Arusha is overwhelmed by massive mushrooming of the so-called ‘Frames’ cubicles that are currently destroying the profile of this important Northern Tanzanian City.
On each and every street, roads and alleys there are myriads of these cubicles etched into residential buildings, commercial properties or even standalone blocks.
The ‘Frame’ duggouts are the latest business fad in Arusha and many parts of Tanzania.
The cubicles are essentially rooms with single openings that are usually facing roads or streets.
Frames are built to be rented out to traders who convert them into shops, hair maintaining salons, grocers, liquor stores and tailor marts or any other trade which comes to the tenant’s mind.
Even church and mosque buildings are now making use of their outer grounds to erect ‘Frames’ for hire.
But the Arusha Regional Commissioner, Paul Makonda is not exactly impressed by emergence of frames.
He describes them to be an eyesore development plaguing the city status.
“Arusha is a tourist city not some cheap town where people come to buy candy,” he stated.
According to Mr Makonda, Arusha is in dire need of quality hotel rooms and beds to accommodate local and international visitors coming into the city, but precisely foreign tourists and the last thing these aliens need to see in the city are cheap frames.
Over 80 percent of the 1.5 million tourists who visit Tanzania usually end up in the Northern Circuit comprising of mostly Arusha and Kilimanjaro Regions.
The Regional Commissioner was addressing Arusha residents during the event to receive 20 new motorcycles donated to the regional police force by the CRDB Group which is conducting the Bank’s annual General Meeting of Shareholders here.
Makonda pointed out that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had specifically sent him to Arusha so that he may address the issue of inadequate hotel rooms and few beds in the precinct which serves as the country’s diplomatic and tourism portal.
The RC tasked the Arusha Regional Police Commander, Justine Masejo to ensure that crime has been brought down in the city and that is why many institutions are contributing to the efforts in equipping the police force, including the 20 motorcycles donated by CRDB.
While the motorcycle handing over ceremony was held at the Gran Melia Hotel, the CRDB Shareholders Meeting and its preceding training seminar, is taking place at the Arusha International Conference Center (AICC).
Zanzibar President, Dr Hussein Ally Mwinyi graced the CRDB Members’ seminar and used the occasion to appeal to the Banking Group Management to start conducting their annual events in the Isles as well.
“The Isles has opened its doors to investors, and we therefore need training sessions like these to the residents of Zanzibar and also where possible, the CRDB Annual Shareholders meeting of 2025 should be held in Unguja,” said President Mwinyi.