The Head of Kagera Region, Albert Chalamila, has asked the contractor implementing the Rural Electricity Project (REA) phase three, second cycle, Kagera Region to speed up the implementation process with an extension of time, to help rural people get electricity quickly.

A meeting to monitor the implementation of the REA Project, the third phase, the second cycle in Kagera region, has been held in the hall of the Kagera Regional Governor, where various leaders and executives from REA, TANESCO, parliamentarians of Kagera Region sat together and discussed the situation of project and its implementation.

The contractor implementing the project, the JV Company, was supposed to finish on January 30, 2023, but it has been extended until April 2023 to complete its work.

"Contractors, change your behavior that you want an extension of time, when you go to ask for an act from the government, you understand your financial capacity, the team you have and your performance, don't wait until you get an act and then start saying you know I didn't have employees?

"What the citizens want is to see the electricity on, we have added schools and science laboratories, health centers, we need electricity, the contractor should not stop us," said Chalamila.

The Director of Marketing and Technology Development who represented the Director of REA, Engineer Advera Mwijage said that Kagera Region has 662 villages, of which 525 villages have been electrified so far.

He said that the contractor signed a contract to turn on electricity in 137 villages at a cost of 37 billion shillings and the contract was signed on July 9, 2021 where the implementation of the project was supposed to be completed on January 30, 2023.

He said that REA realizes that there is a challenge in raising equipment, but all contractors were called and increased funds to buy equipment, in order to speed up the implementation of projects.

Project manager of REA, a contractor from the JV company, Eva Fumbuka acknowledged the existence of various challenges that hindered the project, especially the change in the price increase of equipment, the geography of Kagera region and the weather.

He assured the meeting that he will finish the project in all the villages and the people will get electricity because he has already found solutions to the challenges and has increased the work force to implement the projects.