hivyo upo umuhimu mkubwa wa kuanzisha an FM Radio station hapa Kyela. It is not a bad investment at all for you people there to think about! Radio Kyela FM itasikilizwa Malawi, Ileje na Rungwe na haitakosa small adverts to keep it afloat.
(7) We hardly have effective charity programmes to assist HIV/AIDS orphans. Most orphans in Kyela are of tender age and cannot fend for themselves. Many of them are out of school for obvious reasons. We need to put our heads together to tackle the matter.
(8) I wholeheartedly endorse XXX idea of creating a marketing profile of Kyela. Kyela's interesting crop and fish varieties, beautiful beaches at Matema and Ikombe along Lake Nyasa, Kyela's traditional handicrafts and pottery as well as its rich cultural heritage embodied in the people's language, songs and dances, won't contribute anything meaningful to the district without s marketing/publicity profile as suggested by Dr. Lennard. Dr. Lennard, your help in this regard is badly needed.
(9) Kuunda chombo cha kuratibu maendeleo wilayani Kyela kitakachojulikana kama Kyela Development Fund (KDF). KDF itasajiliwa as an NGO na office bearers wake watatoka kwenye kanda tatu: kanda ya Kyela, kanda ya Dar es Salaam (itakayojumuisha wilaya zingine zote mbali na Kyela) na kanda ya nje ya Tanzania. Tunategemea wawakilishi wawili kutoka kwenu huko (Marekani/Uingereza) watakaokuwa alternate committee members. Tunaandaa draft constitution ya NGO hiyo ambayo tutahakikisha kuwa ina mfumo imara wa kuwajibika kwa uwazi kwa wadau wote wa Kyela.
Kwa leo niishie hapo. Once again, mnisamehe sana kwa kushindwa kuwaandikia mapema. Nafikiria namna ya kuanzisha an internet cafe in Kyela. Nawategemea sana. Kwa ushirikiano wetu sote, tutaipa Kyela sura mpya kabisa katika miaka michache ijayo.
N.B. Dhamira yetu njema ya kuipa Kyela sura mpya inaungwa mkono na viongozi wengi wa serikali. Hata kabla sijatawazwa kuwa mbunge wa Kyela, nimepata taarifa nzuri kutoka wizara mbili nyeti kuwa: (1) town centre ya Kyela inawekwa lami kuanzia mwenzi huu kuashiria a fresh promising start; (2) barabara kuu ya Kyela inamaliziwa kuwekwa lami hadi Itungi Port kuanzia mwezi huu. Wahusika wote nimewashukuru kwa niaba ya wananchi wa Kyela.
Cheers,
Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe (Mbunge Mtarajiwa, Kyela)