Simbachawene appoints new Dart executive

Dodoma. The minister in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Mr George Simbachawene, has appointed Eng Ronald Lwakatare new chief executive officer of the Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Agency (Dart).

The appointment will be effective from on January 4, this year. The announcement on the new appointment was made here by the head of government Communications Unit Rebecca Kwandu, on behalf of Mr Simbachawene.

Ms Kwandu said the minister had made the appointment in accordance with the powers vested in him under Section 2 (2) of the law establishing Dart through Government Gazette no. 120 of 2007.

“The appointment follows the suspension of chief executive Asteria Mlambo on December 23, last year, to pave the way for investigations into procurement irregularities,” Kwandu said.

Before this appointment Eng Ronald Lwakatare was the deputy manager for Evaluations and Follow-Ups at the Tanzania Roads Fund Board,” she added.

She said Eng Lwakatare would be assuming his responsibilities immediate effect. Eng Lwakatare is going to face an uphill task of ensuring that the Dart project takes off as planned by the government on January 10, this year.

In April, the government through the Dart agency signed an agreement with Usafiri Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Company (Uda-RT) to help it run the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project as an interim service provider (ISP).

On December 23, the government announced it was suspending Ms Mlambo over procurement irregularities in obtaining an interim service provider for the Dart project.

Announcing the suspension, Mr Simbachawene said the official had failed to take action even after realising the ISP violated terms of the contract.