Inept contractor slows water project

Musoma. Delays in completing the Sh 45 billion water project that is intended to end a problem facing over 130, 000 residents of Musoma municipality are dimmming their expectations.

The project that is expected to improve clean and safe water supply and sanitation was expected to be completed December 2014 but has been delayed for over a year now.

The Citizen has established that the delay on the part of the contractor has at times fcompelled the project consultant engineer to ask the government to terminate the contract with Spencon Limited, and replace the firm with another one.

Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, the resident engineer from GKW consult Company, Mr Philemon Shapa, said several letters had been written to the contractor over the delay, but he hadn’t bothered to respond.

“We had even written to the government to ask for termination of the contract between the parent ministry and Spencon Limited and look for a contractor who can complete the work on time for the people to start benefiting to no avail,” he said.

Eng Shapa said the project stopped for a few months from October 2014 due to the contractor’s problems, a situation that also worried them as consultants.

The consultant then wrote to the government proposing termination of the contract but the issue was handled by high level meetings between the government and the contractor that finally saw the company resume work at site beginning this month.

In his reaction, Spencon project manager Denis Wain said he company had faced some challenges that forced the company’s headquarters in Nairobi sack the management team and replace it with a new one.

“There was a cash flow problem within Tanzania country office; that’s why we experienced delays before the main office in Nairobi appointed a new management team to take over all projects that are implemented by Spencon,” said Mr Wain.

Mr Wain said under the sacked management, not only was the Musoma project affected but all other projects that were managed by the company in Tanzania.

He said Spencon projects were being implemented in Kilimanjaro, Kigoma and Singida regions. Mr Wein expressed optimism that the project would now be implemented in compliance with contract terms.

Musoma Water Supply Authority (Muwasa) executive director Gantala Said, said they were hopeful the project with an estimated 20-year life span would be completed in June.

He said following a meeting between the water ministry and Spencon, the project completion was extended to June 30.

The Musoma municipal water project is funded by the French government through its development agency, Agence Francaise de Development (AFD). The contract for the implementation of the project was signed in December 2012 and the work that started in January 2013, was expected to be completed in December 2014.