TANESCO Vs Dowans Vs Wenye nchi

Late yesterday the “Dowans Saga” came to what some may consider its most logical conclusion.
For those who are unfamiliar with this saga… Hawa Dowans ndio walionunua na kupokea mikoba ya kampuni hewa Richmond. Baada ya kusuasua kwa miezi/miaka kadhaa, na kushindwa kabisa kutimiza wajibu wao TANESCO waliamua kuvunja mkataba wao na hawa jamaa (na kukomboa mamilioni "kazaa" ambayo hawa jamaa walikuwa waki ya chuna kiulaini). Jamaa waliamua kufungua kesi mahakamani – Aidha Dowans pia wakatangaza nia yao ya kuuza mitambo yao iliyopo Tanzania (ambayo ilikuwa imeshatumika – yaani si mipya). TANESCO kwa kuchelea kutiwa “changa la macho” (na hasa kwa kuwa walikuwa wanawadai hawa jamaa wa Dowans "kitu kidogo") waliamua kufungua kesi kuzuia uuzaji wa mitambo hiyo. Ni muhimu kufahamu kuwa kesi zote hizi mbili bado zipo mahakamani (naomba kurekebishwa iwapo moja ilisha kwisha).
round hii ya hili saga ilianza pale TANESCO ilipotaka kununua mitambo hiyo ya Dowans (ambayo si mipya) kwa kutoa sababu kuwa “ina ihitaji ili kuzuia giza kubwa linaloweza kuigubika nchi yetu hapo baadaye - december…”
Kisheria… (Public Procurement Act) ni marufuku kwa serikali au shirika lolote la kiserikali kununua mitambo ambayo imeshatumika (kama ilivyo ya Dowans). Kamati ya bunge ya nishati na madini (ikiongozwa na Mhe. Shelukindo) ililiona hilo na kushauri TANESCO (neno kushauri ni key hapa) kufuta mpango wake wa kununua mitambo hiyo ya Dowans, na badala yake mipango ifanywe, tenda itangazwe na inunuliwe mitambo "mipya" - hata kama hilo litamaanisha kuongeza pesa kidogo. In my humble opinion... a very good and professional ushauri! Hasa kwa kuwa bei inayoongelewa ili kuweza kununu mitambo ya Dowans ni 75% ya bei ya kuweza kupata mitambo ambayo ni "Brand new".
TANESCO wakaona haiwezekani... wakaamua kuwakilisha kesi yao kwa kamati nyingine ya Bunge (Mahesabu na uhakiki wa mashirika ya umma - iunayoongozwa na Mhe. Zitto Kabwe). Somehow wao (kamati ya Mhe. Zitto Kabwe) wakaridhia TANESCO wanunue mitambo hiyo… sababu iliyotolewa “...ili kulinusuru taifa kutokana na giza linalokuja..." neno "national Interest" pia lilitumika.
Just like that kukawa na kamati mbili za bunge zinapingana na kutupiana madongo “mbere ya ru-public”– a perfect recipe for public humiliation (or was it discussion?)
Nionavyo:
1. Mitambo ni michakavu… the deal should have stoped there!… game over! Unless sheria ina vunjwa au kupindwa… there is no way this deal could go through. Waheshimiwa wote wanalijua hilo (ambao wana jukumu la kuhakikisha sheria zote za nchi - ikiwa ni pamoja na za manunuzi; zinafuatwa). Kwa nini baadhi yao walidhani it is OK kupinda sheria hii ya manunuzi kwa faida ya TANESCO - That is anyone’s guess! Ukweli ni kuwa wengi hatuelewe, na huenda Ingetusaidia sanakama taifa iwapo wenye”nchi” tungeelimishwa ulazima huo umetoka au ulikuwa unatoka wapi.

2. Tulijengewa mazingira ya kuamini kuwa Dowans & TANESCO ni kama panya na paka… na hiyo ikadhihirishwa kwa TANESCO & Dowans kuburuzana mahakamani… Kesi hiyo bado ipo mahakamani na hukumu is still out there. Leo TANESCO na Dowans wanataka kuingia deal mpya… WHAT? Hii ni kweli au "changa la macho tena?... inakuwa kama mtu anasema.... Oh yeah… we in court for a formal dissolution of our former marriage… but Hey what the heck… lets get engage and marry each other all over again…. (???mhh!$@!@%????) - for the rest of us... = kizunguzungu!

3. Board ya TANESCO tayari ilishapinga mpango huu, Speaker ametoa onyo kuhusu hatari ya kuendelea na mpango huu, kamati ya nishati na madini (ambayo ndio husika katika maswala kama haya) nayo pia imepinga … Na watu wengine kadhaa wamepinga.... Kwa maneno mengine… unless mtu unataka kujikaanga (literally)… this deal is dead

OK… hiyo jana alasiri; Mhe. Dr Mkurugenzi akatangaza kuwa; TANESCO wameamua kufuta uamuzi wao huo… lakini pia hakuishia hapo... Mhe. Dr. mkurugenzi akaamua kutoa what may amount to vitisho,.. na hapa ndipo ninapoona inakuwa issue.
Mh. Dr. Mkurugenzi anasema.. Eti “… wameamua kufuta uamuzi wao wa kununua mitambo ya Dowans; lakini taifa litakapo gubikwa na giza hapo december - taifa lijilaumu lenyewe kwa kushindwa kufanya mamuzi na kuwa wao TANESCO hawatakuwa wa kulaumiwa…” mhh????
1. Mhe. taifa ni nani? na TANESCO ni ya nani? mhhh????

2. Mhe. Your job is to get that “juice” to all of our offices, factories, homes and even our cowsheds! You are TANESCO…Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited... you are a Tanzanian company WHOLLY owned by the government of the URT.. Your job sir is to SUPPLY enough electric energy to meet (and exceed) our national demand. Hii hadithi ya “usilaumiwe” inatoka wapi?

3. Kumbe unafahamu kuna ukame unakuja… by the way hili swala la ukame si jipya; power rationing si zoezi jipya… everyone knows that! Kama kiongozi vipi usijitayarishe wewe na shirika lako SASA… ili kutupunguzia kero hiyo baadaye? In my book... you just announced to the world kushindwa kwako kutimiza wajibu uliopewa... was that the message you intended for us to get?

4. Mhe. Dr. Unataka kutwambia mitambo chakavu ya Dowans IS THE ONLY solution to this problem?

5. Kuna sheria zinazo izuia TANESCO kununua mitambo chakavu… In my book… that should have been “THE END” of story. Hii kitu ya kujaribu na kutaka kupindapinda sheria… inaleta wasiwasi… unajua "waswazi" (waswahili) wanachosema mitaani….I mean kuhusu uwezekano wa uwepo kwa “mkono wa mtu” katika umasikini tulionao? Au pia kuhusu deal hii kuwa ni sehemu ya mchakato wa kujenga “mazingira ya Rushwa” ... yanasemwa mengi... Lakini Mzee wetu mstahiki Dr. huoni statement zako hizi zinatuweka mkao wa kukufikiria vibaya? I mean… come-on- man!!! Were you serious? Kwa sababu hata mtoto mdogo anaweza kufikiria, mzee unaji-set ili kuwepo giza, kisha waswazi tuhahe kutafuta mitambo ya “Emergency”… si ndivyo ilivyo chezwa wakati wa Richmond? Au this is a different play? –from the same play book?

Peace

(EAC) Mr honorable - Stop Childish tactics!

I read with disdain the article on one of our local daily here in Bongo; - by the way who owns this daily? - start with M communication and your guess will be as good as mine:)

Never the less - the article report on what seem to amounts nothing but a cheap-shot childish tactics deployed by some of our honorable leaders from that place up north. What our learned honorable "mzee" tried to pull - seem like nothing but a blatant attempt to arm-twistTanzania into agreeing and sign on decisions which - could well impact negatively on Tanzanians.
I for one; am not happy with the game that is being played by some these honorables from up north! And I am sorry if this entry will seem to rub you on the wrong side! I am not a diplomat (meaning...nice, polished and polite wording may not be one of my strengths) and will not try to play one here.

The article infuriated me and made me feel outrightly disgusted - specifically by what seem like an endless barrage of accusations, humiliation and now childish tactics designed to box Tanzanians in-to submission!

The honorable minister for E.A Cooperation should know of the fact that history is always a very good teacher. He should know for a fact that, this EAC "thingy" is not a new idea (at least not to me); neither is this the first time we all are trying to talk and unite as people of East Africa. While I may not be as knowledgeable as Mr Honorable, I was already a grown up guy when some big wigs from his corner of the world planned and decided to “kututia changa la macho”. ... we were playing together for mutual benefit (or so we thought...). Growing up in Arusha, we grew singing to the praise of EAC... that was until the day we woke up and "our" dear EAC was no more!
Mr honorable minister should know for a fact that most of us while young (and probably naive) were not happy! and by the way... No one is left happy when he/she feels like the rug has been pulled right from under their feet; and left holding an empty bag!
Mr honorable... there is a saying... "you beat me once shame on you, you beat me twice shame on me" IN this kind of things... it is as simple as that.
Those guys (who were involved in stealing our EAC dream back then) walked on to their retirement rich and famous (and probable heroes in their own way). They made their decision to call it quit at a time that was convenient only to themselves and with NO regard what so ever to the rest of us. And their story? “...national interest exceed EAC interest” - fast forward 33 years to now.... I wonder if they would still sing the same song
And so our dear friends… DO NOT blame “us” when we try to be a little more cautious this time around! May be we are still licking the wounds you left us from the last “whacking”
Please DO NOT push us… you will do well to simply "back off" and try give us space + a fat piece of grace!
We may not be as fast as you "the smart ones"... but we are not stupid... and please do not treat us as ones.

A trust was once trashed and broken... it will take time to rebuild - please try to at least respect that. Calling names and playing childish games such as what happen this past friday, won't help
It would have been much more constructive if you would try and see on how you can elleviate some of our fears, concerns etc. You would have been much more helpful in trying to find ways to rebuild the trust that to most of us here in Bongo (yes most of us... so says the polls) - it is not there!

These kind of childish blackmail tactics can only do more damage... and so STOP it! Yo are not helping!
And if you think these kind of tricks will help put on pressure on us... please find a doctor and get yourself examined.
And if after everything you still find our speed too slow to your liking… please feel free to take a hike and keep on stepping!

Peace!