Asante SAM, nimechukua hii kutoa kwenye post yako ya IPTL:
Hii inamsafisha huyu mwananchi: Like James Rugemalira, Rutabanzibwa is from Kagera, but there the similarity ends. Rutabanzibwa is from an aristocratic clan and is the son of a former ambassador. He studied in the US and the UK. He is a brilliant technocrat, dedicated to the development of Tanzania. Rutabanzibwa was Commissioner for Energy when the IPTL project was first launched. He knows there is no need for extra generating capacity and that even if there was, IPTL would be the most expensive, rather than the least cost provider. But he is surrounded by pro-IPTL lobbyists in Tanesco, his Ministry, and the government, who are constantly trying to undermine him. He knows that when investment projects are taken over by politicians, technocrats like himself are sidelined, and only wheeled out to endorse decisions, however crazy, that have already been made. Rutabanzibwa tries to convince the President that IPTL is a disaster waiting to happen. If the cost of IPTL is passed on to the consumer, Mkapa will not make many friends. Business and private consumers will face huge increases in electricity prices. Donors will be incensed. Their dismissive attitude towards IPTL is on record. On the other hand, many heavyweights in the party and cabinet are in favour of IPTL. They try to convince the President that Rutabanzibwa is in the pay of the Bank and Songas. There will be another power crisis if IPTL is not added to the national grid, they argue. What if the rains fail again? Demand for power is growing fast
. Rutabanzibwa puts his job on the line: I promise you, Mr President, there will be no more power cuts between now and the next elections. If Im wrong, I will resign. Rutabanzibwa has made his calculations. The El Niño rains have struck East Africa. The dams are full to overflowing. An extra 180 megawatts of donor-financed hydro will come on stream in less than a year. Tanescos demand projections for electricity are way too high. The big mining companies are signing power supply agreements with Tanesco and bringing in their own generators to run the mines. Benjamin William Mkapa does not know what to do.
Amueni, myonge mnyongeni lakini haki yake mpeni.