NDEJEMBI GIVES CONTRACTOR 14 DAYS TO RESUME SONGEA–MAHUMBIKA POWER PROJECT




By Our Reporter, Tunduru

The Minister for Energy, Deogratius Ndejembi, has given a contractor implementing the 220-kilovolt electricity transmission project from Songea to Mahumbika through Tunduru and Masasi 14 days to return to the project site and immediately resume construction works.

The directive follows dissatisfaction with the slow pace of implementation of the project being undertaken by Kalpataru Projects International Limited, which is responsible for constructing power substations in Tunduru, Masasi, and Mahumbika districts.

Issuing the order on March 7, 2026 in Tunduru District, Ruvuma Region, Ndejembi said the contractor should not be awarded any other government projects until the completion of the current project, which has experienced delays contrary to the terms of the contract.

The minister also directed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy to issue a warning letter to the contractor, noting that the government had already held a meeting with the company’s leadership in Dodoma where they agreed that work would resume within 25 days after the contractor received payment for outstanding claims made since December 2025.

However, he said the contractor has not yet returned to the project site or resumed construction.

“This contractor is working at a very slow pace. They were paid in December and we agreed that within 25 days they would return to the site and resume work, but that entire period has elapsed and nothing is happening,” Ndejembi said.

According to the minister, the project was scheduled to be completed within two years and handed over by the end of this year, but implementation has so far reached only about 50 percent.

He explained that the project is part of the government’s plan to connect the southern regions of Ruvuma, Lindi and Mtwara to the national power grid in order to improve reliable electricity supply.

“People in the Southern regions need reliable electricity, and the government has prioritized addressing this challenge by allocating funds for the implementation of this project. It is unacceptable for a contractor to delay such an important project,” he said.

He added: “After the warning we will issue, if the contractor continues to delay the work, we will take further action.”

The 220-kilovolt electricity transmission project from Songea through Tunduru and Masasi to Mahumbika in Lindi Region aims to strengthen reliable electricity supply in Lindi and Mtwara regions.

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