A Kenyan company on Friday, February 18, won a tender to carry out major repairs on a Tanzanian passenger ferry.
According to Tanzania’s The Citizen, MV Magogoni, which operates in Dar es Salam will be moved from Kigamboni waterway to Mombasa, where Kenyan experts will repair it.
The ferry originally built in Germany in 2008 will be repaired in Kenya at the cost of Ksh4 billion (Tsh7.5 billion).
“In Tanzania, the certificate of shipbuilding is issued by the Contractors’ Registration Board (CRB).
In compliance of Clause 26.7 (vi) of the ITT, the appellant submitted certificate issued by CRB, which certifies it has been registered as specialist contract, class one, local category in the field of marine structures,” Tanzanian authority was quoted by local press.
The deal was reached after the Kenyan company agreed to review the repair cost downwards from Ksh4.3 billion to Ksh4 billion.
Repair of MV Magogoni was put on hold, and the tender was canceled by Tanzanian Public Procurement Appeals Authority (PPAA) in 2022 after disagreements about the contract terms.
Mama Samia Suluhu-led government then ordered a fresh evaluation of the tenders and made appropriate adjustments that gave authorities confidence in working with the Kenyan company.
The trade between Kenya and Tanzania stood at around Ksh124 billion ($1.5 billion) by December 2022, as was strongly supported by imports from both countries.
“Bilateral talks between Kenya and Tanzania initiated by the two leaders have been the catalyst behind the improved trade figures across the border,” the Ministry of National Treasury stated in 2022.
Kenyans mostly import cereals, wood and vegetables from their neighbours, while Tanzania’s major imports include soap, coated flat-rolled iron, packaged medicaments, technologies and machinery.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
