Front Page

			No. 00268
			May 3-9, 2003

Neglected TANESCO wires kill another child

Second victim in a span of one month

by Happy Lazaro

FLASHBACK: The photo caption below appeared in the Arusha Times in September 2002

Why is it there?

Live electric wires are hardly one meter above the ground posing danger to residents of Njiro Korona near St. Gonzaga Gonza Institute. The matter was reported to TANESCO since February this year but no attempts have been made to raise them. Why?

(Photo by Gama S. Gama).

A nine-year-old child of Sekei area, died last week, after stepping on a naked live electric wire that was lying in their farm.

Obeid Joseph, a former class two pupil of Sekei primary school joins the list of dead victims who have met their fate through electrocution by exposed live wires of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO).

Obeid died on April 24 when he was collecting dry sticks to be used for counting sessions in his Mathematic class lessons.

The deceased brother, John Joseph (24), who also resides in Sekei, said the live electric wires had first fallen onto their house roof almost causing fire to the building..

"We reported the matter to TANESCO, but they did not bother to come other than giving us empty promises," said John.

According to John, the wires stayed on the roof overnight and when TANESCO people finally went there the following afternoon, they only disconnected one leaving the other lying down saying it was a neutral line without power.

"But on Easter Sunday, I went to weed our banana plantation and discovered that, the alleged neutral wire was actually producing sparks," said the brother.

Joseph went back to TANESCO but upon reaching there, the reports had already arrived that, the said wires had killed a child.

This is the second child to be electrocuted this year by carelessly neglected TANESCO wires.

Tito Phillipo (12), a class four pupil at Burka primary was electrocuted by live wires in March this year.

Meanwhile Daniel Sabuni reports that the body of the late Obeid Joseph remained at the Mount Meru Hospital morgue for five days after the incident had happened as relatives of the boy were locked in an argument with TANESCO as to who is responsible for the death.

TANESCO’s Regional Manager, Christopher Masasi admitted that TANESCO indeed received reports on April 16 from the area, where the death occurred, that some wires were loose and hanging dangerously but, he said, TANESCO technicians went to disconnect them and those left loose in the farm had no power.

He did not however explain why the lines were not fixed 8 days after the fault was reported to them nor how the boy was electrocuted if the wires were not live.

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