OVER 360 villages in Kagera Region will get electricity under the Rural Energy Agency (REA), hopefully ending power blues that haunted the region for quite a long time.
Kagera Regional TANESCO Manager, engineer Martin Madulu, told the ‘Daily News’ in an interview that over 60 villages in Misenyi District would now get electricity supply.
He named some of the villages to include Mutukula, Katendaguro, Kashaka, Mbale, Busaizi, Byazi, Nyungwe, Ruralo, Kashenye, Kabambilo and Buyango.
In Bukoba Rural district 58 villages were earmarked to get electricity. They include Bugwantora, Katendaguro, Katale, Kashekya, Ishozi, Tweyambe, Katano, Irango, Burugo, Matembe, Ntungamo, Kalema and Bishaka. According to Engineer Madulu, over 100 villages in Muleba district were earmarked to get electricity under REA.
They include Kangantebe, Muhutwe, Mayondwe, Itoju, Kimbugu and Kamachumu. In Biharamulo district 16 villages were earmarked to get electricity. They include Busalala, Kasenga, Nyakanazi, Kabindi and Rwagati. In Kyerwa district 41 villages were earmarked to get electricity.
They include Isingiro, Nkwenda, Kihinda, Kyerwa, Nyaruzumbura, Milambi, Rwabigaga, Nyamiaga. REA recently signed agreements on the implementation of the second phase plan to supply electricity to only 14 regions out of 24 earmarked for the power supply due to lack of qualified contractors with required standards to work for the remaining ten regions.
The 14 regions that will witness electric power connectivity include Simiyu, Katavi, Shinyanga, Njombe, Tabora, Mwanza, Mtwara, Singida, Kilimanjaro, Iringa, Mara, Dodoma, Arusha and Ruvuma.
The Chairperson of the Rural Energy Board, Ambassador Ami Mpungwe, said the move aimed at ensuring that 30 per cent of the Tanzanian population access electric power by the year 2015. He said 88.1bn/- would be pumped into the project scheduled to be completed by the year 2015.
Ambassador Mpungwe mentioned regions that lacked required contractors as Kagera, Mbeya, Geita, Kigoma, Lindi, Manyara, Morogoro, Coast, Rukwa and Tanga. The new tender will be re-announced in October this year and its implementation will go along with other regions which had secured contractors. He said the first phase of the programme started in 2010/2011.
