Tanesco building demolition will cause at least Sh1.4bn loss

 

By THE CITIZEN

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Summary

• The demolition will pave way for the construction of the Sh188 billion (Sh8.73 billion) Ubungo Interchange.
• Architects are of the view that erecting a building like Tanesco's may cost not less than TSh30 billion (Sh1.39 billion)
• Tanesco MD Tito Mwinuka, remained non-committal on the actual day of starting the demolition, insisting, nonetheless, that the President’s directive would be respected.

Dar es Salaam

All eyes are now on the headquarters of Tanzania Electricity Supply Company Limited (Tanesco), with experts estimating that its demolition would bury at least TSh30 billion (Sh1.39 billion) into the ground.

Demolition of a section of the building, which houses offices for the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, got underway Tuesday as officials abide by President John Magufuli’s recent order.

READ: Magufuli: Demolish Tanesco hqs for road expansion

The demolition will pave way for the construction of the Sh188 billion (Sh8.73 billion) Ubungo Interchange.

Architects are of the view that erecting a building like Tanesco's may cost not less than TSh30 billion.

“I know of a building, which has features that are similar to those of Tanesco’s headquarters. It still under construction and is expected to cost a total of TSh43 billion. Basically, a building of that nature can cost a minimum of TSh30 billion,” said the secretary general for East Africa Institute of Architects, Mr David Kibebe.

Number of issues

He noted, however, that there were a number of issues to be considered prior to the actual construction.

“We conduct a number of geotechnical investigations after which we arrive at the right quantity of materials to be used in the construction process. This is what finally helps us to arrive at the right amount to be spent on erecting a building,” he said.

Through geotechnical investigations, engineers are able to study the behaviour of earth materials including soil, rocks and thus be able to know the right material quality and quantity.

Tanesco's managing director, Dr Tito Mwinuka, remained non-committal on the actual day of starting the demolition, insisting, nonetheless, that the President’s directive will be respected.

“Nobody has to worry about the demolition of our building. The exercise will be executed as planned. It is just a matter of time,” he said insisting that when time comes, the power utility will provide detailed information on the exercise.