CTI differs with President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete

[MwanaFalsafa1]

The Citizen Reporter

Dar es Salaam. The Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) yesterday differed with a statement made by President Jakaya Kikwete on Wednesday that the Mother Nature was to blame for the prevailing power crisis bedeviling the country.The CTI second vice-president, Mr Jayesh Shah, said the government should stop politicising the power woes, and should instead look for a workable and lasting solution.

Speaking during his Wednesday tour of the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), the President defended the minister for Energy and Minerals, Mr William Ngeleja, saying he (the minister) was not responsible for the ongoing power shortage that is threatening to cripple the economy. Of late, various commentators have been calling for the resignation of Mr Ngeleja, who they accuse of failing to address the power crisis that has become the nightmare of industrialists, every category of entrepreneurs and domestic consumers alike.

Mr Shah told The Citizen in a telephone interview that the government must shoulder the blame for failure to take pre-emptive measures, since it is well known that Mother Nature is not a reliable way of getting electricity, more so in the face of the vagaries of global warming.

"We've said this before, that the government needs to look at the possibility of having alternative sources of power…the country is in a crisis and the words the President is speaking are not helping the matter in anyway," said Mr Shah.He said Tanzania's economy would continue to shrink if the power problem is not solved quickly in the face of inflation and the falling value of the local shilling against the US dollar.

Mr Shah's barbed remarks add clout to recent calls by the chief executive officers (CEOs) of different major companies who asked the government to look for an emergency plan to rescue the country's economy from a total collapse.

In a meeting last week, the CEOs advised the government to convene a meeting that would involve stakeholders from the government, academia, private sector, development partners and civil society organisations to roll out the necessary plan.The chairman of MAC Group Limited and a CEOs roundtable member, said production in various industries and companies had dropped by about 30 per cent because of the power problem.

The Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) told members of the Parliamentary Committee for Energy and Minerals in Dar es Salaam that the loss resulting from the power cuts could amount to a whopping Sh840 billion in unmet collection targets in the second half of the just ended fiscal year.

The CTI had reported that the last power shedding had not been as serious as the current one, in which about 50 factories have been forced to close up shop.While the CEOs see the problem as a national disaster, when speaking, President Kikwete said the drought problem in the country was not as serious as in countries like Kenya where presently many people were threatened by hunger.

"We ask the private sector and other stakeholders to assist us in dealing with the problem," said the President.

President Kikwete's defence of the minister and now, the CTI rejoinder, come in the wake of criticism that government was not treating the problem with the serious it deserves, while commentators, including ruling party MPs and their Opposition counterparts, are openly calling for the resignation of Energy minister Ngeleja.

In his statement, President Kikwete also shielded Tanzania Electrici Supply Company Limited (Tanesco), explaining that nature was to blame for the problem. He said it was about time people stopped demanding that certain people take responsibilities for problems they did not create.

"The power problem here has not been premeditated by Ngeleja or Mhando (William, the managing director of Tanesco)…there is no water in Mtera," the President insisted, adding, "this problem has been caused by drought…which of course is not that serious here because in countries like Kenya, drought is already a national disaster."

Because of the crisis, Mr Kikwete said, the government was ‘sweating' on the prospect of obtaining about 300MW until the end of the year, to lessen the problem. "Tanesco is already in the process of working with Aggreko to try to solve the problem…I'm told there were disagreements regarding the cost of the project but they informed me today that they were at an advanced stage of their negotiations."

Source:The Citizen

 

[The Finest]

Huyu Kikwete huyu eti mother nature na nchi ambazo zinazalisha umeme bila kutumia mabwawa wala vyanzo vya maji, he should admit Ngeleja is a failure badala ya kuanza kumkingia kifua in few months to come viwanda vingi vitafungwa if the situation continues to be the same.

 

[nyamagaro]

Huyu Kikwete huyu eti mother nature na nchi ambazo zinazalisha umeme bila kutumia mabwawa wala vyanzo vya maji, he should admit Ngeleja is a failure badala ya kuanza kumkingia kifua in few months to come viwanda vingi vitafungwa if the situation continues to be the same.

Kikwete!!!!, Dont talk of that man, burden to this generation and that to come. I am tired of his illusions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

 

[AirTanzania]

Rais Jinga, Mawaziri Mambumbu na watanzania bado tumelala

 

[MANI]

Kuna msemo wa kiswahili unaosema kuwa "ukiwa muongo usiwe msahaulifu" sasa hawa watawala wetu nakumbuka 2007 walidai mgao itakuwa historia ina maana wamesahau kauli yao !

 

[Chapakazi]

Siku izi hakuna kuuma maneno tena! Siasi za ccm zimeturudisha nyuma...

 

[Tangawizi]

JK anaongea kama mtoto wa darasa la kwanza! Ana maana gani kuilaumu mvua isiyonyesha wakati tuna gas ya kutosha, coal, wind and solar?????Anataka kuficha ukweli kwamba Tanesco na wizara kuna watu wachache wananeemeka sna na huu mgao wa umeme. nani alimtuma agombee uraisi kama anafikiri kazi tuliyompa ni kutuambia mvua hazinyeshi? Kwani utabiri wa hali ya hewa wanafanya nini??? Mhh, nina shaka kama huyu jamaa ni kiongozi....huyu ni mpiga story tu...angefaa kuongoza mpira sio nchi

 

[SolarPower]

Kuna msemo wa kiswahili unaosema kuwa "ukiwa muongo usiwe msahaulifu" sasa hawa watawala wetu nakumbuka 2007 walidai mgao itakuwa historia ina maana wamesahau kauli yao !

Anayetakiwa kujiuzulu ni Rais.

 

[mbogo31]

Ngeleja ubunifu hana, na JK ndio kabisaa! ni miaka mingapi hii ngonjera ya umeme itaendelea? tumechoka, lakini na sisi Mitanzania hovyo tu wala tusilalamike maana tunayataka wenyewe, kwani nchi hii ni ya JK? si yetu kwa nini tusimfute kazi? ameshindwa kufanya kazi aliyopewa na NEC.

 

[MAMENGAZI]

uwiiiii, nani atamsaidia huyu baba kutoka kwenye huo usingizi aliolala, yaani anongea utafikiri anaongea na mazuzu, give us a break, tumechoka ujue!!!!!!!!

 

[mfianchi]

vIONGOZI WETU KWA KUPIGA POROJO BANA,NAFIKIRI WAMEJISAHAU WANAONA BADO WAPO KIJIWENI SAIGONI PALE KARIAKOO

 

[MwanaFalsafa1]

Kuna msemo wa kiswahili unaosema kuwa "ukiwa muongo usiwe msahaulifu" sasa hawa watawala wetu nakumbuka 2007 walidai mgao itakuwa historia ina maana wamesahau kauli yao !

Tukaja kuambia mgao utakuwa history in three years then ikasogezwa mbele tena mpaka 2015. Ngeleja is a failure and JK is an even bigger failure.

 

[Kamundu]

Ni kweli kwamba Kikwete hawezi kufanya maamuzi magumu nilishasema hili la kukutana siku nyingi sana lakini watu wakaweka siasa. Serikali inasikitisha maana hata swala la Dowasan hakuna mtu aliyekuwa anajua uamuzi wa serikali mpaka pale balozi wa marekani alipotusaidia!!. Kikwete hajaongelea tatizo hili kama janga la taifa wakati ni janga la taifa!!.

 

[Ikumbilo]

Tanzania Bila CCM inawezekana

 

[Mkenazi]

Toka mwaka 2006 ahadi ni zile zile
HOTUBA YA RAIS WA JAMHURI YA MUUNGANO WA TANZANIA, MHESHIMIWA JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE,

KWENYE KILELE CHA SIKUKUU YA WAFANYAKAZI DUNIANI, SHINYANGA, MEI MOSI, 2006​

Upatikanaji wa Umeme Ndugu Wananchi;Ndugu Wafanyakazi; Tatizo lingine kubwa ambalo limekuwa linalikabili taifa letu katika miezi ya hivi karibuni ni upungufu wa umeme uliopelekea tuwe na mgao wa umeme nchi nzima. Kama nilivyowafahamisha mara kadhaa, Serikali imeendelea na jitihada zake za kushughulikia tatizo hili. Leo hii nafurahi kusema kwamba hali imekuwa nafuu kiasi kufuatia mvua zinazoendelea kunyesha nchini. Uzalishaji umeme umeongezeka kutoka megawati 265.5 zilizokuwa zinazalishwa mwishoni kwa mwezi Machi mwaka huu hadi kufikia megawati 546 mwishoni mwa mwezi uliopita. Ongezeko hili ambalo limesaidia kupunguza makali ya mgao wa umeme limetokana hasa na kuongezeka kwa maji kwenye mabwawa ya Kihansi na Kidatu. Lakini, hali ya Bwawa la Mtera bado ni mbaya sana. Mpaka sasa maji yameongezeka kwa karibu mita mbili tu na kufikia mita 688.95 mpaka majuzi. Bado kina cha maji ni pungufu kwa mita 9. Hakuna matumaini ya kujaza kiasi hicho katika msimu huu wa mvua ambao sasa unaelekea ukingoni. Ndugu Wananchi; Hali hiyo mbaya ya maji katika Bwawa la Mtera inaashiria kuwa tatizo la upatikanaji wa umeme nchini litaendelea kuwepo. Kwa sababu hiyo basi, tegemeo letu kubwa katika muda mfupi ujao bado liko katika kukodisha mitambo ya kuzalisha umeme wa dharura. Vilevile, lipo katika ununuzi na upatikanaji wa mitambo ya kuzalisha umeme kwa kutumia gesi. Bahati nzuri mchakato wa kupata mitambo hiyo upo katika hatua nzuri za kiutekelezaji. Ni matarajio yangu kuwa kama mambo yakienda kama ilivyopangwa katika kipindi cha miezi michache ijayo hali itarejea na kuwa ya kawaida. Mipango yetu ya muda wa kati na muda mrefu ya kukabiliana na tatizo la umeme nayo inaendelea vizuri.

BOFYA HAPA