TANESCO embarks on door-to-door campaign to recover electricity debts
DAR ES SALAAM: THE Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) has launched a six-month national doorto-door campaign aimed at recovering unpaid electricity bills and protecting vital power infrastructure.
The initiative, dubbed “Lipa Deni, Linda Miundombinu, Tukuhudumie” (Pay Your Debt, Protect Infrastructure, Let Us Serve You), primarily targets customers who accrued debts under the post-paid billing system before transitioning to pre-paid LUKU metres.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam, TANESCO’s Acting Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Irene Gowelle, said the campaign encourages voluntary repayment, particularly from customers with long-standing arrears.
“We are facing challenges with post-paid debt accumulation. This campaign invites customers to clear their debts willingly,” she said, noting that customers whose metres were upgraded currently owe the company more than 70bn/-.
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As part of the campaign, TANESCO is offering a key incentive: waivers on interest charges for those who engage in repayment discussions.
“Defaulters can settle their dues through negotiated plans without incurring extra interest. It’s a fair and timely opportunity,” Ms Gowelle said.
TANESCO, which serves over 5.4 million customers nationwide, is also using the campaign to inspect electricity metres, identify tampering and crack down on power theft, factors contributing to revenue loss.
“We want to expose illegal electricity connections and customers who tamper with metres to steal electricity,” Gowelle said, adding that metre audits will be a core part of the campaign.
The utility firm is also intensifying efforts to combat vandalism and theft of power infrastructure. Between June and December last year alone, TANESCO recorded 63 incidents, including transformer thefts, resulting in losses of over 770m/-.
“These criminal acts disrupt power supply, increase restoration costs and inconvenience entire communities,” she said. To address the issue, TANESCO is calling on community members, media and stakeholders to play an active role.
“Protecting infrastructure is a shared responsibility. We urge citizens to report any suspicious activities involving electricity theft or vandalism.”
Ms Gowelle further urged Tanzanians to embrace clean electricity for their energy needs, citing its safety, affordability and environmental benefits. While the interest waiver will continue even after the six-month period, TANESCO made it clear that the intensive outreach campaign is time-bound.
“We’ll review the situation after six months and decide the next steps for customers still in arrears,” she concluded.
The campaign is being rolled out in all regions and is expected to significantly improve revenue collection and protect the integrity of the national power infrastructure.
