By Odindo Ayieko
Tanzania’s Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi has warned Indian contractor Kalpataru Projects International Limited over delays in completing the Songea-Tunduru-Masasi transmission line, demanding that the company replace its on-site project manager over slow progress on the 220-kilovolt power project aimed at boosting electricity supply in the country’s south-eastern region.
During a recent visit, Ndejembi told Kalpataru it was working well below its own timelines. The visibly disappointed but calm VP reminded the company’s representatives of the schedule it committed to in June, when he last visited the project as energy minister.
“You people lied to me the last time… you told us you will bring another project manager,” he recounted, adding that work was behind schedule even though the government had met its financial obligations to the contractor.
“I am holding you to account with what you promised me when I was last here,” the VP said. “The pace at which you are erecting towers is not okay.”
Ndejembi said the company had committed to erecting 12 towers per week but was managing only three. Foundations for the towers were due to be finished by October.
He further directed the Ministry of Energy and Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) to step up supervision of the contractor.
According to figures reported by Habarileon, the Tunduru-Masasi section stood at 6 percent before the government released funds and has since risen to 35 percent, while Songea-Tunduru has reached 58 percent, citing Deputy Energy Minister Salome Makamba. TANESCO’s Managing Director Lazaro Twange said that the 214.5-kilometre Songea-Tunduru section would cost around Sh151 billion.
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The project also includes 220/33-kilovolt substations of 120 megavolt-amperes in Tunduru and Masasi.
Ndejembi stated that the project is vital for expanding power grid capacity and unlocking commercial potential across agricultural, industrial, and mining sectors, and therefore urged the contractor to think of the people of Tunduru, who have suffered erratic power supply. The area is served by long medium-voltage lines, which are prone to severe voltage drops, line losses and weather-related faults.
This is not the first time the contractor has been pressed on the pace of work. Ndejembi, then energy minister, gave the contractor 14 days to return to the site and resume construction. He also told the ministry’s permanent secretary not to grant the contractor any further extension.
Tunduru, in southern Tanzania’s Ruvuma region, is a key hub for gemstone production with a rich history of small-scale alluvial mining. The wider project is part of a government plan to connect Ruvuma, Lindi and Mtwara regions to the national grid.
Ndejembi was sworn in as vice president in August 2026 after Tanzania’s parliament endorsed him with all 324 votes, making him the youngest person to hold the country’s second highest office. He previously worked as a private sector executive and later served as minister for energy.
