WITH the increase of electricity power tariff by 40
percent effectively from this year, the government has announced a reduction
charges for electricity power service line connection for rural dwellers in the
country with effect from the month of February 2014. The Minister for Minerals
and Energy Professor Sospeter Muhongo said last week in Dar es Salaam that, the
service line in rural areas in the country will now be charged at an affordable
and cheaper rate of Sh. 27,000 instead of Sh. 177,000 as it was before. He said that, only the rural beneficiaries will
enjoy this service connection aimed to promote Rural Energy Agency (REA)
program which has entered its second phase as from the month of February up to
May 2015. The first phase of the REA
projects started in early 2011 and ended in December 2013 Addressing the Management of the Rural Energy
Agency (REA), Prof. Muhongo said that, the decision by the government is to revolutionalise
national economy as the electricity is a driving engine to achieve a national
development vision of 2015. He said the rate of reduction which has come down
to approximately 600 percent is to promote electricity users in rural areas
into getting electricity for their daily economic operational activities. “This
is not a joke as the government intends to accomplish its vision for
development by 2015 that all Tanzanians including rural dwellers should have
access to electricity power by 30 percent” he said adding that the use of
electricity promotes country’s economic development. However he noted that, up
to 2005, only 10 percent of Tanzanians had access to electricity with the rural
areas covering 2 percent. He further noted that, as from 2005, the rate of
usage has increased by 11 percent and currently stands at 21 percent.
“The
reduction is only for the people in rural areas who are served under REA’s
integrated program whose budget the government had set for Sh. 881 billion for
two years respectively which ends up to May 2015” Prof. Muhongo who is a
geologist by profession insisted. The meeting which was also attended by senior
staff members of the National Power Utility Firm (TANESCO), had also in
attendance the Board members of the Rural Energy Fund (REF). During his speech,
Prof. Muhongo directed officials of the REA to ensure that, contractors signed
to undergo the rural energy projects completes their construction on time, or
else a failure to comply by the rules ordained in their contractual obligations
should be withdrawn. However, the Minister used the opportunity to blast some
of the contractors whom he said were flouting the laid down rules of
construction as they have a habit of soliciting for bribes from the people in
rural areas whom he said are extremely poor. Elaborating on this, Prof. Muhongo
noted that, some tend to ask for the bribes pretending to divert the main
transmission lines from areas through which have been designed to pass as a
pretext to solicit for money. He elaborated further that, tactics applied by
some contractors is to lure the minds of the people so as to make their mischief
done. However, he has cautioned the general public to be careful with such
contractors in the areas wherever the REA projects are going on in the country.
He also cautioned the people in rural area that, they shouldn’t demand a
compensation for the land they issue on which the REA projects are engineered,
as there are no money for compensation as this is for their benefits.
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