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a la/s April 14, 2016 0


THE Tanzania Police has disqualified itself from an investigation into allegations of impropriety in a controversial contract worth around 37 billion/.


The former Inspector General of Police, Said Mwema

The contract was signed with a Dar es Salaam-based private company, Lugumi Enterprises Limited, for the supply of fingerprint scanners, citing conflict of interest.
The police force said since it was a party to the contract, it could not investigate itself.
The Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in the Tanzania Police Force, Diwani Athumani, told The Guardian yesterday that the investigation into the contract has been handed over to the government's anti-graft watchdog, the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).
“We are following the matter closely. Investigations will be done by PCCB because we want members of the public to have confidence in the credibility of the final findings,” he noted.
The contract was sealed in 2011 during the tenure of the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Said Mwema.
When contacted by The Guardian yesterday, Mwema declined to comment on the allegations of corruption in the deal.
Mwema, who currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of Exim Bank Tanzania, previously worked as the head of the international criminal police organization (Interpol) regional office in Nairobi.
There has been a protracted tug-of-war between the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the police force over the investigation.
The Bunge watchdog committee this week issued a new three-day ultimatum to the police force to present the contract with Lugumi Enterprises Ltd by tomorrow for parliamentary scrutiny.
But the incumbent IGP, Ernest Mangu, said the police force was not answerable to parliament and hence would not honour the deadline.
The IGP insisted that the police could only submit the contract to the home affairs minister if he instructed it to do so.
According to the PAC, the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) said in its government audit report for fiscal year 2013/14 that there were serious shortcomings in the implementation of the contract between the police and the private firm.
The scanners were reportedly supposed to be installed in over 100 district police stations across the country, but the PAC said the contract was implemented by just 10 per cent despite already being paid for by about 99 per cent.
Representatives of Lugumi Enterprises, which has been awarded several multi-million shilling contracts by various government ministries and state-run agencies over the past few years, were yesterday not immediately available for comment.
The fingerprint technology was expected to significantly improve police efficiency in carrying out criminal investigations and positively identifying suspects.
There was also conflicting reports on whether or not the police had finally decided to submit the contract to another parliamentary watchdog team, the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security committee chaired by Adadi Rajabu.
When contacted by The Guardian for comment, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Projest Rwegasira, dismissed reports that his ministry had submitted the contract for the supply of fingerprints to the police to the parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security committee.
“I have special directives from the Public Accounts Committee. So far I have not submitted the contract to any authority,” he said, without explaining.
A TANGLED WEB
While the police force has dropped the investigation citing conflict of interest, all the key players in the ongoing investigation have tangled relationships between them linking them to the police.
The current IGP, Mangu, and other senior officials of the police force all previously worked under Mwema when he served as the country's police chief
The current PCCB director-general, Valentino Mlowola, previously served in the police as a regional police commander (RPC) and chief of police intelligence when Mwema was the IGP.
Similarly, the current chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security committee, Adadi Rajabu, is a former Director of Criminal Investigations in the police force, who also reported to Mwema.
This means that is the allegations against the police force over the procurement contract are formally presented to the PCCB and the parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security committee, both Mlowola and Adadi respectively would be asked to possibly investigate allegations against their former boss, ex-IGP Mwema.
Parliamentary sources say other high-profile individuals could also be implicated in the deal if the investigations unravel "hidden" faces behind the contract.
According to official records from the government's procurement watchdog, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), Lugumi Enterprises, is registered as a service providers to the government for various procurement service.
The company is registered by the government as a supplier of a wide range of services, including office stationery, fumigation services, maintenance of office equipment, provider of firefighting equipment and office consumables and accessories.
PPRA documents show that the firm has over the years been awarded several other contracts by government institutions, such as a contract worth 846.5 million with the Ministry of Home Affairs for the supply of "security goods." The contract was signed on 7 June 2010.
In September 2014, the same company was awarded another contract by the state-run Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) valued at over 140m/- for the supply of stationery.
The Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA), another government body, signed a contract with Lugumi in December 2014 worth over 20m/- for the supply of diaries, seasonal greeting cards and calendars.
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a la/s April 08, 2016 0

President Uhuru Kenyatta expressed confidence in the overall health of the banking and financial sector in Kenya, and said that what the country is going through is a long-overdue cleanup of the sector. The President added that what remains important is the protection of depositors. He was speaking as he wound up his European tour, which took him on official visits to France and Germany. Midsize lender Chase Bank was placed under receivership, locking in billions of shillings in deposits.
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a la/s April 07, 2016 0

A new medical study has revealed that undercover abortion in Tanzania is common and is a major contributor to maternal death and injury in the country.
According to the study, unsafe abortions pose a major health problem in Tanzania, with lake zone regions recording the highest numbers of unintended pregnancies in the country largely due to low contraceptive use.
Researchers said Tanzania's average national abortion rate was 36 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age, which is higher than the abortion rates in Ethiopia (23), Rwanda (25) and Malawi (24).
However, Tanzania's abortion rate is lower than some of its east African neighbours, including Kenya (48 per 1,000) and Uganda’s (37).
Women obtained approximately 405,000 induced abortions in Tanzania in 2013, according to a study conducted by researchers at the US-based Guttmacher Institute and Tanzania’s National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS).
"Zanzibar has the lowest abortion rate at 10.7 per 1,000 women. The Lake zone has by far the highest abortion rate of 51 abortions per 1,000 women," said part of the study titled "Incidence of Induced Abortion and Post-Abortion Care in Tanzania."
"In the Lake zone, the high abortion rate is most likely a consequence of low contraceptive use (lowest in the country) and high unmet need, which are also responsible for the highest unintended pregnancy rate in the country."
Women with unmet needs are described as those capable of producing offspring and sexually active but are not using any method of contraception, and report not wanting any more children or wanting to delay the next child.
The concept of unmet need points to the gap between women's reproductive intentions and their contraceptive behaviour.
The pregnancy rate for Tanzania is 245 per 1,000 women of reproductive age, while the unintended pregnancy rate is somewhat lower at 92.7 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
The study uncovered that the vast majority of abortions in the country are clandestine procedures that put women’s well-being at risk because of an abortion law that is both highly restrictive and ambiguous.
The researchers, who conducted surveys of health facilities and health professionals and reviewed population and fertility data, estimate that 66,600 women received post-abortion care in health facilities for complications resulting from unsafe abortions in 2013.
However, almost 100,000 women who experienced complications did not receive the medical attention they needed.
The researchers hope that these findings will help inform Tanzania’s ongoing efforts to decrease its maternal mortality ratios, which remain among the highest in the world.
Unfortunately this is an all too common theme across Africa where it is estimated that 1.7 million women are hospitalised due to unsafe procedures, and 29,000 maternal deaths occur each year.
There are only three countries in Africa where abortion is permitted without restriction -- Cape Verde, South Africa, Tunisia.
Even though over 6.4 million abortions happen on the continent every year, only 3% of these happen under safe conditions because of the limitations imposed by legislation. W
omen, particularly those who are underage or unmarried, are more likely to look for a cheaper rate in a dodgy backstreet clinic or visit a “traditional doctor” to assist them in the termination of the pregnancy.
In 2008 the WHO estimated that 14 percent of all maternal deaths on the continent - approximately 29,000 women - were due to unsafe abortion.
For those who survive, there can be complications afterwards - the WHO estimates that about 1.7 million women in Africa are hospitalised annually for complications of unsafe abortion.
Restrictive laws have also meant that hospitals are not properly equipped to provide post-abortion care, common shortcomings include, delays in treatment, shortages of trained health workers and medical supplies, use of inappropriate procedures and judgmental attitudes among clinic and hospital staff towards the patient.

SOURCE: The Guardian
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a la/s April 06, 2016 0

  
  THE Miniѕtеr for Finаnсе аnd Plаnning, Dr Philiр Mраngо, уеѕtеrdау unveiled thе рrороѕеd 30 trilliоn-ѕhilling (30tri/-) 2016/17 nаtiоnаl budgеt thаt fосuѕеѕ оn rеduсing donor dependence аnd rесurrеnt ѕреnding whilе inсrеаѕing funding on dеvеlорmеnt рrоjесtѕ.


Undеr thе 30tri/- budgеt, whiсh has ѕоаrеd bу 31 реr сеnt frоm thе сurrеnt 22.5tri/- fiѕсаl plan, thе government envisages inсrеаѕing development еxреnditurе frоm thе 2015/16 budget’s 5.9tri/- tо 11.8tri/- in thе соming budgеt, with оvеr 73 реr сеnt lосаl finаnсing.

Whilе recurrent еxреnditurеѕ have inсrеаѕеd ѕlightlу from 16,576bn/- to 17,719bn/-, a 6.9 реr cent сhаngе, dеvеlорmеnt funding is expected tо аlmоѕt double frоm 5,919bn/- in the current budgеt tо 11,820bn/- nеxt fiѕсаl уеаr.

Dr Mраngо nаmеd industrial dеvеlорmеnt, intеgrаtеd есоnоmiс аnd humаn rеѕоurсе development, hеаlth and ѕосiаl аffаirѕ, energy аnd аgriсulturе as thе рriоritу finаnсing sectors in thе соming financial уеаr.

Aссоrding tо him, thе gоvеrnmеnt will ѕubѕtаntiаllу invеѕt into the purchase оf thrее nеw аirсrаftѕ - a Bombardier CAS 300 with 100-150-ѕеаtеr capacity and two other рlаnеѕ оf Bоmbаrdiеr Q 400 mаkе оf bеtwееn 67 and 88-seater сарасitу - tо rеvivе thе аiling nаtiоnаl аirlinе, ATC.


Thе government has аllосаtеd оvеr 2bn/- local rеѕоurсеѕ tо rеvаmр the Aruѕhа-bаѕеd General Tyre whоѕе 100 per сеnt ѕtаkе the ѕtаtе controls.

The gоvеrnmеnt, through thе Nаtiоnаl Dеvеlорmеnt Corporation (NDC), еxресtѕ tо rejuvenate thе manufacturing firm in раrtnеrѕhiр with thе рrivаtе ѕесtоr.

Higher еduсаtiоn will gеt a big bооѕt in thе соming fiѕсаl year, with оvеr 100bn/- budgеtеd fоr the rеnоvаtiоn аnd еxраnѕiоn оf 12 high lеаrning inѕtitutiоnѕ while 270,000 ѕtudеntѕ аt tеrtiаrу lеvеl will hаvе 450bn/- to ѕhаrе аѕ loans fоr thеir highеr learning.

The gоvеrnmеnt рlаnѕ to inject some 967bn/- in thе еnеrgу sector to еxесutе vаriоuѕ роwеr gеnеrаtiоn аnd diѕtributiоn рrоjесtѕ in ѕuрроrt of thе induѕtriаl rеvоlutiоn thаt Prеѕidеnt Jоhn Mаgufuli’ѕ аdminiѕtrаtiоn hаѕ vоwеd tо рurѕuе.

Agriсulturе and trаnѕроrt infrastructure will also receive hugе funding, Dr Mpango ѕаid, nоting thаt thе government will lаrgеlу finance thе nаtiоnаl ѕtrаtеgiс рrоjесtѕ using dоmеѕtiс rеѕоurсеѕ frоm tax аnd nоn-tаx revenues, lоаnѕ and grants as wеll аѕ gоvеrnmеnt securities.

“A tоtаl оf 29,539bn/- will bе соllесtеd аnd ѕреnt during the (соming fiѕсаl) year ... thе total оf dоmеѕtiс rеvеnuеѕ, including соllесtiоnѕ frоm the local governments, are estimated аt 18,463.5bn/-, еԛuаl tо 62.5 реr сеnt оf thе еntirе budgеt,” Dr Mраngо tоld MPs in a mееting chaired bу Primе Miniѕtеr Kаѕѕim Mаjаliwа in Dar еѕ Sаlааm.

Hе ѕаid thе gоvеrnmеnt wаѕ confident tо increase revenue collection, ѕауing there wеrе many indiсаtiоnѕ thаt thе Tаnzаniа Revenue Authоritу (TRA), miniѕtriеѕ аnd gоvеrnmеnt institutions that соllесt rеvеnuеѕ hаvе thе potential to соllесt mоrе.

Thе dеvеlорmеnt раrtnеrѕ аrе еxресtеd to contribute 3,600bn/-, аbоut 12 per cent of thе tоtаl budgеt, the miniѕtеr said, аdding thаt thе government will bоrrоw 5,374bn/- from thе dоmеѕtiс sources tо pay fоr mаturеd gоvеrnmеnt bonds.

The government will furthеr bоrrоw 2,101bn/- оn commercial rаtеѕ frоm foreign finаnсiеrѕ tо finаnсе соnѕtruсtiоn оf infrastructure.

He rеitеrаtеd the government commitment to strict аuѕtеritу mеаѕurеѕ tо сurb unnесеѕѕаrу рubliс ѕреnding and plug loopholes fоr wаѕtеful uѕе оf public rеѕоurсеѕ, with more fundѕ directed tо dеvеlорmеnt projects.

Aѕ an indiсаtiоn оf аuѕtеritу mеаѕurеѕ, the gоvеrnmеnt will reduce thе wеight оf wages аnd other costs (OC) on total budgеt frоm 29 tо 22 per сеnt аnd 16 tо 10 per сеnt, rеѕресtivеlу.

Whilе wаgеѕ аrе еxресtеd to inсrеаѕе slightly tо 6,600bn/- frоm 6,466bn/-, OC will decrease tо 3,119bn/- frоm the сurrеnt 3,712bn/-.

“Thе 2016/17 budget will рut еmрhаѕiѕ in соmрlеting рrоjесtѕ оn progress, nеw dеvеlорmеnt рrоjесtѕ as well аѕ рауing for аѕсеrtаinеd gоvеrnmеnt dеbtѕ ... the government will еnѕurе that аll аvаilаblе rеѕоurсеѕ аnd орроrtunitiеѕ in the соuntrу аrе рrоduсtivеlу utiliѕеd tо dеvеlор thе industrial есоnоmу аnd reduce роvеrtу,” ѕаid Dr Mраngо
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a la/s April 06, 2016 0


Dar/Chake Chake/Zanzibar. Zanzibar’s first President Abeid Amani Karume was a lot of things to different people. For some Zanzibaris Karume represented an era prosperity when politics were not allowed to defer development. They still remember him as the man of action.


Mr Hamisi Othman Juma, a Chake Chake resident, says most of the infrastructure in Zanzibar was built by Mzee Karume.


“For the eight years that Mzee Karume had been in power he had built industries and had left plans for future development of Zanzibar which were, unfortunately, ignored by successive presidents.


Karume is the person that you can attribute to every achievement that is today seen in Zanzibar for over 50 years after Zanzibar revolution, says Mr Daudi Ismail, a political expert and a resident of Pemba.


He adds that Karume would always be remembered for speedy building of affordable residential houses, among other projects.


“Karume spoke less politics, and instead was a man of action. Unfortunately our current leaders don’t follow this legacy, instead they focus much on politics than development issues,” he said.


Issa Suleiman Shibu, another Chake Chake resident says Karume initiated the union with Tanganyika, which helped to stabilize Zanzibar politically and economically. The union later became thorny as some challenges emerged and have remained unsolved to this day, Mr Shibu, says.


Zanzibaris’ nostalgic reverence of Mzee Karume is understandable considering the bold popular moves that he took soon after the revolution in 1964. He confiscated land from the rich landowners and distributed it to poor peasants some of whom were, previously, squatters in the same land. Records show that between 1965 and 1967 about 12,028 peasants in Unguja and 1,920 in Pemba had benefited.


Mzee Karume also introduced free education and health services. He also constructed residential buildings to house the poor and started rice irrigation schemes. These moves were deeply popular with Zanzibaris who had spent decades under subjugation in a society in which people were grouped in classes and received privileges in accordance to the colours of their skins.


For some political commentators, historians and academicians, however, Karume was a deeply controversial figure with a mixed legacy that could have been embedded in the DNA of CCM’s politics in Zanzibar today.


They acknowledged that problems with Zanzibar’s electoral politics were aggravated by class and racial politics long before Mzee Karume came to power and were in fact the trigger for the January 1964 revolution. They argue, however, that the leadership style of Mzee Karume and his failure to build political and judicial institutions in his eight years at the helm aggravated the situation and set in motion an unhealthy culture in the electoral politics of the Isles.


In his book Pan-Africanism or Pragmatism? Lessons of Tanganyika-Zanzibar Union Prof Issa G. Shivji writes that Mzee Karume’s legacy in Zanzibar could be described as autocratic because he dismantled all structure of democracy and rule of law in the isles. He, in fact, ruled by decree and gave the Revolutionary Council- whose members he appointed- legislative, judicial and executive powers. The Zanzibar Electoral Commission and the House of Representatives were only established in 1980 after a Zanzibar constitution-the first since the revolution-was created in 1979.


Author Hank Chase says in an article entitled Zanzibar Treason Trial published in the journal Review of Africa Political Economy in 1976 that despite Mzee Karume’s bold moves to root out colonial political and economic elements soon after the Revolution his government started assuming a character that led to stifling of mass participation in decision-making as well as eliminating critics of government policies.


One indication of stifling mass participation, Chase writes, is that the Afro-Shirazi Party failed to hold any party conference for all the eight years that Mzee Karume was at the helm. In fact the ASP had not held any meeting for ten years between 1962 and 1972. The first meeting in ten years was held in December 1972 under the chairman of Aboud Jumbe Mwinyi. The conference was attended by President Julius Nyerere and other Tanu leaders, delegates from 12 African countries and representatives of freedom movements and marked a return to mass participation that culminated in the 1979 constitution and the creation of both the Zanzibar Electoral Commission and the House of Representatives in 1980.


“He declared that there would be no elections in Zanzibar for 50 years. The only elections that were allowed in Zanzibar were for the President of the Union,” Prof Shivji writes.


Another author William Smith writes that Mzee Karume was quoted telling a journalis of the Standard newspaper that “Elections are the tools are a tool of the imperialists to sabotage the people.” This could have been in reference to pre-revolution elections where the ASP won the popular votes but could not win enough seats to form the government.


Soon after the union between Zanzibar and Tanganyika in 1964 Mzee Karume decrees to suspend indefinitely the creation of the new constitutions and vesting of legislative powers on the Revolutionary Council. Between 1966 and 1969 several decrees were passed that even tually crippled the powers of the courts. There had existed a judicial system with a highcourt, district, primary and and validity of this system started being gradually eroded by a series of decrees according to Prof Shivji. A Special Court consisting of 14 members all to be appointed by the President was created. It had exclusive jurisdiction to deal with all criminal related matters, political offenses and all offenses under preventive detention. “The special court was not bound by any procedures; it would set its own procedures. Its proceedings were not open to the public and no advocates or public prosecutors were allowed to appear before the court. No appeals were allowed except to the President whose decision was final,” Prof Shivji writes in Pan-Africanism or Pragmatism? Lessons of Tanganyika-Zanzibar Union.


Under pressure from the Union government the court was officially wound up soon enough, but it had already the tone and some government officials went on acting as prosecutors and judges as well as detaining people under the prevention detention decree. ___In 1969 the People’s Court Decree was issued, which established the people’s courts that officially replaced the lower courts while the high court remained in name only. The courts were manned by a chairman and two assistances. But these “officials of the courts” were not required to have any legal qualifications, no advocates were allowed in the courts, according to the decree. The courts determined their own procedures. In the same year another decree was issued which established the supreme council of the Revolutionary Council which were given overriding powers of appeal from the High Court but no decision of the council was final until endorsed by the President himself.


Mzee Karume legacy has nothing to do with current crisis


Zanzibari politicians from across the political divide, however, say the current crisis should not be blamed on Mzee Karume’s legacy. While they praise Mzee Karume’s vision and sacrifice for the country they point fingers at each other as far as the current political stalemate is concerned.


Pandu Ameir Kificho, former speaker of Zanzibar House of Representatives says the vision of Mzee Karume was anchored on seeing that all Zanzibaris lived and work together as equals regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.
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a la/s April 06, 2016 0

Photothek-Selous-702x336
Dr. Gerd Müller, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany handed over a Husky aircraft to Prof. Jumanne Maghembe, the Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism.
The aircraft will be deployed by FrankfurtZoological Society  (FZS) in close cooperation with the Tanzanian Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) for surveillance of wildlife in the Selous Game Reserve and to support the fight against poaching.
The German Minister addressed the guests of the handover ceremony at Matambwe Airstrip in the
Selous: “Poaching threatens biodiversity in many of Africa’s remaining wilderness areas and
undermines security of nations and the livelihoods of people,” said Minister Müller.
“Handing this aircraft over to the Tanzanian authorities and FZS is an important cornerstone of our longstanding support for the Selous Game Reserve and the adjacent communities.”
“For a large area like the Selous Game Reserve, one of the largest uninhabited protected areas of
Africa, aerial surveillance is vital,” said Minister Maghembe.
He thanked the German government for the support in countering the recent upsurge in poaching. “This aircraft will also help the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority carrying out wildlife and habitat monitoring in the Selous as one of Tanzania’s biodiversity hotspots of global relevance,” Maghembe added.
The group visited the Rufiji River in the Selous Game Reserve to discuss the conservation challenges
on-site. They also met with representatives of the private sector to explore ways to combine wildlife
conservation and sustainable tourism.
The German Ambassador Egon Kochanke underlined that “The Selous Game Reserve is not only one
of the largest protected areas in Africa but also the centrepiece of the new Tanzania Wildlife
Authority.”
The area has been hit very hard by poachers: Between 2009 and 2014, the population of
approximately 45,000 elephants at that time has been decimated to approximately 15,000. Today, all
of Tanzania is estimated to have about 45,000 elephants, 60% less than in 2009.
“Poaching is a severe threat to biodiversity,” said Christof Schenk, CEO of Frankfurt Zoological
Society, “not only because it can lead to local extinctions of targeted species like elephant and rhino,
but because their disappearance can harm the ecosystem altogether. Frankfurt Zoological Society is
committed to contribute to halting the deterioration of the Selous.”
In 1982, the Selous was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the Selous is regarded
as a World Heritage Site ‘in danger’. By UNESCO standards, extraction of mineral resources and largescale land use change are prohibited. “Now is the time to enhance protection of the area to enable wildlife populations to regrow and to restore the secured status of the World Heritage Site,“ says
Schenck
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a la/s April 06, 2016 0

ZANZIBAR president Ali Mohamed Shein yesterday dashed hopes for another government of national unity (GNU) in the troubled archipelago, saying doing so would be unconstitutional given his “overwhelming” 91.4 per cent election rerun victory.
The formation of a coalition government between Zanzibar's two leading parties - the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and opposition Civic United Front (CUF) - succeeded in easing a political stalemate after the 2010 polls similar to the one currently prevailing in the Isles.
That move led to CUF’s secretary general Seif Sharif Hamad becoming the Isles first vice president while several other CUF members were chosen as cabinet ministers and deputy ministers in the GNU.
But this time around, President Shein said here that since no opposition party garnered the required constitutional threshold of 10 per cent of the vote in the March 20 polls rerun, overwhelming winners CCM would go it alone and form its own government.
The polls rerun was boycotted by CUF, which continues to insist that its presidential candidate Hamad was winning in the original election last October which was annulled in controversial circumstances midway during the vote count.
In the absence of CUF, Shein's closest rival in the presidential race, Hamad Rashid Mohamed from the Alliance for Democratic Change (ADC), got a measly 3 percent of the total vote at the election rerun.
In the Zanzibar context, a GNU is a power-sharing system of government which incorporates representatives of political parties that won at least 10 per cent of the presidential vote.
This is according to section 39(3) of Zanzibar’s 1984 Constitution, as amended in 2010, which Shein quoted in his inaugural address to the Zanzibar House of Representatives here yesterday to drum home his assertion that such a power-sharing deal wasn’t possible this time.
He also noted that CCM had a clean sweep of all 54 House of Representative constituency seats as none of the opposition parties managed to get even a single seat.
“Zanzibaris have made their choice by denying such a possibility (of a coalition government) and giving CCM the room to rule the country alone,” he said.
He said the appointment of Ambassador Seif Ali Idd as second vice president was done according to section 39(6) of the Zanzibar constitution, which states that for a person to hold such a post, he or she must be appointed from within members of the House of Representatives and from the political party of the president.
Dr Shein said he was forced to clarify the matter because of claims that he has refused to appoint a first vice president.
“Why should I have to appoint someone who does not qualify for the post? This would be violating the country’s constitution,” he stated.
He also moved to refute speculation that Zanzibar may be forced to go through yet another general election rerun after last month's disputed exercise, insisting that the next election in the Isles will be held in 2020 as scheduled, and not before.
On the niggling issue of donor dependence, Shein said his government will work hard to enable Zanzibar to become financially self-reliant.
According to the Minister for union affairs and the environment in the Union government, January Makamba, Shein has done the right thing in not appointing a first vice president so far because no one (in the opposition) is qualified to hold such a post constitutionally.
Meanwhile, hours after delivering his inaugural speech to the House, Shein appointed seven House of Representatives members, including three opposition presidential candidates who participated in the polls re-run.
Members of the opposition appointed by the president to serve in the House include Hamad Rashid Mohamed from the ADC party, Said Soud Said (African Farmers Party's - AFP), and Juma Ali Khatib (ADA-TADEA).
The other four appointed members are all from the ruling CCM party; former state minister Mohamed Aboud Mohamed, former Tanzania (Union government) presidential hopeful Amina Salum Ali, Moulin Castico, and Ambassador Ali Karume.
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a la/s April 04, 2016 0

The Deputy Minister for Health, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Khamis Kigwangala
 The government is working with the private sector to address a massive shortage of nurses and midwives which now stand at 51 per cent.
 
Dr Khamis Kigwangala, the Deputy Minister for Health, Gender, Elderly and Children, announced yesterday in Dar es Salaam during the inauguration ceremony of the Salama House to support the Aga Khan University’s Health Programmes in East Africa.
 
The house, fully financed by the Federal Republic of Germany at a total cost of €1.2million, will provide a modern science lab and skills lab - essential for modern nursing pedagogy- increasing the number of enrollment from the current 43 to 60 students.
 
“We are looking to increase training of nurses and midwives at all levels both in rural and urban areas. There will also be special focus on developing community health workers and traditional birth attendants,” Dr Kigwangala said.
 
The deputy minister said the government will, during this financial year, hire over 10,000 health officials.
 
Dr Gerd Muller, the Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany, speaking at the ceremony, said his government was concerned with the level of community health especially in rural communities.
 
“We have to double training capacity of nurses and midwives... the programme should target rural areas,” he said. “We need access to health services for all people, not only those in urban areas.”
 
Dr Muller announced that his government in collaboration with their Tanzanian counterparts would work on modalities to initiate an exchange programme for nurses and midwives.
 
“There are competent nurses in Germany who don’t get places for practical training; we hope this is an area that we can all benefit from,” the minister stressed.
 
The minister noted the high rate of maternal mortality in the country, calling for strategic cooperation to reduce the menace.
 
Al-Karim Haji, the vice president - Finance and chief financial officer at the Aga Khan University announced that the institute had secured a €17million grant from Germany to improve nursing and midwifery in the East African Community (EAC).
 
He detailed that as of now at least 600 students from Tanzania and 2,100 from EAC have benefited from AKU training.
 
“We’re working to harmonise nurses and midwifery standards and training among EAC member states. We receive numerous support from all the benefiting members,” he said.
 
Dr Richard Sezibera, the outgoing EAC secretary general, told the gathering that the region was working on improving the sector and others.
 
According to him, health is critical for the function of the Common Market and harmonising the sector would eliminate the need for Yellow fever vaccination requirements for travelling in the region.
 
The secretary general said the region had also received €60million from the Federal Republic of Germany to strengthen the immunisation campaign in the East African Community.
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a la/s April 03, 2016 0

Minister for Works, Transportation and Communication, Prof Makame Mbarawa
 
 The government has specified July 2016 as the timeframe for the beginning of a second phase expansion work of Kigoma airport.
Minister for Works, Transportation and Communication, Prof Makame Mbarawa said on Friday while in the region that the tender for the project would be opened later this year. 
 
He said expansion of the airport would allow it to accommodate international flights while also opening tourist opportunities along the Lake Tanganyika West Zone.
 
More than Sh40bn, funds from the European Investment Bank (EIB) has been set aside for the project.
 
“I call upon all residents who will be compensated for relocation to immediately leave their homes after the compensation to pave way for the project implementation” Mbarawa stressed.
 
A statement from the ministry said the airport facelift would include construction of  runway from the current 1,800 metres to 3,100 metres to allow landing and takeoff of larger planes like Boeing 737.
 
He also requested Kigoma residents to avoid friction and disputes which might delay the project and be cooperative enough to Airport and Civil Aviation Authorities for smooth implementation of the project.
 
Speaking at the occasion, Kigoma Urban MP, Zitto Kabwe (ACT-Wazalendo) urged fellow residents to welcome the project which will boost tourism in the region for the people to benefit through expanded investment opportunities.
 
“We are grateful that we have the government in power that sees the importance of investment in Kigoma. I keenly appeal to you fellow citizens to avoid disputes but instead provide the necessary support to the project which will boost economic activities in the region,” Zitto said.
 
He assured Prof Mbarawa that the airport would open up the skies in the western zone as more tourists are likely to visit the famous national parks found in Kigoma namely, Gombe and Mahale.
 
Civil Aviation Authority manager in Kigoma Godlove Longole requested the government to remember to also finance the construction of security wall (fence), control tower, passenger’s lounge and improve fire brigade services at the airport to make sure that workers performed their duties accordingly.
 
The Airport manager, Mohamedi Issa pledged close supervison of the construction work to make sure that job accomplished matched the money spent for the airport to attain Code 4C status to provide services to bigger
 
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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a la/s March 30, 2016 0



Minister of State in the President's Office (Local Governments and Regional Administration), George Simbachawene

Mwanza, Arusha and Singida are the regions with the highest number of government ‘ghost’ workers, according to reports submitted to the central government as part of a national civil service audit aimed at pruning the state payroll.

The reports prepared by regional commissioners across the country and delivered to the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Local Governments and Regional Administration), George Simbachawene, show that there are over 2,500 ghost civil servants in Tanzania Mainland alone.

The regional breakdown shows Mwanza with the highest figure (334), followed by Arusha with 270 and Singida with 231 non-existent but paid government employees, respectively.

The revelations were made within two weeks of President Magufuli ordering the newly-appointed regional commissioners to identify and remove all ghost workers at local government level as part of a wider crackdown on public salary fraud.
According to the RCs’ reports, the payments to these ‘ghost’ workers have led to billions of shillings going down the drain each month, with Arusha region losing 1.1bn/- in this month of March alone.

Dar es Salaam region recorded 73 ‘ghost’ workers culminating in a monthly loss of 316 million/-, with Kigoma (171 workers - 114m/- lost per month); Kilimanjaro (114 workers – 281m/- lost per month); and Kagera (14 workers - 49m/- lost per month) also prominently exposed.

For other regions, the breakdown was as follows; Lindi (57 ‘ghost’ workers - 36m/- lost per month; Ruvuma, (37ghost workers - 58m/- lost per month) Katavi (21 ghost workers - 20.7m/- lost in six months), Manyara (55 workers - 142m/- lost per month).

Mara (94 ghost workers with a loss of 121m/- in the month of March), Mbeya and Songwe (98 ghost workers with a loss of 121/- per month), Njombe (34 ghost workers with a loss of 20m/- in the month of March).

Simiyu (33 ghost workers with loss of 320m/-), Tabora (48 workers with loss of 118m/- per month), Morogoro (122 with loss of over 450m/- in March), Lindi (57 ghost workers with loss of 36m/- per month), and Dodoma (139 workers with loss of 287bn/- over six months).

Monthly loss figures could not be immediately ascertained for some regions like Singida (231 ghost workers), Mtwara (17 ghost workers), Tanga (104 ghost workers), and Coast (150 ghost workers). Surprisingly, no ghost workers were identified in Shinyanga region, leading to the authorities pledging to delve deeper.

Speaking after receiving the reports, Simbachawene commended the RCs for doing a good job and urged them to continue serving the public with integrity and dedication.

“You should use all the authority invested on you to ensure that everything is done properly in your regions,” the minister said.

While swearing in the RCs at State House in Dar es Salaam recently, Magufuli instructed them to clamp down on crime, saying there was no reason for Tanzanians to continue to suffer from poverty and insecurity.

Saying the country's youths shouldn’t be allowed to remain idle, the president ordered the RCs to find ways of putting young Tanzanians to work "even by force."

“I am giving you 15 days to fix these problems," Magufuli told the RCs.
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a la/s March 10, 2016 0


Zanzibar's Second Vice President, Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi

Zanzibar's Second Vice President, Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi, has stressed that women should be provided with vast opportunities that would have real development impact in the country.

He outlined that one way of doing so should be increasing their number in colleges and institutions of higher learning.
Ambassador Iddi stressed that the government’s commitment was aimed at providing women with educational loans and introducing different programmes that would enable them to improve their academic achievements.

The Second Vice President made the remarks yesterday during the commemoration of World Women’s Day at the Eastern African Centre for Research on Oral Traditions and African National Languages (Eacrotanal) grounds.

He said according to the 2012 census, it was estimated that nearly 52 per cent of women in Zanzibar were responsible for taking care of their families despite lack of sufficient education.

The Second Vice President urged institutions dealing with women issues to increase efforts in empowering them economically, a situating which would assist them to take care of their families and also spur national growth.

He also called for fast-tracking work on the challenges facing women to empower them so that they can own resources.

He said experience had shown that majority of women did not get the opportunity to own assets due to the patriarchal system that was embedded within the society, which led to scant awareness in recognising their rights.

“Zanzibar will continue to put efforts on developing, drafting strategies and looking for opportunities that will enable empowerment of women economically,” he assured.

The Second Vice President said the establishment of different institutions in the isles was aimed at encouraging and empowering women in various fields including entrepreneurship, leadership, decision making and access to capital.

Speaking on sexual abuse against women and children, the Second Vice President said the government was determined to fight the vice.

He said mutual cooperation between institutions and society in general was needed to end such violence. There must be a strategic way to increase women’s awareness and capacity building to realise their contribution to our communities, he said.

Reading a speech before the Second Vice President, Hadia Mohammed Ramadhan expressed dismay on how law enforcement executes their duties disrespectfully especially when dealing with women issues.

“We are not satisfied with how law enforcers deal with our problems, the safety of women and children is at stake due to excessive acts of sexual violence which have continued unabated,” she said.
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a la/s March 03, 2016 0

President Mugabe

Lovemore Ranga Mataire
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe celebrated his 92nd birthday on the 21st of February this week marking a major milestone for a mortal whose life has bestrode his country and continent’s political landscape like a colossus.

Many people have different perspectives about Mugabe but for most Zimbabweans, he is the man who has come to personify their long held struggle against political and economic domination from the country’s former colonisers – Britain.

And to most in Africa, Mugabe has become an enduring symbol of African resolve to assert their dignity and has continued to speak against the skewed international arena that denigrates the African voice.


It is no wonder that wherever he has gone, either as the African Union or SADC chairperson Mugabe has been received rapturously as a hero who against all odds has become the lone continental voice of conscience.

While the West would always want to create an image of Mugabe as a monstrous dictator, most Africans identify not just with Mugabe’s stance against the West but also with his roots as a simple village boy raised by his mother, Mbuya Bona, under the stewardship of Roman priests – the Jesuits at Kutama Mission in Zvimba District north-west of the then Salisbury, in Southern Rhodesia.

Born on February 21, 1924, Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the third of the six children born to Gabriel Matibiri and Bona, both of whom were Roman Catholics. His elder brother, Michael, died when he was very young in 1934 while his father went to look for work in Zimbabwe’s then most industrious city of Bulawayo.

Mbuya Bona was left to care for the young Mugabe and other siblings including enrolling the young Mugabe at Kutama Mission where he fell in love with his books. After Kutama, the young Mugabe attended Fort Hare University in South Africa. After completion of his degree, he came back to the then Rhodesia and taught at various schools including Hope Fountain and Tegwane Mission.

He later went to teach in independent Ghana, where he was enmeshed in Marxism and African nationalism. After returning to Southern Rhodesia around 1960, Mugabe became publicity secretary for the National Democratic Party (NDP), then led by Joshua Nkomo, a former trade unionist. After the banning of the NDP in 1961, Mugabe became the publicity secretary of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union also led by Nkomo. ZAPU had a short life for it was soon banned and went underground.

Following disagreements on how to executive resistance against white rule, Mugabe was part of a core group which included the late Enos Nkala, Edgar Tekere and Ndabaningi Sithole that broke away from ZAPU to form the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and became its secretary-general.

In the midst of colonial resistance, Mugabe married fellow teacher Ghanaian Sarah Hayfron and had a son Nhamodzenyika who died of cerebral malaria in 1966.

In 1964, Mugabe and other fellow nationalists were arrested by Rhodesian authorities and he spent 10 years in prison. His love of letters blossomed in prison where he studied among other programmes law from the University of South Africa and the University of London by correspondence. His astute leadership and adept intellectualism saw him being elected leader of ZANU after a vote of no confidence in Ndabaningi Sithole’s leadership.

After his release from prison in 1974, Mugabe and Tekere daringly crossed to Mozambique in the dead of the night assisted by the late Chief Rekayi Tangwena, a legendary traditional leader known for leading resistance against colonial attempts to displace him with his people from the Gairesi Ranch in Manicaland province, on the border with Mozambique.

Upon arrival in Mozambique, Mugabe assumed the leadership of the ZANLA guerillas whose military leadership comprised of the late Josiah Magama Tongogara and Rex Nhongo. It was in Mozambique that ZANLA forces launched military raids into southern Rhodesian and inflicted so much casualties on the side of the colonial side that Ian Smith agreed to negotiate first at the Geneva Conference and later at Lancaster House in London, which culminated in the holding of general elections resoundingly won by Mugabe and his ZANU party.

One of Mugabe’s major milestones as a leader was in the manner in which he halted early internal disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces caused by former disgruntled PF-ZAPU cadres who had turned dissidents. Without any outside mediation, Mugabe consummated the Unity Accord together with ZAPU leader Nkomo in December 1987, which brought peace and tranquility, a feat that even the country’s detractors hailed as the mark of an astute statesman. The new amalgamated party became ZANU-PF with Mugabe being the President and Nkomo together with the late Dr Simon Muzenda being co-Vice Presidents.

In 1987, the position of Prime Minister was abolished and Mugabe assumed the new office of executive President of Zimbabwe. Mugabe has consistently won elections in 1990, 1996, 2002, 2008 and 2013.

Mugabe added another feather on his cap through his ability to expand the education sector to cater for the previously marginalised majority black Zimbabweans, a feat that has made the country have the highest literacy rate on the continent.

Between 1989 and 1994, Mugabe was forced to dismiss ministers and party associates when corruption was revealed at the highest levels of government. Faced by an opposition largely sponsored by white commercial farmers and the former coloniser Britain, Mugabe embarked on the land reform which was meant to correct historical injustices where indigenous blacks were displaced from fertile lands to give way to minority whites that numbered not more than 5000 yet occupied 75 percent of arable land.

Irked by Mugabe’s insistence on the fast track land reform programme, Britain and its European allies, including the US, imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, a development that has since stifled economic growth for the landlocked country. Through Mugabe’s leadership, Zimbabwe was to promulgate the Look East policy premised on utilizing the historical relations cultured during the struggle with countries in the Eastern bloc, particularly China and Russia.

It was the Look East policy that was to stabilise the economic prospects of Zimbabwe much to the chagrin of Britain and the US which wanted to install a new regime through their sponsored proxy – the MDC led by former trade unionist Morgan Tsvangirai. Despite Western vilification, African states have continued having confidence in Mugabe’s leadership as exemplified by his taking over the leadership of both the African Union and SADC. It was during his reign that he reinforced the need for harnessing local resources in funding the two organisations instead of relying on external donors.

He also emphasised the need to accelerate the continent’s industrialisation through beneficiation and value addition of the continent’s resources.

Besides the issue of value addition, Mugabe has advocated the reformation of the United Nations Security Council which he said lacked the current demographic balance. All the issues raised by Mugabe resonated well across the continent and what is left is for African states to once again reignite the pan-African spirit that united them in the fight against colonialism to fight global economic disparities.

Mugabe is a true living legend who deserves a coveted place in the canon of African nationalism and liberation.
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a la/s February 18, 2016 0





THE Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) Director, Mr Salum Kassim Ali.

Mr Ali said here that they were prepared to make sure that the polls would be free and fair and past irregularities would not recur.

"We have been moving on well and doing everything possible to ensure that the elections are free and fair. All the mistakes which led to the nullification of the October 2015 polls will be avoided," he insisted.

ZEC set March 20, 2016 for Zanzibaris to go to fresh elections, following the nullification of the last October polls due to massive irregularities, according to the electoral Commission chairman, Mr Jecha Salim Jecha.

"We are now recruiting returning officers and other staff who must work honestly to the expectation of the electorate. We have made reforms to make sure that there is no room for cheating," explained Mr Ali.

He said since it is fresh-elections held in just a short time, no time has been allocated for the verification of Permanent Voters Register (PVR), which would include cleaning up of the names of the deceased people.

ZEC said people in Zanzibar who registered to vote in the previous elections, should prepare to vote in the fresh polls, and that it is likely the same figures of candidates, will appear on the ballot papers.

Some political parties including the Civic United Front (CUF) have threatened to boycott the elections, saying it is illegal and unnecessary, as the opposition maintain claims that it had won the last October polls and that its candidate Mr Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad should be sworn-in as Zanzibar president.
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a la/s February 17, 2016 0

Former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa
 Former Tanzanian president   Benjamin Mkapa arrived in Zimbabwe last Sunday for a week-long visit, where he is also expected to meet with President Mugabe.
 
  Mkapa was met at the Harare International Airport by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and the Minister of Defence Dr Sydney Sekeramayi.
 
Foreign Affairs permanent secretary   Joey Bimha said   Mkapa had programmes lined up before he travels back to his country.
 
“I can confirm that  Benjamin Mkapa is in the country after landing at 1am and he has many engagements before he travels back,” he said.
Mkapa was the third president of Tanzania from 1995 to 2005. Today   Mkapa is expected to tour Alpha Omega Dairy and Amai Mugabe School and Children’s Home while tomorrow, he is expected to meet with President Mugabe.
 
On Thursday, he will officiate at the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) renaming ceremony of a block which will be named Julius K. Nyerere House.
 
The Southern African Research and Documentation Centre, (SARDC), is an independent regional information resource centre which seeks to enhance the effectiveness of key development processes in the SADC region through the collection, production and dissemination of information, and enabling the capacity to generate and use information. 
 
SARDC’s objective is to improve the base of knowledge about economic, political, cultural and social developments, and their implications, by making information accessible to governments and policy makers, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, regional and international organisations, development agencies, parliaments, and media.
 
SARDC has five main areas of focus which are pursued by separate specialist departments for environment and water resources, gender, democracy and governance, regional economic development, and human development, in partnership with other institutions including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) secretariat and sectors, IUCN-The World Conservation Union, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and networks of national partners in SADC member states.
 
SARDC has an information resource centre containing over 12,000 subject files on regional issues, a library of books and periodicals, and computerised databases in WIN-ISIS; and is establishing a “virtual library” of internet access to its resources.  
 
 Mkapa is on Friday expected to deliver a lecture at the Zimbabwe Defence College and in the afternoon he will tour some places in Manicaland.
 
The construction of the National Defence College in 2010 was a direct response to national security threats posed by the imposition of illegal sanctions by Western countries and the need to preserve the country’s independence , according to President Mugabe .
 
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has donated $4.2 million to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF). The donation funded various army projects.  
 
Zanu PF’s relations with China date back to the liberation war era when Beijing sponsored the party with military training and equipment. 
The relationship continued after independence but was to intensify under the ‘Look East’ policy, developed in reaction to President Mugabe’s fall-out with the West.
 
In April 1998 Mkapa also visited Zimbabwe for a four-day state visit during which he   officially opened the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo .
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a la/s February 05, 2016 0
Farmers cultivate maize crops in Mvuma district, Masvingo, Zimbabwe, January 26, 2016. In Zimbabwe, farmers have already lost cattle and crops in the severest drought to hit the nation in a quarter of a century. But the worst may be yet to come.photo:reuters
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe on Friday declared a "state of disaster" in many rural areas hit by a severe drought, with 26 percent of the population facing food shortages.
A regional drought worsened by the El Nino weather phenomenon has affected South Africa and Zambia as well as Zimbabwe, leaving tens of thousands of cattle dead, dams depleted and crops written off.

A recent development
Formerly known as the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe has suffered perennial shortages in recent years and has resorted to importing grain from neighbouring countries to meet its needs.
"Initial indications were that 1.5 million people were food insecure with all the 60 rural districts being affected," public works minister Saviour Kasukuwere said in a statement.
"Overall, the food insecure population has since risen to 2.44 million - 26 percent of the population.
"(With) the continued threat of the El Nino-induced drought, His Excellency the President has declared a state of disaster in regard to severely affected areas."
Mugabe has blamed low farm yields on erratic rains due to climate change, as well as sanctions imposed by Western countries over the government's tainted human rights record.
Critics say the food shortages have been partially caused by the president's land reforms enacted since 2000 when the government oversaw the often violent eviction of white farmers.
Many farms are underutilised, and the government has vowed to hold an audit to ensure agriculture land is put to use.
Kasukuwere said at least 16,500 cattle have died countrywide, while as much as 75 percent of crops have been abandoned in the worse-hit areas.
He said the government would take measures to minimise the impact of the drought on both humans and livestock.AFP

Government's version

Mugabe has blamed low farm yields on erratic rains due to climate change, as well as sanctions imposed by Western countries over the government's tainted human rights record.

What critics say?

Critics say the food shortages have been partially caused by the president's land reforms enacted since 2000 when the government oversaw the often violent eviction of white farmers.
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a la/s January 08, 2016 0


The minister of Defence, Doctor Crispus Kiyonga addresses journalists during a press conference about the peace talks of Burundi at Uganda Media Centre, Kampala on 8/1/2016. PHOTO BY JULIET KASIRYE

Uganda, the chief mediator in the Burundi talks, has said the president of the East African nation, Pierr Nkurunziza, would be committing a grave mistake by attacking the African Union (AU) peacekeepers.

Burundi has been ensnared in a political crisis in which close to 400 people have died and about 300,000 forced to flee into neigbouring countries in the East African region.

The violence erupted after Nkurunziza launched his bid to stand for another term in office after completing the constitutional two five year terms. He won the controversial election with a resounding victory in July, triggering further violence that has concentrated in Bujumbura and its suburbs.

The 54-member AU gave Burundi a four-day deadline on December 17 to accept a 5,000-strong force to halt months of violence. However, Nkurunziza on December 30 threatened to fight the proposed AU peacekeepers if they set foot on Burundian soil, defying intense global pressure to accept the force.

“Shooting at the African Union peacekeepers would be a big mistake. We are all members of AU and we are bound by its resolutions. If one is not satisfied with AU’s decision, they can challenge it through proper channels like through the AU summit,” Uganda’s defense minister, Crispus Kiyonga on Friday.
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a la/s January 06, 2016 0
 
The case will come before Principal Resident Magistrate, Respicius Mwijage of the Kisutu Resident Magistrates’ court in Dar es Salaam. Earlier, State Attorney, Estazia Wilson had informed the court that the case had come up for hearing but the prosecution’s intended witness was on leave.
Magistrate Mwijage expressed his disappointment regarding the fact that the prosecution had not availed alternative witnesses to cover the position of the one who was absent.
“I dislike situations whereby people come up with this kind of excuse when hearing is supposed to be in good progress,” said the Magistrate. He urged the prosecutor to avail two or more witnesses on the specified dates for the hearing and cautioned them that he was going to issue a ruling if otherwise.
Ngonyani, who resides at Magomeni Mapipa, becomes the first person to face the new law since it was endorsed by President Jakaya Kikwete to operate in Tanzania last year.
The accused is charged under section 16 of the Cyber Crime Act, which prohibits people to publish materials which are false or not verified by relevant authorities. Under the provision, whoever is convicted of the offence is liable to serve three years imprisonment or pay 5m/- in fine or both sentences.
Ngonyani is alleged to have published information in the face book network that General Mwamunyange has been poisoned. According to the prosecution, the accused person did so while knowing that such information was false and it was intended to mislead the public.
Meanwhile, A Nigerian National, Ejiofor Henry Ohagwa (33) has been arraigned before the same court for trafficking 4,197.42 grams of narcotic drugs. Before Principal Resident Magistrate, Mwijage the accused, who is a businessman, was not allowed to enter any plea to the charge, because his case will be tried by the High Court after completion of investigation.
Senior State Attorney, Mtalemwa Kishenyi alleged that on January 1, this year, at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Ilala District in the City, Ohagwa was found trafficking from the United Republic of Tanzania 4,197.42 grams of narcotic drugs namely, Heroin Hydrochloride.
Ohagwa told the court that he came in the country to run his cosmetics business. Magistrate Mwijage adjourned the case to January 18, 2016 when the case will come up for mention and ordered the accused to be remanded in custody.
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a la/s January 02, 2016 0

Newly-sworn in permanent secretaries take their Integrity Pledge before President John Magufuli (not in picture) at State House in Dar es Salaam, yesterday. (Photo: Halima Kambi)
 President John Magufuli forced the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries in his government into signing integrity commitment warrant before leaving the State House yesterday, lest they quit the posts for which they had just sworn-in a moment earlier. 
 
“If there is anyone who feels he cannot work under the integrity commitment, should dismiss himself and vacate the State House premises right now,” said Magufuli on the podium immediately after swearing in the new executives.
 
 “It is possible that there are some of you who frown at the integrity  declaration. Therefore, just stand aside so that we may establish those who do not agree with the declaration,” said the President for the second time, but no PS responded despite his 30-second pause waiting for a daring new appointee.
 
It was time for Chief Secretary Ombeni Sefue to shove a pen into the hands of the obviously frightened officials to sign the papers that would restrict their lifestyle into becoming squeaky clean, free from all kinds of moral and material corruption while in office. 
 
The integrity form also included requirements to be patriotic, faithful, shun corruption and embezzlement and provision of quality services for all.
Sefue told them that the question of integrity was a major concern from the public and a chronic problem among the officials, that it prompted the government into masterminding the integrity commitment drive. 
 
But the Permanent Secretaries who appeared to be equally committed to the terms, stood up one by one to raise their right hands while reading the declaration they later signed without reservations.
 
Speaking at the event shortly after the signature exercise, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said that the fifth phase government was serious about controling abuse of power among public servants.
 
“We want the public leaders’ performance to be transparent and with great  integrity for positive result to benefit the nation,” he said.  
 
He said the exercise by which public officials would be required to sign the integrity forms before seating their offices was a part of the new policy that started yesterday with the new corpus of principal secretaries, but Regional Commissioners (RCs) and District Commissioners (DCs) who will be appointed in the near future, will follow suit. “We started with the Secretaries because they are the ones who will be responsible for almost everything in their jurisdictions including financial and development activities,” he said.
 
The RCs will follow because they are bound to oversee the implementation of various directives on development activities in their regions, and so are DCs in their respective districts, he said.to sign or quit now.
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a la/s January 01, 2016 0
President Kagame casts his vote at APE-Rugunga polling station in Kigali. (Village Urugwiro)
President Kagame casts his vote at APE-Rugunga polling station in Kigali. (Village Urugwiro)
The announcement was expected after a referendum approved constitutional changes to allow him to run for three further terms and could potentially see him to stay in power until 2034.
Mr Kagame said Rwandans had made clear they wanted him to lead the country after 2017, and he could only accept.
He has dominated Rwandan politics since his rebel army ended the 1994 genocide.
Last month’s referendum result means Mr Kagame can run for a third seven-year term in 2017 and then two further five-year terms.
In a televised New Year’s address at midnight (22:00 GMT), the president, 58, said Rwanda did not need a president for life, and that someone else would take over sooner rather than later.
“You requested me to lead the country again after 2017. Given the importance and consideration you attach to this, I can only accept.


“But I don’t think that what we need is an eternal leader,” he said.
Part of the president’s New Year’s message was directed towards his critics abroad, says BBC Africa security correspondent Tomi Oladipo.
He was clearly telling them that democracy was at work in Rwanda and that he was only responding to the people’s wishes, our correspondent adds.
The US and the EU have said Mr Kagame should step down in 2017 to allow a new generation of leaders to emerge.
They also denounced the results of the referendum, saying voters were not given enough time to make informed decisions.
President Kagame has received widespread praise for bringing economic development to Rwanda, but critics have also accused him of a heavy-handed rule, our correspondent says.
Rights groups accuse the government of stifling the media and political opposition.
Mr Kagame became acting president in 2000 and was then elected in 2003 and 2010. However, he has effectively held power since 1994, when his rebel force entered the capital, Kigali, to end the country’s genocide.
Mr Kagame’s announcement comes at a time when two other presidents in the region – of the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo – are also seeking third-term extensions.
In Burundi, the president’s decision to seek a third term unleashed violent protests, in which at least 100 people have died since April.
BBC
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