Monday, January 01, 2007

SALAMU ZA MWAKA MPYA (1)

Taa zinawaka, kelele zimepungua mjini, mvua zimenyesha, umeme umerudi, lakini hicho siyo kipimo cha ufanisi kwa shirika la umeme Tanesco, hiyo ni bahati.
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Ujumbe huo makini nimekutana nao kwenye barua pepe za kimalumbano mtandaoni. Rafiki yangu Majaliwa katutakia heri ya mwaka mpya huku akitathmini ufanisi wa serikali ya awamu ya nne hususan kuhusiana na suala la umeme kama ilivyoandikwa kwenye magazeti hivi karibuni:
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Kwa kweli Tanesco/umeme umekua dosari kubwa sana kwa JK's first year as president . Electricity generation technology is old and the supply and retailing of energy are now over 100 years old kwa hiyo hakuna sababu yoyote inayotulazimisha sisi wa TZ kuteseka kiasi hiki (by the way, when I say this I don't mean just in terms of lost opportunities/inconvenience from rationing but the millions of dollars-probably borrowed dollars - which are being wasted could be better spent in education, health and other essential services including road maintenance and water supplies).
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What TZ needs is an independent regulator to forecast demand/supply and inform the market of future investment opportunities. This will mean some genuine reform to current arrangement for electricity generation and supply in Tanzania. Without genuine reform and long term plans aimed at meeting the growth in demand for electricity we will keep falling back on these short-term and expensive emergency fall-back/stopgap measures kila wakati ukame or plant breakdowns occur.
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Na Hiyo TANESCO as it stands appears to be a wounded beast being used by different players to enhance their standing in the community as they are reliant on the 15 million plus in subsidies from the government (CCM).
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Nauliza jamani kama hao CCM wameshindwa ku-ensure that the company runs effectively and efficiently in the 30+ years that they have had a monopoly on directing board/managerial appointments what makes them think that they can start now?
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While there are good reasons for government ownership for key strategic assets for the benefit of the country it is not clear kwamba TANESCO is actually benefiting from this.
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A good example of a possible way forward is our next door neighbour, Kenya, where the main power generator is well run, with prices regulated by government but the company is listed on the KSE which allows it freedom raise funds and pursue market opportunities without too much interference (see www.kengen.co.ke/index.asp). By way of example, while Kenya is suffering from the same drought as TZ and Uganda, they were able to export power to Uganda to help them in their drought related electricity shortfalls!
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Electricity supply is old technology, inasikitisha kwamba in this day and age - the information age -that we live in sisi waTanzania,who have the right climate for progress which other countries are not blessed with, bado tunababaika na mambo ambayo on the face of it can be dealt with quite easily as they are not insurmountable.
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Lets remember this when we next exercise our democratic rights at the polls.
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I hope you have a "brighter" 2007 - happy new year!
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Salaam
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Majaliwa

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good point indeed "... Nauliza jamani kama hao CCM wameshindwa ku-ensure that the company runs effectively and efficiently in the 30+ years that they have had a monopoly on directing board/managerial appointments what makes them think that they can start now? ..."

It's very sad, while with every dark patch of neighbours Kenya face, they take it as an opportunity kuendeleza nchi kimaendeleo, si on the other hand tunazidi kudidimiza nchi. Quickly everybody will jump at it so as to make quick money.

We have such potential and we have so many resources lakini zote zinatumika vibaya. Who is now to blame? CCM au? Tutafika kweli? Sijui.

Anonymous said...

Kutokuwa na umeme ni kutokuwa makini. Technology ipo, wateja wapo na wako tayari kulipa, resources zipo kwa maana kwamba financing sio problem, kwanini hatuna umeme?. Kwasababu TANESCO bado iko chini ya serikali, na Waziri na Board Chairman wanachaguliwa na Rais, swali linamfikia Rais directly. Matarajio ni kwamba Rais atauliza maswali muafaka, na atataka majibu muafaka. Itabidi waziri na board chairman wayajibu maswali hayo kwa namna ambayo umeme utapatikana for the long term. Kama hawana majibu muafaka(umeme upatikane), Rais anaweza kulazimika kuteua wengine...hadi hapo atakapopata wenye majibu yanayoleta umeme! Kuna namna nyingine kweli wakati huu wa information and knowledge age?

Wakibanwa hivyo, itabidi walete majibu ambayo yanatekelezeka, ambayo yanaangalia uzalishaji wa umeme na usambazaji, kama hizo nyanja mbili ziendelee kuwa pamoja au zitenganishwe. Itabidi waangalie kama nyanja zipi(au ipi) zibinafsishwe na zipi serikali iendelee kuhudumia. Itabidi waangalie nchi nyingine wanafanyaje kuhusu huo mgawanyo wa utendaji, ikiwepo regulations na sheria zote zinazotakiwa. Itabidi watafute best practice. Itabidi mikataba waisome kwa makini zaidi.

Narudia,Hakuna sababu ya kutokuwa na umeme wakati wateja wapo na wako tayari kulipa bills, wawekezaje binafsi(na serikali) wapo,na teknologia zipo. Tena sisi tuna bahati, na gesi na makaa ya mawe mengi tu!

Wakiweza kumjibu Rais maswali yake kivitendo, itabidi awaulize maswali magumu zaidi! Sasa mvua zimenyesha, mabwaya yamejaa: Huu ndio wakati wa kuuliza maswali magumu zaidi. Umeme utatoka wapi mika 3, 5,10 20 ijayo?. Mabwawa yalijaa wakati wa El Nino, mwaka 2006 yakakauka. Hatuna sababu ya kuamini 100% kwamba hayatakauka tena mwaka 2007/8/9/10 and beyond. Wajibu umeme utatoka wapi?

Hatutaki transformer ikiungua Ilala waziri anapoteza muda kwenda kuitembelea alafu anatuambia umeme utarudi kesho kutwa. Hiyo si kazi yake, kuna board, kuna GM au CEO, kuna PR manager, kwanini Waziri?. Ikiungua transformer hata wiki mbili tutasubiri. Sisi wananchi na Rais tunamtaka atuambie umeme utatoka wapi 2007, 2009, 2011 and beyond!

Inawezekana, na kutokana na taabu tuliyopata 2006, nadhani tuatuliza maswali mazuri zaidi, namajibu, ambayo ni umeme yatapatikana

mwandani said...

DKLAKA, umesema vyema kabisa. Hakuna sababu ya kukosa umeme. Uendeshaji wa mashirika yetu na serikali inabidi uwe wa kisasa kama ulivyoeleza. Mambo ya sirisiri, na kudanganyana yamepitwa na wakati. Siku hizi tunafahamu kinachoendelea, tumeona. Tunajua serikali zinazofanya vizuri zinafanyaje. hakuna mazingaombwe wala nini.

Kweli katika jambo lolote lazima wanaohusika wawe na mtazamo na mikakati ya kudumu. Well said, DKLAKA.

@ Sahara: chombo kikienda mrama nahodha inabidi achukuwe lawama, yeye ndiye mwenye dira na usukani, yeye ndiye anayewapangia mabaharia majukumu na kuhakikisha yanaenda sawa.

First officer asipotekeleza jukumu na kukitia chombo hatarini, basi anashushwa chomboni anaingizwa afisa anayefaa.