Did Biwater fall victim to ruthless local politics in Dar es Salaam?
Frederic Blanc-Brude investigates. On 13 May, the Tanzanian government announced that it was terminating the lease of City Water Services Limited (CWSL), the Biwater-led consortium that had won the Dar es Salaam contract in 2003. Upon hearing the news, the management of Biwater flew in to try and turn the decision around but was refused an audience with the competent minister and main initiator of the termination, Edward Lowassa, Minister for Water and Livestock Development. On 18 May, CWSL announced that it would consider legal options to prevent effective termination, following which the operator was granted an injunction by the English High Court to prevent DAWASA (Dar es Salaam Water & Sanitation Authority) from terminating the contract unlawfully, pending the outcome of the London arbitration to which the parties are bound to submit their disputes. The move was reported in the local press as an attempt by CWSL to sue the Tanzanian government and the local public utility DAWASA. Ov
