AfricaPress-Tanzania: SUMA JKT, which is constructing National Electoral Commission (NEC) offices in Njedengwa, is expected to hand over the buildings to the electoral body anytime from now.
On April 21, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled) Jenista Mhagama directed SUMA JKT to speed up the construction project and hand over the buildings by May 30, 2020.
Three days have elapsed before the handover of the new offices which will be used to prepare and announce the results of the next general election scheduled for October this year.
Recently, while flanked by Ms Mhagama, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa toured the project and said he was satisfied with the quality of the buildings.
As the country gears up for the next general election in October this year, it is expected that NEC will run the activities at the new offices in the country’s capital.
The construction of the new NEC headquarters in the city is undertaken by SUMA JKT after the initial contractor – Tanzania Building Agency (TBA)’s contract was nullified for failing to cope with contractual terms and conditions.
After touring the site, Mr Majaliwa received a progress report from SUMA JKT Operation Commander Maj Philimon James Komanya and Ardhi University Project Manager Godwin Maro who drafted building drawings.
According to Maj Komanya, after signing the contract, he dispatched his team to the site on January 2, this year, where they first cleared the area mapped by TBA to build a four-storey structure and dismantled it to construct an eight-storey one.
“This was done between January 3 and 16 and on January 17, we started putting up a fence and as we speak, the construction is in final stages,’’ he pointed out.
When she toured the site in April, Ms Mhagama issued a one-month extension period to May 30, this year, saying: “If you were able to do this good work in three months, I believe if I add you another month you will be able to hand over the buildings.”
For his part, Suma JKT Project Manager Lazaro Masanja said the minister’s directives would be fully implemented.
According to him, the new building will have three separate rooms identified as the main building, a results centre and a warehouse centre to preserve crucial documents.
