Tanzania cancels Independence Day celebration, to use $445k budget for school dormitories

Tanzania’s President Samia Hassan has cancelled the country’s Independence Day celebration.

The Independence Day celebration was scheduled to hold on Friday.

Hassan, the country’s first female president, directed that the event’s budget of $445,000 be used to build eight dormitories for children with special needs in primary schools around the country.

She said the unnecessary extravagance of the celebrations informed her decision to use the allocated budget to handle a more urgent project.

In a statement on Monday, George Simbachawene, the country’s minister of state, said the money had already been disbursed.

“The debates and conferences will be preceded by various schedules for regional and district leaders to carry out social activities in different areas including cleaning hospitals, schools, elderly homes and groups with special needs,” he added.

The funds will be channelled to the schools through the president’s office – regional administration and local government (PO-RALG).

This is not the first time Tanzania has cancelled the celebrations.

In 2015, former President John Magufuli diverted the Independence Day funds towards the building of a road in Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial capital.

In 2020, he did the same and directed that the budget be used to support medical facilities.