Africa-Press – Tanzania. KONDOA District Commissioner Khamis Mananchi underscored the need for more public awareness on roles and responsibilities of the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) to reduce complaints.
Mr Mananchi argued that most of the complaints raised by the public against the authority were due to poor understanding of activities and responsibilities of the regulator.
He gave the advice here yesterday when opening a capacity building training on behalf of the Dodoma Regional Commissioner to members of the Tanzania Deaf Development Association (TAWAVITA).
Mr Mananchi used the platform to urge EWURA to conduct more awareness training to different cadres in the public in order to avoid complaints that were not supposed to be directed to the authority.
He further advised that the members of the public have to be engaged as partners in ensuring quality of energy products.
“In most cases, institutions or people tend to complain when it comes to issues or regulations but most of them are due to lack of understanding, “ he said.
He said with such awareness and capacity building, EWURA roles and responsibilities will be known and the operators will abide by the rule of the conduct. Mr Mananchi said users of the EWURA services must also know the rights and responsibilities so that they do not find themselves infringing regulations.
He gave an example of electrical technicians and gas stations owners that they must be aware that they must be licensed, however they needed to be more educated on this otherwise many of them may continue operating without license, something that might land them in trouble.
EWURA Public Relations and Communications Manager, Titus Kaguo advised the participants to ensure they collect receipts every time they get water and energy services so that it makes it easier for the regulatory body to make follow up in times of challenges.
He urged 30-participants who are electrical technicians to acquire licenses from EWURA so that they can work and secure more jobs with more efficiency and accountability.
Mr Kaguo said it is now high time the public should ask for an EWURA license before engaging people who claim to be electrical technicians to do electrical wiring.
On his part, Executive Secretary of the TAWAVITA, Mr Kelvin Nyema said the capacity building training for electrical technicians will improve their performance thus get more jobs.
He said most of the electrical technicians knew that they were supposed to have a licence from EWURA but the procedure was unclear to most of them thus with the training they will clear the requirements.
The training drew participants from Singida, Manyara, Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Iringa and Pwani with each region comprising ten members.
