I sometimes ferry people from Maji-ya-chai to Ngurdoto village using my old Toyota Stout pickup.  It is the only vehicle that can bear the pathetic road conditions around here. 

It is an occasional  thing, usually once a week during market days but when the rains start the track becomes impossible to navigate. 

Charging my fares at Tsh. 1000 per head is more of a loss to me even though the vehicle can take up to 20 people, squeezed. Maintenance costs keep escalating as the road gets worse. No! Despite recent claims, this road has never been repaired. 

Ainea Verali
Truck Driver
Maji-ya-chai

 

The nearest secondary school is located at Maji-ya-chai area almost 10 kilometers from here. Students are forced to trek the distance to and from school on a daily basis. 

A number of children have dropped out of school due to the same reason. Others have opted not to continue with secondary education after completing primary school fearing the long walk to school 

Students have to wake up at 4.00 am on school days if they are to make it in time to class, walking in the dark could be dangerous especially to girls. I have two daughters who will be joining secondary school next year and right now we are all very concerned.  

Dorotea Zakaria
Mother - Ngurdoto village

I moved into this village in 1977.  The road condition has been growing from bad to worse and now it  is at its worst. For over 30 years we have never had public transport around here. 

Often, sick people die on the way to hospital because they both have to walk or if overwhelmed by illness, be carried on the shoulders and sometimes balanced on pushed bicycles. 

Even if you have money to hire a car, the drivers at Maji-ya-chai refuse to bring their vehicles here no matter how much one is prepared to pay them. 

Funny thing we are usually forced to contribute Tsh. 6000 every month for road repairs and recently we heard the government had issued Tsh. 100 million for its rehabilitation but what we have seen are mounds of soil being dumped on some patches. 

Mathew Mosha
Ngurdoto village

There are lots of investors who have shown interest in establishing tourism projects around here. Most have been coming to survey land intending to set up hotels and campsite however these usually never return and all claim to be discouraged by the pathetic road conditions.  

It is only seven kilometers from the main Moshi-Arusha highway yet our village is still in stone-age era; no transport, electricity or water and all these are caused by the lack of road communication. 

Saria N. Nnko
Ngurdoto village