Chief government chemist on the spot over unregulated chemical business

Dar es Salaam. A tour on Monday at a godown that was seized with over 5,000 litres of restricted chemicals has exposed weaknesses in the office of the Government Chemist and Laboratory Agency (GCLA) in controlling importation, storage and supply of chemicals.

This comes after the discovery of a storage facility of precursor chemicals at Mwenge in the city whose owner is being held by the Drugs Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) for grossly breaching regulations for importation and storage of the chemicals.

DCEA commissioner general Rogders Sianga told reporters on Monday that the company they were holding owner of Techno Net Scientific Company Mr Benedict Assey for operating without licence.

The company’s provisional license issued in 2014 expired in June 2016 but the company continued to operate contrary to the Industrial and Consumer Chemicals (Management and Control) Act 2003.

According to Mr Sianga, the company was also failed to produce documents to establish amount of chemicals imported and amount distributed, something increased doubts that the chemicals could be diverted for production of illicit drugs like heroin.

Several reporter who visited the warehouse at Mwenge established that the facility is too close to residential houses contrary to the law.

Under the law, facilities for storing such highly hazardous chemicals are supposed to stand at least 100 metres from residential houses.

The GCLA is an institution established to check importation, conduct regular checks on the storage facilities and take action for those violating regulations.

“We have evidence Techno Net Scientific used forged documents to import chemicals and it is possessing unregistered chemicals after expiry of its business registration” he said.

Mr Sianga also said the company was running chemicals business without qualified professionals.

“DCEA has therefore arrested the company’s owners. He will be held until completion of investigation,” he said.

GCLA said on Monday it will clarify on issues surrounding the seizure of the chemicals at Mwenge.

Acting Chief Government Chemistry, Mr Daniel Ndiyo told The Citizen on Monday it was difficult to immediately address the issue raised by DCEA because it was working with many companies.

“Over 800 companies are working with us. We need time to collect valuable information on the accused company from our database. We will tell everything during a press conference scheduled for this Friday,” said Mr Ndiyo.

The Citizen exclusively reported last week that DCEA had seized over five tonnes of highly restricted chemicals that can be used in the production of heroin and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the Mwenge godown.

DCEA officers, in collaboration with the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) and the office of the Government Chemist Laboratory Agency (GCLA), seized the dangerous chemicals at godowns at Mwenge in Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo (a backyard storage).