Over 15bn/- to electrify hamlets in Rukwa Region

RUKWA: THE government has disbursed more than 15bn/- for execution of the second phase of the Hamlet Electrification Project in Rukwa Region.

The project targets 75 hamlets across five constituencies in Rukwa Region with the initial expected number of customers to be connected to electricity being 2,475.

That was said by the Acting Regional Administrative Secretary of Rukwa Region, Engineer Daudi Sebyiga when speaking to journalists on Tuesday during the introduction of the contractor, the STEG International Services from Tunisia, to execute the project in Rukwa.

He said Rukwa Region has a total of 1,816 hamlets where 1,175 hamlets have been electrified through different projects, leaving 641 hamlets without electricity.

“Currently, the Rural Energy Agency (REA) is implementing expansion projects in Rukwa Region through two contractors who are tasked with electrifying 206 hamlets in the districts of Sumbawanga and Nkasi and 50 in Kalambo District,” he said.

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Eng Sebyiga said: “This work is expected to be completed by November 2025, reducing the number of hamlets without electricity from 641 to 435.”

REA officials, led by the Southern Highlands Projects Supervisor, Engineer Dunstan Kalugira, informed Eng Sebyiga that the work to distribute electricity to the 75 hamlets in the region officially began on August 20, this year.

Eng Kalugira signed the contract with contractors on behalf of the government to distribute electricity to more than 3,060 hamlets nationwide, and through this project Rukwa Region will benefit by having its 75 hamlets electrified, with 15 hamlets in each constituency in the region.

Engineer Kalugira said that REA continues to implement various projects across the country and closely supervises all contractors awarded to ensure that the projects are completed on time and to the planned quality to benefit the public.

“Currently REA has started a project to bring electricity to 15 hamlets in each constituency in mainland Tanzania, with a total of 3,060 hamlets set to receive electricity. A total of 75 hamlets from Rukwa Region will benefit from across its five constituencies,” said Eng Kalugira.

He added that the project will be implemented by the contractor – STEG International – a task that is required to be carried in over two years at a cost of approximately 15.7 bn/-.

Mr Aymen Louhaichi, the Manager of STEG International Services in the country, said that his company has been implementing various projects in the country and that power distribution in the hamlets of Rukwa Region will be executed according to the contract, with plans to complete it before the two-year contract period.

Rukwa region consists of five constituencies, namely Sumbawanga Urban, Nkasi North, Nkasi South, Kwela and Kalambo.