How should Tanzanians remember year 2010?

The just ended year 2010 could go down in Tanzania’s history as one of the toughest. It saw the majority of the poor population leading miserable lives owing to skyrocketing of consumer prices.

Encouraging figures from authorities indicating the slowing down of inflation and rising economic growth showed no impact as the general public continued complaining of rising cost of living.

The authorities kept on bombarding the public with encouraging figures on inflation and economic growth. But in fact, it may be recalled that the prevailing tough conditions started in 2006, almost coinciding with President Jakaya Kikwete assuming office in October 2005.

Under his predecessor Benjamin Mkapa, for example, the prices of basic food items such as maize flower and sugar remained stable, unlike the present situation.

And according to Dr Azavery Lwaitama, a don of the University of Dar es Salaam, 2010 was a year that poor Tanzanians would not forget. “Every person that you talk to is complaining of life hardship.

This has been contributed by the financial crisis that hit the world in late 2008 and other malfunctioning internal policies.”

He says tenants have suffered much as a result of rising rental fee slapped on them by landlords who claim this is due to high construction costs. “Of course the prices of materials keep on rising everyday, and worse still it is the tenant who carries the burden,” Lwaitama says.

He adds that the ordinary people should not expect any relief in this New Year, especially so following the hiking of power tariffs.Read More