RORYA: Legalise 'gongo' MP urges govt

BY CORRESPONDENT

Rorya legislator Lameck Airo has appealed to the government to legalise the drinking of a local spirit, commonly known as gongo, to save villagers from unnecessary expenditure on bribing police officers.

He said though ‘gongo’ is yet to be legalised by the government, it has been a major source of income for most Rorya residents and other districts in Mara region.

Airo made the call at Utegi village when addressing a rally over the weekend. He said the local spirit has even helped parents meet their children's school requirements. 

He called on local government leaders to ensure they include in their annual budgets construction of houses for police officers and their offices.

He said the government should also think of establishing a special police zone for Rorya district instead of the current situation where Tarime and Rorya are served by a single zone.

He said during his recent visit to Changunge village in Rorya district, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda promised to work on their proposal. He said the villagers told the premier that they were ready to construct a police post and houses in order to strengthen security in the district.

According to Airo, police officers have been benefiting from the sale of tje illicit brew because they are used to taking bribes from both the processors and sellers.

He said the local brew is similar to ‘Konyagi’, adding that what is required is to upgrade it to make it safe for human consumption. 

On agriculture, he called upon Rorya residents to properly use the current rains to cultivate enough crops for both food and sale. He said the only way to ensure food security is for them to cultivate more crops.

After the rally, the MP inaugurated two teachers’ houses in the village which were constructed by the villagers at a cost of 26m/-.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (29/10/2012): http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=47439