JK sabotaged

[PELE]

By ThisDay Reporter
28th December 2009

SENIOR government officials in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the state-run Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) are alleged to be sabotaging the implementation of directives by President Jakaya Kikwete that could have saved the nation billions of shillings each month in power generation costs.

The presidential directives involve the conversion of the privately-owned 100MW Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL) power plant in Dar es Salaam from using costly imported fuel oil to domestic natural gas.

Details have since emerged of a covert scheme to sabotage the IPTL gas conversion plan in favour of other controversial power projects that could guarantee illegal kickbacks for some senior government officials.

According to official figures, while it costs more than $10m (approx. 13bn/-) per month to run the IPTL power plant using its current fuel-guzzling turbines, the cost would be drastically scaled down to just $1m if the long-standing gas conversion plan was implemented.

TANESCO's own power sector master plan (PSMP) listed the conversion of IPTL's power turbines from fuel to gas use as one of its priority projects initially scheduled for completion in 2006 at a cost of just $12.3m (approx. 16.5bn/-).

However, well-placed government sources revealed to THISDAY how senior officials at both TANESCO and the energy and minerals ministry have been putting the IPTL gas conversion project on the back-burner for their own selfish motives.

"There is no 30 per cent commission in the IPTL gas conversion project. That is why some of the officials involved are instead aggressively pushing for new power projects and the purchase of the Dowans Holdings power turbines, because that's where they can get their kickbacks," one informed source told THISDAY.

Official documents show that the cost of converting the IPTL turbines to use natural gas from Songosongo has now jumped from the initial $12.3m (approx. 16.5bn/-) to $20m (approx. 27bn/-).

But according to one government energy expert: "A one-off cost of $20m is still a reasonable amount to spend, considering that the government will be saving more than $100m each year if IPTL starts using natural gas now."

IPTL's provisional liquidator, Theofilius Rugonzibwa, is understood to have unsuccessfully tried to source the funds for the conversion of the power turbines from the company's escrow account, but was reportedly blocked by legal manoeuvring by a maze of lawyers representing TANESCO and IPTL majority shareholder Mechmar of Malaysia.

IPTL's escrow account is understood to have a balance of more than $100m (approx. 140bn/-).

Said a government source: "TANESCO was supposed to have paid for the conversion of the IPTL turbines to use gas, but has been dilly-dallying on this matter. We understand that the World Bank has already made these funds available."

"There are people who have still not given up on the purchase of the Dowans turbines, and are very interested in the latest TANESCO tenders for the supply of new power plants in Dar es Salaam (100MW) and Mwanza (60MW) because that's where the money is," the source added.

It is said that the money spent by the government in the past few weeks to import heavy fuel oil to run the IPTL power plant in the wake of recent rolling blackouts, was actually much more than what it would have cost to convert the turbines to use natural gas in the first place.

When inaugurating a new TANESCO plant in Ubungo, Dar es Salaam back in November 2008, President Kikwete publicly voiced his concern over delays in converting the IPTL power turbines to gas use, ordering an immediate resumption of the process.

Government officials claimed at the time that they had purportedly halted the process because of ongoing litigation over the longstanding IPTL project.

But over a year later, the IPTL gas conversion project is still yet to be implemented.

When asked by THISDAY last week to explain the continued delay, the Minister for Energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja, said the gas conversion was expected to start anytime from now.

Ngeleja said technicians from Wartsila Corporation on December 14 presented to TANESCO a blueprint of how the project is to be implemented.

The minister asserted that the government will foot all costs for the conversion.

He said the project had stalled over the years due to a pending suit filed by IPTL's majority shareholder in court.

“Implementation of the project was held back by the case in court, and also due to the fact that the investor (Mechmar) had not given consent for the conversion as per the agreement between the two parties,” he said, adding:

“We have since got the investor’s consent, on October 13 this year, to carry on with the project”.

Malaysia’s Mechmar Corporation instituted arbitration proceedings in 2002 against TANESCO and the government over, among other things, non-payment of capacity charges.

Ngeleja played down allegations that the gas conversion project was being stalled by some high-ranking officials in the ministry and from TANESCO, who are in favour of new power projects where they expect to reap money through commissions.

“If there is anyone planning to stall the project, he or she is doomed because I will champion the whole process myself. The conversion process is the way forward and there is no going back,” declared the minister.

Asked whether the government is still interested in purchasing the Dowans Holdings power turbines, minister Ngeleja remarked: “On that issue I have no comment.”

The minister also said that he was not in a position to state exactly when the IPTL gas conversion project could take off, saying that is a technical matter.

 

[Bluray]

The only person sabotaging JK is JK, the rest are only following suit, if at all.

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

everybody else but..

 

[JokaKuu]

..hii sasa ni aibu kwa kweli.

..JK amemteuwa David Jairo,mtu wake wa karibu kabisa, kuwa PS wizara ya Nishati.

..sasa kama pamoja na uteuzi huo bado anadai watumishi wa wizara wanamhujumu sijui nini kifanyike.

 

[TIMING]

Samahani wakuu, naomba niende off point kidogo; nilivyosma hii habari jana i was somehow let down kwa jinsi habari ilivyoandikwa... i am sensing a serious change in the way hili gazeti "This Day" linavyoanza kugeuka

NAona wamekuwa weekly, lakini pia wamekuwa wanaongelea hearsay na sioni ile investigative quality ya Mwanza

Back to Mada; nobody is sabotaging JK, ni yeye mwenyewe... he is just forgeting that he is a captain and she should have known better the roles of a a captain!!

 

[Ndahani]

Jamani ngumu mtu kuacha asili! Sidhani kama matatizo ni ya wizara. Matatizo ni ya kiongozi mkubwa kabisa na yamesambaa kama ilivyo kansa kwenye instiution zote.Tunawaonea bureee wizara ya nishati.Tuanzie magogoni kwenyewe

 

[Kubwajinga]

JK is sabotaged by the US doctor who gave him a clean bill of mental health.

How can an African president be sabotaged by some clerks he self apointed.

 

[Shaycas]

Let's wait and see.

 

[Kigogo]

ukiwa na kingozi mwenye mizaha na asiyekuwa makini katika masuala ya msingi hayo ndo matokeo yake...nani amfanyie sabotage!!! hatutaki visingizo kama vya Taifa Stars na Maximo hapa....JK is sabotaging himself since day one he took the office

 

[Mag3]

JK is sabotaged by the US doctor who gave him a clean bill of mental health.

How about the Tanzanian witchdoctor who gave him a clean sweep without any opposition in next year's General Election.

 

[Ujengelele]

Utendaji wa Kikwete ni safi sana lakini anaangushwa na mawaziri wake. Hiki ni kichekesho cha hali ya juu. Kwani si ana uwezo wa kuwateua na kuwafukuza kazi!? Kishafukuza wangapi wanamuangusha tangu aingie madarakani? Au anangoja aunde tume ndiyo iwafukuze? Hata wale ambao tume iliyoundwa ilirecommend wafukuzwe kama Hosea bado wako kwenye ajira. Kikwete anatafuta kila sababu ya kukimbia utendaji wake mbovu ili agombee tena. Kikwete bora ubwage manyanga ili tupate kiongozi mpya, siyo siri kwamba uongozi wa nchi umekushinda kabisa.

 

[Phillemon Mikael]

MCHAWI WA JK NI JK MWENYEWE!! HE IS SICK!!...and of late it starts eroding his brain ..bringing down his mental capability...!..marais wengi hujitahidi first term kufanya kazi kwa bidii na second term huwa wanajisahau.....sasa huyu first term anajisahau ...mnategemea afanye nini second term where as he will have nothing to lose.

....watch out this space...miaka ijayo mtaingia barabarani kumsihi awaachie nchi salama .....kwani atakuwa amelala usingizi ...na uwezo wa kuamka kiakili na kinguvu utakuwa ukingoni....jiandaeni kuona ya Zuma yakitokea Tanzania.....angalau Mbeki hakuondolewa kwa uzembe ...alikuwa mchapa kazi...ila akaondolewa kisiasa....sasa hapa siasa zero ,uchumi zero,utendaji wa jumla zero!!!!!

 

[Phillemon Mikael]

akistaafu mapema hatakosa kazi..Tido atampa kazi TBC ..ya ku host jk COMEDY show!!

 

[Nyuki]

MCHAWI WA JK NI JK MWENYEWE!! HE IS SICK!!...and of late it starts eroding his brain ..bringing down his mental capability...!..marais wengi hujitahidi first term kufanya kazi kwa bidii na second term huwa wanajisahau.....sasa huyu first term anajisahau ...mnategemea afanye nini second term where as he will have nothing to lose.

...watch out this space...miaka ijayo mtaingia barabarani kumsihi awaachie nchi salama .....kwani atakuwa amelala usingizi ...na uwezo wa kuamka kiakili na kinguvu utakuwa ukingoni....jiandaeni kuona ya Zuma yakitokea Tanzania.....angalau Mbeki hakuondolewa kwa uzembe ...alikuwa mchapa kazi...ila akaondolewa kisiasa....sasa hapa siasa zero ,uchumi zero,utendaji wa jumla zero!!!!!

Mind you the vice versa si true

 

[Mpita Njia]

Let's wait and see.

Hivi kuna mengine tena ya kuyaona zaidi ya haya tuliyokwishayashuhudia!!!!

 

[Ngisibara]

Hivi kuna mengine tena ya kuyaona zaidi ya haya tuliyokwishayashuhudia!!!!

Mengineyo ambayo kasema jana ni hivi...nanukuu...."Nimerudi jana kuja kukapokea kafimbo haka ka malikia na kesho nitaondoka tena"

 

[Lole Gwakisa]

Mengineyo ambayo kasema jana ni hivi...nanukuu...."Nimerudi jana kuja kukapokea kafimbo haka ka malikia na kesho nitaondoka tena"

Ni jambo la kusikitisha sana kwa wengi wetu tuliomsapoti JK mwaka 2005.Kila siku najiuliza je zile kazi za Urais pale Ikulu anazifanya nani?

JK kwa mwezi anatumia muda gani katika kutatua matatizo ya kiuongozi ndani ya Baraza lake la Mwaziri?

In actual fact sioni Waziri mbovu katika Baraza la JK, kitu wanachokosa hawa Mawaziri ni Uongozi na dira inayoeleweka.Na hapa ndo wengi tunajiuliza misingi ya strategic planning katika ngazi zote za uongozi zimekaaje.

Kama dira ya kisiasa haieleweki na hata dira ya maendeleo haiko dhahiri tusitegemee makubwa sana.

 

[Ngalikihinja]

Utendaji wa Kikwete ni safi sana lakini anaangushwa na mawaziri wake. Hiki ni kichekesho cha hali ya juu. Kwani si ana uwezo wa kuwateua na kuwafukuza kazi!? Kishafukuza wangapi wanamuangusha tangu aingie madarakani? Au anangoja aunde tume ndiyo iwafukuze? Hata wale ambao tume iliyoundwa ilirecommend wafukuzwe kama Hosea bado wako kwenye ajira. Kikwete anatafuta kila sababu ya kukimbia utendaji wake mbovu ili agombee tena. Kikwete bora ubwage manyanga ili tupate kiongozi mpya, siyo siri kwamba uongozi wa nchi umekushinda kabisa.

Utendaji wa mawaziri wake ndo utendaji wake......... they are direct proportional........... ikiharibika huku inaharinu na kule kwa kiwango kile kile

 

[Marigwe]

Mmmmm Yaani nyie watu???Niambieni ni wapi kulikoharibika? Myasemao ni ngebe tu. Ni wapi kulikoharibika? Kuna miongoni mwenu wanaomfahamu Rais wa kwanza wa Cameroon, Ahmadu Ahidjo aliekuwa tricked na daktari wake akaachia ngazi kumpisha Paulo Biya? Mnamkubuka?? Huyo ndiye aliekuwa sabotaged. Kama hujui fanya research.