Is it right for TANESCO to treat its new customers in this way?

DESPITE of the recent percentage increase charges of the power tariffs to electricity users in the country by the National Power Utility Company (TANESCO), prospective customers at various TANESCO’s main electricity supplying offices in Ilala, Kinondoni and Temeke districts in Dar es Salaam region who are to be installed with new electric meters in their homes are astonished by the way the company is treating them. These customers are told to look for their own means of transport in order to take them to their residential houses for the installation of their electric meters. The habit tarnishes the image of the company, and is a great shame to the big company like TANESCO which has been in operation since independence time in 1961.

This service which ironically has to be offered freely by the TANESCO themselves has puzzled most customers, and without any objection whatsoever have to comply by the condition imposed so as to get such a service. Investigations carried out reveals that, officials concerned from the meter deposit section demands transport facilities from their customers, who in return are not refunded with the money they pay for the service.

Between eight and ten customers are told to hire a mini-bus of their own choice whose owners demands between Tshs. 70,000/- and Tshs. 80,000/- (Approximately US$ 67 & US$ 77) for the journey to round them each one from their residences accompanied by two TANESCO workers including a meter clerk to accomplish their mission.

Most customers are astonished by this wonderful attitude as the money they pay is never refunded to them, and sometimes when tried to ask for clarification over the issue, no proper explanations are given to them by the company’s officials. “If you do not want to contribute for the trip, go back home and keep on waiting until when we have vehicles, we shall call you” thus this is how the officials tells them. But since they are in need of acquiring quick services and to avoid further inconveniences, most of them decides to pay. Actually this habit encourages corruptive malpractices.
TANESCO's Head office along Morogoro road at Ubungo suburb in Dar es Salaam.


When contacted for comment, an official from the meter deposit section at Ilala based regional supplying office along Samora Avenue in Dar es Salaam who couldn’t want to identify himself, agreed with the existing situation and said that, “they were ought to inform their customers to arrange for their own transport as the TANESCO currently does not have enough vehicles to help cater for the need of the company’s internal daily operational work schedules. The few available ones are mostly engaged to serve on other most important company’s activities.

However, without giving specific examples over the impending situation and how TANESCO is striving to solve the problem, he said that the move by the customer care aims at easing congestion, but he added that in the meantime their customers have to bear the brunt of this situation up to when more vehicles are bought to help internal operational duties.

He said TANESCO’s vehicles which are available are few and always are engaged with other important activities which needs urgent attention and, in view of this fact, he added that the situation becomes so critical in solving other matters. The situation which has been persisting for over four years now without a solution has left many customers with lots of question marks as nobody actually knows if such an accounting transactions of the money they pay are remitted secretly purporting the vehicles were hired by the company and entered into the hands of few illegally.

The company’s operations manager from the headquarters at Ubungo, who preferred anonymity when contacted by telephone for comment could not clarify on the issue but her secretary said that he was so busy with other assignments that it was not possible to trace him easily. However, the Public Relations Manager, Mr. Daniel Mshana declined to comment anything when contacted in his office. In another development, TANESCO’s customers have of late been complaining of the poor services rendered by the company including the inflated bills which is being recorded without following proper readings on their electric meters.

RICHMOND SAGA IS STILL PAINFUL

Recently Tanzania experienced a dramatic shock when the President reshuffled down his cabinet ministers following the resignation of the Prime Minister and MP for Monduli constituency, Hon Edward Lowassa who is implicated in an ongoing controversial deal of a Richmond saga the company which was contracted in a dubious deal to produce electricity to a sole National Power Utility firm in the country (TANESCO).

The Prime Minister was alleged to have been involved in an illegal power contract deal by the Parliamentary select committee formed by the Speaker of the National Assembly to probe on the matter when rumours spread from within the company that it was an illegal deal which has caused huge losses of money to the company (TANESCO)

With the pain still inflicting within people’s mind, most Tanzanians have now become untrustworthy with their leaders ever since a controversial deal of a Richmond saga was uncovered. This is the biggest ever financial scandal in the country together with others which are in pipeline like EPA, Bank of Tanzania (BOT) and many others l;ike mining contract deals.