Thursday, December 23, 2010

Clerics sentisize on MKUKUTA II, Government policy

The Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT), in collaboration with various stakeholders, has organised a three-day seminar for its members on how best they could compliment the government’s National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP) Phase II, commonly known as 'Mkukuta II.' CCT programme and capacity building officer Angelus Mapunda said on Tuesday here that it was the church’s practice to sensitize its leaders on topical government policy issues, such as Mkukuta II. Such seminars, he said, aim at stimulating further debate among stakeholders on strategic issues, including prioritising and sequencing of intervention as well as resource mobilisation and utilisation. The workshop, said the CCT official, would help a great deal in creating awareness of the general public on the church’s diverse network in rural areas.Mapunda also informed that the church had been implementing various programmes within its parameters that compliment government strategies.
“If the church intervenes in the education sector by building schools or in the health sector by putting up dispensaries, or when it sensitises church members that it’s their right to hold their leaders accountable on the implementation of projects, the church is implementing Mkukuta II,” he explained. Mapunda added that the seminar generated information that would facilitate the church interventions and facilitate the setting up of priorities in different sectors into a consistent and sustainable implementation strategy.According to him, the forum provided church leaders with an opportunity to assess progress in the implementation of ‘Mkukuta’.
Over the past five years, Tanzania has been implementing the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP) as overall policy framework to rally government efforts in improving, sustaining growth and fighting poverty.
Numerous successes have been achieved in social services delivery, education, health, water and sanitation, good governance and accountability and areas of economic growth despite daunting challenges.The past five years, according to Mapunda, have provided lessons for improving the implementation process in order to make ‘Mkukuta II’ more successful.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Arusha-Namanga highway contractor put on notice

Works minister Dr John Magufuli has cautioned the constructor undertaking construction of the Arusha-Namanga road to ensure that its construction is accomplished within the contract period, which is July 14, 2011. Wrapping up his impromptu inspection tour of the 104km-road here on Monday, the minister said the government wasn’t ready for any delays in road projects across the country. Magufuli was not happy with the pace at which the contractor was taking to accomplish the East African regional road, saying: “You need to accomplish constructing this road within seven months from now.” The 81bn/- road is being constructed by China Geo-Engineering Corporation, which is set to complete the construction work on July 14, next year. The minister also asked the consultant engineer to be serious with the work, warning that failure to abide by the agreement would lead to denying the company any construction projects in the future. He said consultant engineers should represent their clients rather than colluding with the contractors, a move which delayed a number of projects in the country. “And if we get to realise that some consultants are colluding with the contractors, the government will not hesitate to penalize them,” he said, adding: “Road projects are very expensive. As of now one kilometre of the Arusha-Namanga road costs about 772m/-, so there is no room for lame excuses.”

Newly appointed Minister for Works Honourable John Pombe Maghufuli

The minister called on Arusha regional Tanroads’ manager Deusdedit Kakoko to closely administer the work and see to it that it was completed on time. Earlier, China Geo-Engineering Corporation general manager Tian Jin assured the minister that the road would be completed as scheduled and with superb workmanship. “So far, we have accomplished about 60 per cent of the construction work, but we’re very confident that the work would be completed on time,” he said.
For his part, Kakoko pledged that, in collaboration with the regional authorities, his office would continue supervising the construction work so that the road was completed in time and meet the required standards. Kakoko asked managers working with the contractor to collaborate with his office so that things went on smoothly to accomplish the multibillion-shilling project on time. Arusha regional commissioner Isidore Shirima called for collective efforts to ensure that the road was completed on time as projected. The 105-kilometre Arusha-Namanga road is funded from a loan granted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and a Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) grant. At least 240 Tanzanians have been employed alongside 40 technical staff from China. To speed up the project, three construction teams have been formed. The Arusha-Namanga road is being rehabilitated within the framework of the East African Road Project (EARP) under the East African Community (EAC).

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

DCI: Tanzanian behind blasts in Kenya capital

The police said yesterday that a man alleged to have engineered Monday’s bomb blast that killed three people and injured 39 others in Nairobi, Kenya, is believed to be a Tanzanian. “It’s true the man is a Tanzanian national, but investigations into this matter are still going on,” said Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Robert Manumba at a news conference in Dar es Salaam. He said documents found on his body, including a passport and a visa, showed that he originated from Tanzania. According to the information, he said, he had entered Kenya via the Tarakea border. “We are going on with the investigations, which involve foreign institutions and foreigners who are likely to have organised the bombings,” Manumba said. Head of Operations and Training in the police force Paul Chagonja cautioned against terrorists activities and attacks. He, however, said the police were in control of the situation. At least three people were killed and 39 injured by a bomb explosion at a bus station in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, on December 21, this year. The blast happened, as passengers passed through a security checkpoint before boarding a coach, which was bound for Kampala in neighbouring Uganda and one of those who died was carrying a bag which contained the bomb.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Isle authorities slack to curb tree-felling: Expert

The uncontrolled felling of forests have attracted the attention of players in such a way that they have appealed to the government authorities in Lindi region and Zanzibar to take stern measures against people who are engaged in illegal wanton cutting down of trees and export of timber and charcoal. This was revealed in Morogoro recently during a workshop which was reviewing the first report of the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Project which is being carried in some regions. The two day workshop was organized by the Tanzanian Community Forest Conservation Network (MJUMITA). Speaking at the forum, a participant identified as Omar Kijiwile, said the illegal cutting down of trees in Kilwa area has been fuelled by the demand in Zanzibar since there are less restrictions there. He said Kilwa District has a lot of forests but the acts of wanton felling of trees have been on an increase due to the high demand from Zanzibar. "As you know, Zanzibar does not have many reserved forests like us, but unfortunately authorities in the Isles do not take enough measures to curb culprits as a result the acts of tree-felling has been increasing," he said. Kijiwile said if the situation is left unsolved it might turn Kilwa District into a dry land area. "Time has come now for the relevant authorities in Zanzibar and Kilwa District to sit down and discuss the matter which in the long run might affect the lives of Kilwa residents," he cautioned. He said the government authorities in Kilwa District must implement the forest protection legislation which prevents illegal movements of wood and take stern measures against culprits. “The laws are there but I have never heard any people taken to task for illegal cutting down of trees in Kilwa or Zanzibar,” he said. Speaking earlier, an official from World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Ali Salum said joint efforts are needed to make sure that people living around forest areas benefit from the resources. "This is the only way which might ensure the conservation of the forests since people would benefit from the resources in different ways," he said. He said the REDD trial programme which has kicked off in various places under the funding of Norway Government, if properly used would help to minimize or reduce the illegal cutting down of trees. "What we need here is full participation of communities (including MJUMITA) and those living around the forest to conserve trees for their benefit and the nation as a whole," he stated. In his comments Charles Meshack from Tanzania Forests Conservation Group (TFCG) emphasised on joint forests management between the local government authorities and societies. "We have to educate the society about this collaboration which at end of the day benefits both parties", he said. He said societies must also be educated on the best way of cutting down of trees and collecting at one point. “Normally people have been cutting down trees without knowing that they kill other small trees or collecting trees in bulk hence destroying the environment and other species,” he stressed.

SOURCE: THE EXPRESS

Ministry to launch German language learning initiative

The Government of Tanzania through the Directorate of Secondary School in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training will officially launch an initiative of teaching and learning the German language in Tanzanian secondary schools.
The event will be officiated by Charles Philemon the Director of Secondary Education that will be held at Zanaki Secondary School as a partner school known “Schools: Partner for the Future” (PASCH) Initiative, also known as the PASCH-Initiative.
Ulrike Schwerdtfeger, Director of the Goethe Institut in Dar es Salaam said this program is financed by the German Federal Foreign Office and aims at setting up a network of 1500 partner schools worldwide, two of these in Tanzania. “The initiative engrosses two schools which are Chang’ombe Secondary School where it was inaugurated in January this year, and Zanaki Secondary School which will be inaugurated today,’ added the director. The launching ceremony which will start at in the morning and end at around noon, and will also be attended by the German Deputy Ambassador Hans Koeppel and will be held at Zanaki Secondary School, on Alykhan Road.
The main purpose of the PASCH-Initiative is to awaken young people’s interest in modern day Germany and promote intercultural dialogue between main actors of the future generation. This will be achieved through the anchoring of German as a foreign language subject in the national education system, which will help develop long lasting ties with Germany and promote the exchange of views and engagement in cooperation between the two countries. The Goethe-Institut is a worldwide network of cultural centres of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is responsible for promoting the German language abroad and cultural exchanges with other countries. It fosters knowledge of modern day Germany by providing information on its culture, society and politics. With over 147 Goethe-Instituts operating outside and 13 within Germany, this institution is present in 83 countries abroad, with 11 of them being in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2008, over 200,000 people attended German language courses at the various Goethe-Instituts around the world. Last year on December 11, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the launching of the PASCH-Initiative in Tanzania was signed between the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MOEVT), the Prime Minister’s Office- Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG) and the Goethe-Institut Tanzania. The Goethe-Institut (German Cultural Centre) has a long history of cooperation with the Government and people of Tanzania. It has been active in the country since 1962, with an interruption of ten years from 1998. The Goethe-Institut re-launched its activities in Tanzania in September 2008 and has quickly gained popularity with Tanzanians from all walks of life. The former Foreign Minister of Germany, Dr. Frank Walter Steinmeier, who is the initiator of the PASCH-program, stresses the aim of the initiative as follows: “Education provides prospects being multilingual opens up new horizons. At our partner schools abroad, we not only want to provide people with access to our language and education system; we also want to foster an interest in and understanding of one another. The sooner we regard ourselves as an international learning community, the better able we will be to solve the problems of the future that are common to all of us. Our partner schools abroad want to pave the way in helping to achieve this.” Guido Westerwelle, the successor of Steinmeier, also supports the idea of the partner schools program. “It is a project that affects prospective generations,” Westerwelle said when he visited Tanzania in April this year. Commenting on her role as a teacher of German at Chang’ombe Secondary School, where German classes have already started, Ms Gloria Simbaulanga who has attended training courses at the Goethe-Institut Campus in Upanga, in Nairobi and Germany.
“I am very happy at the possibility of enabling young Tanzanians to learn a foreign language, because I believe that it will prepare them for a better future in the highly competitive job market,” Says Simbaulanga. German classes at Zanaki will start in January next year and currently, a Zanaki teacher, Lilian Lazaro Ringo is completing her training in Germany and returns next week, ready to start teaching German at the school early next year. In July this year, two pupils from Chang’ombe Secondary School and one from Zanaki Secondary School attended a Summer Youth Camp in Germany, where they met students from other PASCH Partner Schools worldwide.
“It was a wonderful experience… we learnt German and made many friends with youths from other parts of the world,” says Fatma Mussa, a Zanaki Form 1 student who participated in the Youth Camp.

SOURCE: THE EXPRESS

CCK supports Chadema MP’s walkout

Chama cha Kijamii (CCK) has called on the Government to act on a call for a new Constitution made recently by the main opposition party Chadema when its members of parliament walked out during the inauguration of the Parliament by the president.
CCK chairman, Constantine Akitanda says the Government and general public should not disregard Chadema’s decision because all issues raised by the party were genuine.
“I was following every step done by the Chadema MPs, and after going through their claims, it shows that they had a point therefore we should not ignore them,” said Akitanda when speaking to The Express.

Speaker of Tanzania's Parliament house


He said the pertinent issues raised by Chadema were not answered by the Government through its electoral body (NEC) due to its flaws during the just ended General Election.“Here, we are fighting for a new Constitution and Chadema has shown it by staging a walkout,” he said. On Thursday last week when addressing the 10th Parliament, President Kikwete put emphasis on building the middle class economy and empowering small and medium entrepreneurs, farmers, pastoralists, fishermen and outlined 13 priority areas.But no sooner had he started his speech after being welcomed by the Speaker, Anne Makinda, Chadema MPs walked out while CCM MPs booed. They were making their exit apparently to show their stand that they don’t recognise the Head of State.

Marando's views on the results of general elections

ONE of the prominent lawyers and advocate in this country, Mabere Nyaucho Marando has given his views over the results of the recent General Elections as evidence of growth of multiparty-ism within the nation in general. Marando said the incumbent candidate of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, has drastically declined by just attaining 61.17 per cent out of ballots casted as compared with his landslide victory in the General Elections for2005.
“In 2005 Kikwete was declared a winner with 82 per cent of the presidential votes, but in this year he won by merely attaining 61 per cent of the votes, thereby showing a drastic decline of 20 per cent,” observed the lawyer. He said Kikwete’s decline is a sign for his ruling party for the General Elections set for 2015. It should be noted that in 2005 he obtained over 9 million votes or with above 80 per cent of all presidential votes as compared with the current results of the elections while this year he got only 5,276,827 votes or over 61 per cent of all presidential votes.

Mr. Mabere Marando

Marando also said that the results were indication of how his popularity has deteriorated due to poor performance of his administration in the past five years. He further said that it was obvious for his decline since the government under the control of CCM never met the expectations of Tanzanians in general. The race for leadership vacancies in our country ended with 20,137,303 registered voters expected to elect their leaders during the polling day but slightly over 8 million of them lined up at the polling stations. It was from those who turned out during the polling day that the elections results were declared by the Chairman of NEC, Justice Lewis Makame, for presidency of the United Republic of Tanzania. Regarding the presidential results, Justice Makame said that the registered electorates were about 20 million but merely 8,626,283 turned out to vote in 53,000 polling stations in the country. Kikwete emerged the overall winner with 5,276,827, which was 61.17 per cent of all who voted at the said polling stations. In the final analysis, the destiny of Tanzanians has been made by less than half of over 20 million legitimate electorates.

SOURCE: THE EXPRESS WEEKLY

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Dr Salim: Handle peace, stability with care

Tanzania has for a long time enjoyed political stability and peace but “we should not think our nation is better than others” in the troubled region, said Dr Salim Ahmed Salim during an exclusive interview with The Guardian in Algiers mid this week. He was commenting on the significance of the Panel of the Wise’s relevance to Tanzania and Africa in general. On Tuesday this week, the Panel of the Wise, to which Dr Salim is a member, concluded its 9th meeting held here for three days. It was established under Article 11 of the Protocol relating to the establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) to support the efforts of the PSC and those of the AU Commission in conflict prevention, management and resolution, which is more relevant to today’s African realities than any other times.

Dr. Salim Ahamed Salim, former OAU (Now AU) Secretary general, currently is the chairman of Mwalimu Nyerere foundation.


Dr Salim said Tanzania’s political stability and peace was a result of the solid foundation built by the two founding fathers of the nations, the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Abeid Amani Karume, and called on Tanzanians to cherish it. He said the aim of the Panel was to help shun political conflicts and violence by engaging prominent and independent personalities in mediation and reconciliation processes before the situation get worse. On Tanzania’s politics and the post general election, he said what was needed was for Tanzanians to engage in constructive debate and eventually deliberate on what the people wanted to happen, as far as constitutional reforms and prospects were concerned. “The English have a beautiful saying, which goes as; ‘when you take gin out of the bottle it’s difficult to put it back’ and so we should take care,” he said. He noted that although it was difficult to create an equal society in all aspects, it was nevertheless necessary to reduce socio-economic inequality – the gap between the rich and poor - by sharing equitably national resources and addressing pressing issues. “If we do not do this, we will find ourselves in trouble. So, we have to build on and cherish the good foundation we have. We can also learn from our friends - Algerians - to see how they have utilised and managed their natural resources like oil and gas to build their nation for the good of all citizens,” he explained. On religious sentiments, he said Tanzania was a good example, where neither religious nor ethnic discrimination was an issue. He noted that political leaders were to blame for they were the ones, who used religion or ethnicity, thinking doing so would earn them political popularity and victory. On Tuesday, the Panel of the Wise issued a communiqué in which it highlighted some deliberations to address current crises and consolidation of peace, where it had been restored. With particular concern, the Panel fully supported the decisions taken by the PSC, “urging Laurent Koudou Gbagbo of Ivory Coast to respect the will of the people and allow president-elect Alassane Dramane Ouattara to assume his duties in the best interests of the country, the region and Africa.” Besides Algerian Ahmed Ben Bella, the chairperson of the Panel, members include Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, Dr Mary Chinery-Hesse, Dr Kenneth Kaunda and advocate Marie-Madeleine Kala Ngoy.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

100 jobless as Dutch firm suspends jatropha production

A Dutch company, Bioshape Tanzania, which cultivates jatropha for biofuel here, has suspended production, rendering more than 100 people jobless. Speaking to reporters in separate interviews recently, some workers claimed that things had started going wrong last year when some officials of the company left the country without notice. “This company started its operations about two and half years ago. Initially, we received our monthly salaries on time, but as the days went on, the management started paying us late or sometimes defaulting,” said a worker, who identified himself, as Moses Mwambe. He said they planted more than 100 acres of jatropha plants at the Mavuji village farm located some 60 kilometres from Kilwa Masoko Township last year mainly for bio-diesel. “This farm has been left unattended since the workers have not been paid their salaries for a long time now,” informed Mwambe. According to him, the company managers, most of them foreigners, had been vanishing from the company one after the other, leaving behind the workers without even a caretaker. “We have seized the properties they left behind, including tractors, until we get our salaries, which have been accumulated for the past twelve months,” he stated. Mwambe accused Kilwa District officials of helping the dodging company officials hide the truth. “Some district officials have been collaborating with the company officials in taking back some of the seized properties, it seems they do not want us to get our rights,” he stated. Another worker, identified as Pili Likwate called for a thorough scrutiny by the government of any investor showing interest to invest in jatropha farming in the country. “It seems some of them are coming here for different reasons, when their mission is accomplished, they just vanish, leaving behind losses and tears to the people and government,” she said. Responding to some of the complaints, Kilwa district executive director Anu Lyimo said she was aware of the problem, but said workers and people in the affected areas should remain calm, as her office was working on the matter. “Our officials have been contacting with this investor and they have been telling us that they will come back, if things go well,” she said.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Plot owner demands apology from minister

The owner of plot number 1006 near Palm Beach Hotel in Dar es Salaam has demanded an apology from the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Prof Anna Tibaijuka for defamation. Taher Muccadam has issued an ultimatum for an apology within seven days and a payment of 2bn/- in damages follows the minister’s order to demolish the structures constructed on the plot which had been declared an open space. Muccadam said Prof Tubaijuka (Former UN-Habitant representative for Africa) had ruined his reputation before the society by claiming that the plot was obtained through corruption. "The accusations are not justifiable. As an advocate, I have been tarnished by the allegations. I always believe in legal procedure since it delivers justice to all people,” Muccadam said. Muccadam explained that he was always systematic in whatever he did contrary to what Prof Tibaijuka thought and informed the minister that the plot was not an open space. Advocate Muccadam said that he obtained the plot after a High court ruling whereby both parties were involved. "Is there any necessity to bribe the judge while both parties reached the agreement and the court ruled in my favour?” he queried. He said the plot was issued by the councillors who are also the representatives of the people.

Tanzanian Minister for Landa and Human Settlement Professor Anna Tibaijuka

Muccadam however said that Prof Tibaijuka must start cleaning up her ministry because it has been causing many problems to the people for a long time. He said unless Tibaijuka apologises, he would charge her before the court, insisting that the country was administered by laws and the constitution. On Tuesday this week, Prof Tibaijuka visited open spaces in Dar es Salaam which had been invaded by illegal developers and ordered demolition of structures in two open spaces. The structures which she ordered to be demolished were at plot No.59 flur 1 Ocean Road and Palm Beach plot No 1006 which are demarcated as open spaces. The minister recently served notice that all people who illegally occupied open spaces to surrender them before the start of what she termed as ‘land ranger operation’. Prof Tibaijuka also ordered the fence built at plot No.59 flur 1 Ocean Road near Aga Khan Hospital to be demolished because the owner, Shree Hindu Mandal did not have legal ownership of the plot.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Drilling for sustained water supply, a move towards the success of Kilimo Kwanza

INITIATIVES which have been adopted by the Tanzania government towards ensuring an effective implementation of the program known as “Kilimo Kwanza” in the country may hit a snag if proper strategic plans to run with the programs are not put in place.
Despite of the government’s efforts to prioritize the development of the agricultural sector in the country, there are some important points which have to be taken into account in order to make the idea of Kilimo Kwanza more successful. Agricultural experts have noticed that, the mere supply of the agricultural implements and machineries such as tractors is not only a solution to end the problem of agriculture in the country. In addition of the introduction of such tractors, technical knowledge is required to run the machine, and because of ignorance a substantial number of them would not be used for the intended purpose for lacking operators. Apart from tractors, there are some important basic necessities which if followed, would make this more successful. There is one area which seems to have been forgotten in a bid to achieve the desired goals with this idea that aims at improving agricultural activities into yielding more foodstuffs in the country.

Modern types of water drilling machines, known as Rig machines are important for borehole drilling so as to get water for irrigation purposes, this is one way to promote Kilimo Kwanza in the country.


Although everyone in the country is now aware of the progresses undertaken so far by the government towards ensuring an effective implementation of Kilimo Kwanza, the individual participation in the program is an important aspect for the national development. Experts have noted that, the use of drilled water from boreholes, is an essential category for the development of the program. However, seemingly, it’s very unfortunate that campaigns for the issue does not advocate with much efforts the availability of water supply in most parts of the country. Unlike surface water supplies, drilling water is essential to boost the Kilimo Kwanza as there are some parts of the country which still depends largely on seasonal rains, while there are some which do not have water at all, therefore the availability of drilled water in boreholes is essential for use. Large areas, especially in reserve settlements are remotely located and far from urban centers. It’s from these regions whereby the greater percentage of the country’s population lives and most of whom entirely depends on agricultural activities. In order to make their agricultural activities more sustainable, coupled with the practice of the water irrigation schemes wherever there is low rainfall distribution levels, agricultural experts have seen the need to construct boreholes for irrigation in order to cater for the need of water scarcity. Therefore, it’s imperative to see that water is given the first priority in the manifestation of the Kilimo Kwanza program, and just like any other initiatives, boreholes are more appropriate to cater for the need in this case. Since most parts of the country especially in rural areas are not well distributed by rainy water, an additional knowledge to innovate other means such as having boreholes is required to supplement water for irrigation in those areas. It is therefore important to note that, for these people to survive, they have to boost their agricultural activities. But plenty of water is essential for irrigation in order to succeed. Because of their geographical locations, drilling water is the solution to make a successful implementation of the Kilimo Kwanza as water would be made available all the time. Water experts also says that, the government’s integration with private sector companies in various development projects, is one way to ensure an economic gain as a result of the participation of private sector companies. Their participation contributes a lot to the development of the country’s economy. Drilling companies owned by individuals, private institutions and civil societies must be associated into boosting up the Kilimo Kwanza by way of participating in the construction of boreholes. However, the government must take a keen interest to ensure the exercise yields more fruit into achieving the targeted goals.

Newly constructed building for TIGO headquarter is in final touches

THE newly constructed building which will be the headquarter for TIGO Mobile phone operating company in Tanzania is about to open its doors. The building which is located at Kijitonyama suburb along New Bagamoyo Road opposite National Museum village is known as “Derm Complex” is owned by a Dar es Salaam based Derm Electrics (T) company limited. The building with 10 floors stands in an area that covers 4,400 square meters, and will serve as the headquarter of the TIGO mobile phone operating company contracted for 20 years with a renewable 5 years terms. The project is estimated to have cost approximately Tsh. 3.5 billion. The presence of the building which is in final touches makes the Kijitonyama suburb a hub of business for its fine looking and the highest quality standards among other things, an aspect that hopefully raises the quality and the value of the surrounding. The project which is being undertaken by a locally registered Dar es Salaam based Civil and Building Contractors, Casco Construction Limited, started in January 2009. The building exhibits more contemporary architectural design plan of a modern style that looks so unique from the top to the bottom with a structured glazing on three sides.

A newly constructed building for TIGO new head office along New Bagamoyo Road opposite Makumbusho village in Dar es Salaam.

Glass materials have been used in the building for external wall finishing to specifically enhancing aesthetic beauty on its façade as well as on the elevations. The wall cladding looks bluish if viewed from a far distance. Both sides of the building is decorated by glass curtail wall and these have been fixed in aluminum frames and the work was done by a Dar es Salaam based Glass Works Limited. The supervision of the construction details of the building was done by a locally registered architect known as Y & P Architect Ltd based in Dar es Salaam. Besides supervision, the firm designed the whole building including interior design work. Detailing the overall building project, the architects says that, the elaboration of the interior design concepts were adopted to express the status of the compound and its location and maximizing space. This was influenced by the need to maximize the available thin space while creating an interesting and unique development project. In all this, costs were the main consideration at the same time maintaining a pleasant up-market aesthetically beautiful scenery conforming to its strategic location.

Supplying modern quality building materials

QUALITY assurance in building materials has now become the issue of the great significance in construction industry and that is why key stakeholders within the sector have taken a keen interest on the issue to ensure that, construction sector is supplied with genuine and high quality products that not only satisfies customers’ demand, but are safe for use. In view of this, both manufacturers and suppliers of building products have to ensure that they use applied technology, knowledge and experience they have gathered so as to spruce up the sector and achieve their success. Such one company which has adhered to quality specifications is a Dar es Salaam based Shamo Industries and Construction Company which has a long history of development since its establishment almost four decades ago. The company has a good success dating back from the year 1972 when it commenced business and has put down the record of good performance in its products it mainly engaged with. The firm deals in the manufacture and supply of aluminium frames, interlocking paving blocks, roof tiles, PVC windows and doors industries. Shamo Industries and Construction company was originally established in 1972 in Mogadishu-Somalia with the purpose of manufacturing construction materials such as sanitary ware and various concrete products that are made up of cement product. From Somalia, the company extended its production services to Sharjan in the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) and opened a plant specifically for the PVC products (Polyvinyl Chloride), aluminum frames doors and windows, curtain wall and fatial glazing followed later.

Paving blocks manufactured by Shamo Industries & Construction company at a company’s factory in Mbezi industrial complex on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam city.

Twenty years later (that is in 1992), the company opened a Tanzanian chapter and was officially incorporated to run its businesses in the various lines of its specialization. Products included the sale of high quality paving blocks, roof tiles and concrete products.
The company started by opening up a showroom and an assembly shop in Upanga in Dar es Salaam basing their main factory at Kiwalani on the outskirts of the Dar es Salaam city centre. In 1996, the firm opened its main business office at Mbezi beach industrial area also on the outskirts of the city. The objective was to avail to the public high quality building materials at an affordable price says the company’s Managing Director Mr. Said .A. Shamo. According to him, his firm offers employment and above all it’s determined to become a key player in the manufacturing and sale of construction materials in Tanzania. Shamo Industries Limited has a long history of a good success dating back from 1972 when it commenced business in Tanzania, The company’s management is headed by the ever-innovative and customer friendly, staff of the company who are tuned and committed at providing customer care with the best quality products and services. With the invaluable 38 years of hard work and continuous investments and research in latest technology and skilled manpower, the firm has traveled a long and rewarding path and in the process, it has registered a steady growth.

Roofing tiles manufactured by Shamo Industries & Construction Ltd.

For the last two decades, the company has witnessed tremendous pace and boom in infrastructure development in the construction sector which has assumed a key centre stage that sparks a positive impact to the company’s socio-economic development. Under the years of its operations in the country, the company has acquired an admirable track record of rendering satisfactory services to their customers on demand. Apart from being the leading manufacturer of concrete products, the company is also importing items for building purposes like tiles and sanitary ware. Apart from concrete materials, Shamo Industries Ltd proud itself for being the best provider of architectural aluminum doors, windows and office partitions, the company has laid down a success story in its endeavors of their manufacturing to international quality standards. The firm also supplies fixing suspended ceiling. Shamo Industries Limited has a unique history in Tanzania for the company’s technicians were the ones who prepared the mausoleum in which the body of the late father of the nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere was temporarily preserved during the last paying respect ceremonies at the national stadium in Dar es Salaam when he died in October 1999.

Ensuring expertise in borehole drilling and water treatment technology

Do you know what are the main considerations which are taken into account before the actual ground drilling work starts? According to geologists, a detailed geophysical and hydro geological ground water survey is an important aspect to see if the land intended for drilling has sufficient water in the ground. How to known the presence of water in the ground, this is determined through Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), seasimic method, magnetic survey, electrical profiling. These are the common basic methods used to determine the availability of underground water. The availability of drilling tools and their accessories is another aspect to be noted so as in order to successfully manage the drilling work. All these cannot be run smoothly without professionalism. Knowledge is basically required to accomplish the intended task. It is sometimes complained by water users that, some drilled water from the borehole tastes salty, but water experts says that this is due to the presence of samples of chlorine minerals found on the ground. This is avoided by unwanted water bearing formation which is sealed off while drilling is taking place anywhere, and if such precautionary method is not applied, then drilled water once passes through such rocks are contaminated with such minerals, thus causing a salty taste.
Geologists describes drilling borehole as a unique exercise that is being practiced with extra care in order to get water from the ground. But one point to note is that, before drilling takes place, geologists have to overlook if the area intended for drilling is supplied with enough water compared to the normal operational costs to be incurred. But geologists says that, not all ground surfaces are suitable for drilling as water might be found in deep water tables containing high percentage rate of chlorine minerals that gives a salty taste of the drilled water. Apart from that, drilling work might go deeper and deeper to about 400 meters away from the ground and over, thus rendering the work of drilling to become so expensive to afford for ordinary persons and the society in general.

Laying of the underground water pipes.

The ground drilling work which sometimes might go up to 600 meters deep, is also said to be too expensive for the government to afford. As this is too costly, therefore the government fails to afford the expenses met prior to the start of drilling boreholes. The only option left for the government is to afford wherever the majority of the people might be in need of such a commodity. Study has shown that, due to the expensiveness which occurs for ground drilling, and coupled with the availability of the technology used, which is necessitated by use of modern machines, most governments especially of the developing nations whose half of their national budgets entirely depends on foreign aid have totally failed to put much efforts on the use of ground drilling technology for their country’s development.

What is a borehole?

Borehole is the generalized term for any narrow shaft drilled in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water or other liquid (such as petroleum) or gases (such as natural gas). Also a borehole might be constructed as part of a geotechnical investigation or environmental site assessment, for mineral exploration, or as a pilot hole for installing piers or underground utilities. Boreholes used as water wells are described in the engineering and environmental consulting fields, the term is used to collectively describe all of the various types of holes drilled as part of a geotechnical investigation or environmental site assessment. This includes boreholes advanced to collect soil samples, water samples or rock cores. Samples collected from boreholes are often tested in a laboratory to determine their physical properties, or to assess levels of various chemical constituents or contaminants. Typically, a borehole used as a well is completed by installing a vertical pipe (casing) and well screen to keep the borehole from caving. This also helps prevent surface contaminants from entering the borehole and protects any installed pump from drawing in sand and sediment. When completed in this manner the borehole is then more commonly called a well: whether it is a water well, oil well or natural gas extraction well.

The standards of ground water drilling technology

The search for more water here in Tanzania is more demanded and necessary than ever before. For a sustained water source and the drilling technology, people want piped supplies or from tube well ends. Living standards are rising and people especially those living in towns are demanding more sophisticated arrangements. Reliable water sources and supplies are required to enable such sanitary systems to work properly. Rural communities on their part require more reliable underground water supply systems as surface water sources are much more subject to seasonal fluctuations. Over the period of several centuries, water supply systems have developed from crude technology to a number of fairly sophisticated technologies. In the 1950s, the down hole hammer drilling method was introduced. The efficiency of this proved to be remarkable even in hard rock formation may now be drilled in fraction of the time previously required. Thus the technologies of reaching the ground water ways, methods such as the simple digging of well with hard tools to the sophisticated drilling machines (drilling rigs) capable of making a tube well hundreds of meters deep even in hard rock formations. Drilling is more appropriate for larger diameter tube well designed for the withdrawal of considerable amount of water at greater depths or for tapping aquifers that are overlaid by hard rocks or similar formations.
However, it requires complicated equipment and considerable knowledge and experience. It is mostly done in special drills says a geologist with a Dar es Salaam based Make Engineering and Water Works Ltd, a company specializing in drilling borehole. The overall objectives of the company is to develop sustainable and safe water sources through efficient means and at cost effective charges. The objectives is in line with the national objective of alleviating poverty and improving the health of the people through the provision of clean, safe and adequate water supply to rural and urban population. According to an expert, to ensure an efficient drilling work, preliminary survey is first conducted in order to establish a number of things.
This includes the location of the area required for drilling, the surrounding areas and the proximity to things like toilets and underground oil pipes. Then it follows the actual hydro-geological survey to determine the depth to which drilling would be done through the rock formations. This depth would vary from 50 meters to several hundreds meters. Primarily the types of rock formations determines the choice of equipment to be used in the drilling work. The depth of which the water level is expected to be struck has also a strong bearing on deciding which equipment is to be used. The company being among the leading and specialized body in the drilling work in Tanzania, has a variety of equipment ranging from PAT drilling rig machines with a capacity of up to 300 meters deep and over of drilling capability.

Striving for excellence in best products and services

MODERN Construction materials such as aluminum doors and windows, quality toughened glass products, use of stainless balustrade on staircases and sun breakers, structural glazing, curtain walling, cladding and many others, are becoming an integral part in construction industry today. Construction in modern buildings cannot be done without the use of these important building materials and their fixtures as the technologies in building all over the world is rapidly changing and is determined by growing innovations of building materials. In choosing the right kind of the above mentioned building products, one has to make own choice of the products and or services to suit his/her customer’s demand wherever appropriate. But you can be rest assured of the genuine and quality products from a Dar es Salaam based Glass Works company Limited. The company has a long history of construction business specializing in three categories of products and services that includes Architectural aluminum and glass products, Interior design products (windows and door systems) and Building glass.

The use of glasses have become common in most construction of a modern state-of-the-art building.
The company has been doing this since its establishment in 1979. The company is also certified and registered by the Contractors Registration Board (CRB) as Specialist Contractor Class ONE. It first began to sell louvers glass. After expanding, it became a biggest and leading company dealing with fabrication of aluminum doors and windows and glass facade in Tanzania. Over the years the company has played a major role in changing not only the skyline of the city of Dar es Salaam, but also almost the whole country in the same sector of designing, manufacturing and installation. It’s the main supplier of various types of glass of different colors in the country. Furthermore, it has the most modern workshop for fabrication equipped with the latest technologies in terms of machines where by most of its projects are conducted. For that matter, it employs approximately 200 local and foreign workers.

Structured glazing is what matters nowadays. Tall buildings shines from their top.

Apart from providing glazing solutions, the company also executes turnkey projects ranging from design to manufacture and installation, giving assistance in designing elevation layout and facades. Partitioning systems and interior design services, providing designing and drawings, providing special products and any other service required in selecting the products. The company promotes the use of aluminium in trendy combination with glass thus creating aesthetic beauty for the end user. This is a conscious effort on the company’s part to shift from the use of wood which has resulted to greater environmental degradation. When it comes to aluminium balustrades, the company offers a wide range of design possibilities to suit and sometimes exceed individual taste. They add functional beauty to your home while keeping your loved ones safe. An important aspect about Aluminum windows is that they have always been recognized for their durability and ease of maintenance, no painting is done just a wipe over with a damp cloth usually restores them to as new condition. In the next stage of growing, Dar es Salaam Glass Works Ltd is installing a Toughening and Laminations plans to serve the needs of the architects and contractors, the move which will ensure the safety aspects of glass in the glass revolution.

PLEASE ENJOY SOME HOMOURS

I have thought I should give you this piece of humour to make you laugh a little.


Only birds ought to fly, should anything else? In short, I have always believed that I should never be inside an aeroplane unless it is on the ground, its handbrake firmly on and its engine dead. I have never trusted my life to the driver called the pilot. In most cases people have to be carried into its belly half dead and not filled with fear but with a toxic drinks which is called a Dixie. People have to be in that state of mind because they cannot be sure that the driver called pilot has not consumed an illicit smokable before flying. During the past, in early sixties, not every individual carrying a team of jiggers in their toes and tapeworms in their tummies could get into the belly of a plane. You had to be a special daughter or son of the land of the most highly respected man in the country to go to the places like in Europe, America or in far East. You might think who are they. It did however occurred, no matter that you were just flying to a neighbouring country they still said: "The son of the shores of the most highly respected guy of the land has gone overseas in an aeroplane". Any plane might have problems similar to those faced cars, like those always starts coughing and stalling at the wrong time and place. I first got into the belly of a plane almost fifteen years ago when traveling to India to pursue my Computer studies
My trip to India that time was not different. When the people learned that a poor son of their house was going to the land of Asians, the whole village of my ancestral home came to see me off. It was as if they were seeing me for the last time. They touched me as if I were a new creation, and all of a sudden they would find lots of wisdom to impart to me. The grandmothers brought boiled arrow roots and said: "Son of Onyango, I know Asians will make you eat as little as they do. They will starve you to death. A wise man carries something for himself when going on a journey. Eat these on your way." As though the clan paid my fare. Uncle Ojwan’g came in and said: "Son of my sister, I saw Asians before you were born and so listen to this mouth that is speaking. We are not sending you overseas to get yourself an Asian wife. We are sending you there to read books on behalf of the Onyango’s Clan." Ojwan’g said as though the Onyango’s clan was paid for my plane ticket and accommodation overseas.
However, my advice is that you don’t go to the toilet during the flight. When you want to use the toilet, you have to open the door and step onto the air and then into the closet. If you make a false move, you fall down. And it will be said that the Son of the Onyango’s Clan died while going to the toilet in the air".
That is probably why my mother, Anne, presented me before the priest called Mchungaji Paulo and fell at his feet. She told him: "Bless him, father. Bless him with the holy water. Bless him so that he will not be swallowed by the belly of the big bird the way Jonah was swallowed by the whale as per the bible description.
May he not be vomited from the belly of the bird the way Jonah was vomited by the whale. Bless him, father, so that when he gets to the land of Asians his eyes do not see what the devil would like him to see. Keep his legs away from the dens of the devil." The Italian priest with a peeling nose grabbed a container full of "holy water" and splashed me with it as he mumbled words in Latin. I could only imagine that he was telling any evil spirits to keep off my flight or face the wrath of the Almighty who had inspired the author of that revered tongue. Let me say that each time I get into the belly of a plane, I imagine that the person sitting next to me is a relative of Osama bin Laden. I imagine that the pilot is suffering from the kind of hangover that makes a person see six people in the place of one. I could suffer a heart attack when I remember that there is a shortage of mechanics and spare parts up in the clouds, and that there is no service station over there. That is why I have to be carried into the plane half dead.

The standards of ground water drilling technology

The search for more water here in Tanzania is more demanded and necessary than ever before. For a sustained water source and the drilling technology, people want piped supplies or from tube well ends. Living standards are rising and people especially those living in towns are demanding more sophisticated arrangements. Reliable water sources and supplies are required to enable such sanitary systems to work properly. Rural communities on their part require more reliable underground water supply systems as surface water sources are much more subject to seasonal fluctuations. Over the period of several centuries, water supply systems have developed from crude technology to a number of fairly sophisticated technologies. In the 1950s, the down hole hammer drilling method was introduced. The efficiency of this proved to be remarkable even in hard rock formation may now be drilled in fraction of the time previously required. Thus the technologies of reaching the ground water ways, methods such as the simple digging of well with hard tools to the sophisticated drilling machines (drilling rigs) capable of making a tube well hundreds of meters deep even in hard rock formations. Drilling is more appropriate for larger diameter tube well designed for the withdrawal of considerable amount of water at greater depths or for tapping aquifers that are overlaid by hard rocks or similar formations. However, it requires complicated equipment and considerable knowledge and experience. It is mostly done in special drills says a geologist with the Drilling and Dam Construction Agency, a company specializing in drilling borehole. The overall objectives of the company is to develop sustainable and safe water sources through efficient means and at cost effective charges. The objectives is in line with the national objective of alleviating poverty and improving the health of the people through the provision of clean, safe and adequate water supply to rural and urban population. According to an expert, to ensure an efficient drilling work, preliminary survey is first conducted in order to establish a number of things. This includes the location of the area required for drilling, the surrounding areas and the proximity to things like toilets and underground oil pipes. Then it follows the actual hydro-geological survey to determine the depth to which drilling would be done through the rock formations. This depth would vary from 50 meters to several hundreds meters. Primarily the types of rock formations determines the choice of equipment to be used in the drilling work. The depth of which the water level is expected to be struck has also a strong bearing on deciding which equipment is to be used. The company being among the leading and specialized body in the drilling work in Tanzania, has a variety of equipment ranging from PAT drilling rig machines with a capacity of up to 300 meters deep and over of drilling capability.

Water purification technology ensures safe water

Have you ever wondered how water that falls as rain or comes from the ground is purified and delivered to your home or business for consumption? In Tanzania like anywhere else where ground drilling technology is being practiced, it all happens at the tens of thousands of public water purification plants where raw water is treated to remove impurities before being piped to end users through an extensive distribution network. Once water is drilled from the ground, is collected and reserved in large containers before use. It has to be purified for the first stage of its treatment. “This is called water purification” says a water expert from the Drilling and Dam Construction Agency (DDCA). According to him, this is a process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from raw water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose. Most water is purified for human consumption (drinking water), but water can be treated for a variety of other uses. The purification technology used depends on the specific treatment requirements, the raw water source and the contaminants present may also be designed for a variety of other purposes, including meeting the requirements of medical, pharmacology, chemical and industrial applications. In general the methods used include physical processes such as filtration and sedimentation, biological processes such as slow sand filters or activated sludge, chemical processes such as flocculation and chlorination and the use of electromagnetic radiation such as ultra-violet light. Water is found in nature, but pure water is not. Contaminants, such as minerals, toxic metals and suspended organic particles, enter the water through contact with air, rain and runoff. Purified water is necessary to sustain life, food production and recreational water use, and to prevent life-threatening illnesses, such as acute diarrhea, parasitic diseases and cholera. Water also must be cleaned to meet the requirements of medical, pharmacological, chemical and industrial applications for these business sectors to survive.
Locally trained health officials have all the time insists water users to boil it before use, this is also another water treatment method. The boiling process kills waterborne germs that might be found in it, and if left without being treated are likely to cause infections such as diarrhea or cholera diseases. The purification process of water may reduce the concentration of a particular matter including suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi, and a range of dissolved and particular material derived from the surfaces that water may have made contact with after falling as rain. Water purification can effectively remove a wide range of contaminants, including aquatic pathogens, heavy metals, toxic chemicals and pesticides. A number of elective treatment processes also address drinking water aesthetics by eliminating objectionable smells and tastes, and improving appearance.
Once raw water from surface and groundwater supplies enters the purification plant, mechanical and chemical treatment processes are used, depending on the scale of the plant, contaminants present and intended use of the finished water.
The standards for drinking water quality are typically set by governments or by international standards. These standards will typically set minimum and maximum concentrations of contaminants for the use that is to be made of the water. It is not possible to tell whether water is of an appropriate quality by visual examination. Simple procedures such as boiling or the use of a household activated carbon filter are not sufficient for treating all the possible contaminants that may be present in water from an unknown source. According to a 2007 World Health Organization report, 1.1 billion people lack access to an improved drinking water supply, 88 percent of the 4 billion annual cases of diarrhea disease are attributed to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene, and 1.8 million people die from diarrhea diseases each year. The WHO estimates that 94 percent of these diarrhea cases are preventable through modifications to the environment, including access to safe water. Simple techniques for treating water at home, such as chlorination, filters, and solar disinfection, and storing it in safe containers could save a huge number of lives each year. Worldwide, the lack of access to water treated at purification plants or water treated by any means for that matter presents one of the largest public health challenges today. Reducing deaths from waterborne diseases is a major public health goal in developing countries.
Statistics shows that, some 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water, and about 6,000 people a day die from water-related illnesses. Many organizations are working to help developing nations identify sustainable clean water solutions, including the drilling of wells.

Know various natures of the sources of water

Groundwater: The water emerging from some deep ground water may have fallen as rain many tens, hundreds, thousands or in some cases millions of years ago. Soil and rock layers naturally filter the ground water to a high degree of clarity before the treatment plant. Such water may emerge as springs, artesian springs, or may be extracted from boreholes or wells. Deep ground water is generally of very high bacteriological quality (i.e., pathogenic bacteria or the pathogenic protozoa are typically absent), but the water typically is rich in dissolved solids, especially carbonates and sulfates of calcium and magnesium. Depending on the strata through which the water has flowed, other ions may also be present including chloride, and bicarbonate. There may be a requirement to reduce the iron or manganese content of this water to make it pleasant for drinking, cooking, and laundry use. Disinfection may also be required. Where groundwater recharge is practiced; a process in which river water is injected into an aquifer to store the water in times of plenty so that it is available in times of drought; it is equivalent to lowland surface waters for treatment purposes.

Upland lakes and reservoirs: Typically located in the headwaters of river systems, upland reservoirs are usually sited above any human habitation and may be surrounded by a protective zone to restrict the opportunities for contamination. Bacteria and pathogen levels are usually low, but some bacteria, protozoa or algae will be present. Where uplands are forested or peaty, humic acids can colour the water. Many upland sources have low pressure which require adjustment.

Rivers, canals and low land reservoirs: Low land surface waters will have a significant bacterial load and may also contain algae, suspended solids and a variety of dissolved constituents. Atmospheric water generation is a new technology that can provide high quality drinking water by extracting water from the air by cooling the air and thus condensing water vapor. Rainwater harvesting or fog collection which collects water from the atmosphere can be used especially in areas with significant dry seasons and in areas which experience fog even when there is little rain. Desalination of seawater by distillation or reverse osmosis.
Pre-treatment

Pumping and containment: The majority of water must be pumped from its source or directed into pipes or holding tanks. To avoid adding contaminants to the water, this physical infrastructure must be made from appropriate materials and constructed so that accidental contamination does not occur.

Screening: The first step in purifying surface water is to remove large debris such as sticks, leaves, trash and other large particles which may interfere with subsequent purification steps. Most deep groundwater does not need screening before other purification steps.

Storage: Water from rivers may also be stored in bank side reservoirs for periods between a few days and many months to allow natural biological purification to take place. This is especially important if treatment is by slow sand filters.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

SURPISE, AS AN ACCIDENT KILLS TWO IN DAR ES SALAAM


DAR ES SALAAM City residents gaze at vehicles which were involved in an accident along Kawawa Road at Mkwajuni area on Thursday evening. The injured passengers are reported to have been rushed to hospital for treatment. (Photo by Robert Okanda of Daily News).

Traffic accident in Dar Kills two

TWO people died on the spot in Dar es Salaam on Friday in two different incidents, police said. The incidents took place at Manzese Argentina and Buguruni Malapa in the suburbs of the city.
The Kinondoni Regional Police Commander Mr Elias Kalinga said the accidents that occurred at Manzese involved a Mitsubishi Fuso driven by unknown driver and a car whose registration number was not immediately discovered. It ran over a pedestrian, a resident of Manzese. Mr Kalinga said the deceased was immediately identified as Abdul Mwibambe, a resident of Manzese whose age was estimated to be 20-25 years. According to Mr Kalinga, the body of the deceased has been preserved at Mwananyamala Hospital while police are still searcheing for the driver and the car that caused the accident. In another incident, a man identified as Ngosha whose age was estimated to be between 30 and 35 died after he was crushed by rubble in Buguruni Malapa.
The Ilala Regional Police Commander Mr Faustine Shilogile said Mr Ngosha died after a toilet pit of twelve feet he was digging collapsed. The pit belonged to one of Yudani Luvanda (35) a resident of Buguruni Madenge. “While he was in the process of digging the toilet, he was covered by soil that caused his death instantly,” noted Mr Shilogile. The RPC said the deceased body was preserved at Amana Hospital. In another development, fire gutted nine kiosks whose owners were not immediately known at Ilala Mchikichini, destroying almost everything. Mr Shilogile further stated that poor electrical connection that was done by the shop owners was the cause of the accident.He said the costs of the properties destroyed were not immediately known. Meanwhile, Police have arrested twenty-nine people at Magomeni Kagera for possession of 1150 kilogrammes of Marijuana. The Kinondoni Regional Police Commander (RPC) Elias Kalinga named those arrested as Salum Ally (21), Abdalla Khamis (29), Yahya Hussein (28), Banzi Emilian (27) and Jumanne Hussein (17). Others were Jengo Daniel (18), Ismail Juma (16) Omary Yusuph (24), Rashid Daud (23) and nine teen others whose names were not immediately discovered.

Why Tanzanians will be voting tomorrow

With just hours away to the 2010 General Election, registered voters are leaving nothing to chance.
A random survey this week showed that those registered in stations away from their places of work had made travel plans so that would enable them cast their ballot for their preferred president, MP and civic leaders. Tanzanians’ level of enthusiasm was evident during interviews with The Citizen on why they would do whatever it takes to participate in the historic vote to elect leaders who would form the government to steer the country ahead for the next five years. Among the common reasons why they feel all the 19.6 million Tanzanians, who obtained the voters’ cards, should go out there and vote, is the need to exercise their constitutional right and offer a mandate for those they want to lead the country. Patriotism, a desire to bring change and the need to endorse what they see as workable promises made during the campaigns by various political party leaders are other important reasons that were cited. For Onesmo Olengurumwa, a researcher and legal officer with the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), casting the vote is all about his destiny and that of the country. “My vote is my life for the next five years. It is an opportunity for me to give someone the responsibility of governing this country on my behalf,” he said. The chief executive officer of the Aids Business Coalition Tanzania (ABCT), Mr Richard Kasesela, said he would vote tomorrow to fulfill his constitutional obligation. He talked to The Citizen while on his way to Rugwe District in Mbeya where he is registered as a voter. “We have the habit as a nation of complaining about irresponsible leaders, but we never go to the polls. I am travelling at my own cost to Rungwe to vote on Sunday. There is no shortcut to good governance other than determining the destiny through the ballot,” he said. The secretary general of the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA), Mr Nicholas Mgaya, concurred and added that he would vote because it was a constitutional right that no one could take away from people living in a true democracy. Dr Noording Jella of Mzumbe University said the public must take elections seriously because sometimes government decisions bound them for many more years. “I say that because sometime a leader can sign contracts binding the nation for 99 years while his or her mandate lasts for just five years,” he said, noting that having honest and trustworthy people in public office was important. The chairman of the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI), Mr Felix Mosha, said the only way to make sure that the leaders delivered on their promises was to make them know the power of the people’s voice. “By electing one individual at the expense of the other means that the electorate approves of their campaign manifestos.” A senior researcher with the Research on Poverty Alleviation (Repoa) and an economist at the Sokoine University of Agriculture, Dr Damian Gabagambi, said election day was like judgment day for the outdoing government as well as a chance for the people to put the country in a new direction. Mr Ndibalema Mayanja who chairs the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (TCCIA) said elections contribute to the democratic growth of the country and is a measure of civilisation as governments move from one administration to the next. According to Dr Azaveli Rwaitama of the University of Dar es Salaam, if the right to vote no longer existed, the country would not survive as a democratic nation but would turn completely into an autocracy. He said by not voting, people give away their right to influence government decisions. “By not voting you give away the "will of the majority and replaces it with the will of the minority," the Philosophy lecturer said. Immediate former MPs Mgana Msindai and Athumani Janguo said it was important for people to participate in their own development by choosing those they wished would represent them in making law for the country. “It is an obligation to get leaders we want, and that is why we must vote in big numbers,” said Mr Msindai who lost the Iramba East seat after 15 uninterrupted years. Mr Janguo who voluntarily stepped down after serving for a similar period in Kisarawe Constituency said it was now his time to also elect a leader of his choice to take from where he had left. A Dar es Salaam resident, Mr Maswe Nestory, noted: “Voting reinforces my status as a citizen; Politics is about shaping society so that the people within it can flourish. If you want to be part of it, and it’s definitely in your interests to do so, then this is the moment to express your feelings.”

SOURCE: THE CITIZEN NEWSPAPER

NGO helps fight eye disease

The International Centre for Eye Education (ICEE) of South Africa has donated health equipment worth Sh45 million to the Mlandizi health centre in Kibaha district, Coast Region. The donation seeks to improve treatment of eye ailments and related diseases for residents of the area. The NGO’s donation was received recently by the chief medical officer of Kibaha district, Dr Victorina Ludovick. The assistance included special lens, spectacles and a state of the art machine for examining eye ailments. The representative of ICEE in Tanzania, Mr Aden Mashayo said the donation was given mainly to help treat elders, who mostly suffer from eye diseases. Apart from commending the South African NGO, Dr Ludovick also called on other organizations to emulate ICEE in contributing towards healthcare improvement in the country.
The handover of the donation went hand in hand with the opening of an eye clinic at the health centre. After the function, 800 persons were examined to see if they had eye problems and out of them, 130 received spectacles, while 611 were treated for various eye-related ailments and 59 were earmarked for eye operation. Since 1998, when ICEE was founded in Australia, it has been developing and implementing sustainable solutions for improved eye care access. The NGO collaborates with governments, communities and international non-government organisations to develop long term solutions by investing in local eye care education, professional education, appropriate service delivery systems and research to ensure sustainable eye care in underserved communities. At least 670 million people, mostly in the developing world, are blind or vision impaired simply because they don’t have access to a basic eye examination and a pair of glasses. Of those at least 153 million suffer from treatable blindness or vision impairment at distance and a further 517 million due to near sightedness, all through uncorrected refractive error. “This unnecessary disability has a major impact on people’s lives. The link between poverty and avoidable blindness is indisputable. Uncorrected vision impairment causes profound economic disadvantages to individuals, their families and societies. People living with uncorrected vision impairment are more likely to be excluded from basic education, suffer from isolation and have fewer employment opportunities,” ICEE notes on its website.
“Many of the corrective measures available to those living with vision impairment are often inaccessible to those in low socio-economic groups. Access to health care and education are crucial in lifting people and communities out of poverty,” it adds.

SOURCE: THE CITIZEN NEWSPAPER

JK stresses need to ensure justice for all

President Jakaya Kikwete, who is seeking re-election as a candidate of the ruling CCM, declared yesterday that it would be wrong and unfair denying people their constitutional right to vie for elective posts merely because they had cases pending in courts of law. He said he would not go for modalities likely to make suspects forfeit the chance of trying their luck in elections before they are convicted “which is when they will surely have lost that opportunity”. The candidate made the remarks in response to a question during a landmark live “dialogue” with journalists in Dar es Salaam, seen as part of the wrap-up of his cross-country election campaigns ahead of tomorrow’s General Election. He was reminded that several CCM parliamentary candidates have cases pending in court and asked whether it was not strange that he has been campaigning for them when touring their constituencies during his own campaign rallies. He said he has been campaigning for himself and CCM members cleared to vie for positions as parliamentarians or councillors. “Before deciding to endorse the people in question as contestants, the party’s leaders met and discussed the matter thoroughly and agreed that since they had cases to answer in court but the courts were not done with them, it was their right to contest since it is only the courts with the mandate to rule whether one has committed an offence,” Kikwete pointed out. He said the major issue the party considered was the fundamental importance of doing justice to all people seeking positions of leadership “and it is not that we do not know or believe that they are faced with court cases”. Asked about problems with the marketing and pricing of farm produce in the country, he said that was one of the most daunting challenges his government has been facing “but we have managed to tame it to some extent”. He had been specifically asked what he would do if re-elected to ensure that the more than 80 per cent of Tanzanians engaged in agriculture have ready and easier access to reliable markets and get good prices for their produce.
The candidate said his government has taken various measures to that effect, among them improving irrigation schemes, making available more farm inputs, subsidies and extension officers. “However, when you talk of markets and prices you are talking about one of the most daunting challenges we have been facing. In part, it is a consequence of the poor management of our cooperative unions,” he noted. He explained that not only were the cooperative unions heavily indebted to farmers and financial institutions and had totally to honour their debt obligations. “Both the farmers and the banks demanded payment, but the unions were hard up, subsequently losing their creditworthiness,” he said. Kikwete said he once visited Newala and Masasi districts, which are famous from cashewnut farming, and discovered that farmers were not benefiting from their sweat and toil. “I decided to have the government take over the responsibility of paying the debts of all cooperative unions and when I did that, now the prices are up. Farmers can now sell their cashewnuts at 800/- per kg – up from the previous 300/-,” he said. The candidate dismissed the possibility of vote rigging in the General Election, saying the present system does not give room for that eventuality “because everything is done in a transparent way”. He added that, if re-elected, he would form the cabinet by learning from the experience of the first phase of his presidency “when I found that there were a number of shortcomings in some government departments”.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

TOMORROW IS ELECTION DAY, THE GOVERNMENT STRESSES ON PEACE


CCM presidential candidate Jakaya Kikwete speaks at a televised news conference at the Arnautoglou Hall in Dar es Salaam last night. (Photo: Khalfan Said of Gurdian)

Tanzania government urged to reduce tax exemptions, increase revenue

Tanzania could make significant savings in revenues if it granted less tax exemptions. Twaweza Head Rakesh Rajani said this when briefing reporters on research reports in Dar es Salaam yesterday. He said the government on average missed its revenue target by 453bn/- in 2008/09 and 2009/10 financial years. “In the same period tax exemptions granted reached 724bn/- per year,” he said. Rajani was presenting a policy paper entitled: “Tanzania’s Tax exemption: Are they too high and making us too dependent on foreign aid?” The research conducted by Twaweza and presented by researcher analyst Rose Aiko and Rakesh Rajani said Tanzania was leading in terms of tax exemptions among East African countries. “While Tanzania is exempting from 2.5 per cent of the budget and above, Kenya is exempting for only 1 per cent and Uganda 0.4 per cent,” he noted. For her part, Aiko said if Tanzania reduced its tax exemptions to the level granted in the neighbouring countries, a lot of billions of shillings would be saved. “In this way, the shortfall in revenue collection would have been largely offset,” she said. She explained that Tanzania relied heavily on foreign aid because it failed to raise sufficient revenues. “When exemptions are compared with grants received to fill the gap in the budget, it is evident that dependence on aid can be reduced significantly if they are implemented more prudently,” the researcher said. The researchers lamented that every year, the parliament carefully scrutinised the government’s budget but tax exemptions on the other hand, did not receive the same attention in the parliament, making them hidden expenditures. “As long as information on, who (individual, company) receives what in exemptions is not fully publicly available, it is difficult to assess the way such high amounts of exemptions benefit Tanzanians,” one of the researchers remarked. Rajani said proposals to reverse laws granting the exemptions as recent attempts had shown, typically met strong resistance from the would-be losers. They suggested that there must be a review of various existing laws which grants exemptions to minimise loopholes and introducing new exemptions less liberally and making them time bound through improving enforcement. “It is not possible at the moment to establish how such a high level of exemptions benefits the nation. With more transparency, for example, by consistently disclosing individuals and exempted companies and the exemptions granted on the internet, such analyses may be possible,” explained another researcher.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Saturday, October 23, 2010


Prominent Dar es Salaam businessman and CCM member Mustapha Jaffar Sabodo (L) hands over a cheque for 100m/- to Chadema national chairman Freeman Mbowe in the city yesterday in support of the party`s activities.Looking on is Chadema Director of Finance Anthony Komu. Registrar of Political Parties John Tendwa clarified later that there was no time restriction to internal contributions to political parties. (Photo: By Seleman Mpochi of Guardian)

National campaigns, two biggest parties in trouble



The two youths in a unique style of their campaigns, each one campaigns for one party. The two biggest parties are in trouble with supporters ahead of national elections to be held ten days from now. These two youths have been seen at the corner of Buguruni suburb at the railways crossings ever since the campaigns started two months ago.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Scheme to plant drugs on Mengi`s son falls through

IPP Executive Chairman Reginald Mengi has lashed out at police officers and other people he said were behind a recent attempt to implicate his son in drug trafficking. He told journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the plan was to plant drugs on the son, Abdiel Mengi, who was to have travelled to India on the Sunday of September 26 on a business trip. He said the conspiracy fell through after Abdiel smelled a rat and was forced to reschedule the trip. Elaborating, Mengi said a whopping 3billion/- was set aside to fund the scheme and some of those who had hatched or were expected to execute it had already pocketed advance payments. He named among those behind the plot as Police Anti-Drug Unit commander Godfrey Nzowa, Zonal Crime Officer Charles Mkumbo and Interpol inspector Eric, two Julius Nyerere International Airport officers and a mobile phone service company employee, calling on all of them to step down “because they have lost the trust of the public”. He also challenged those involved in or associated with the scheme and who felt aggrieved to go to court “to seek redress or be absolved because I am prepared and I know they are also prepared”. He said it was important for the officers to resign from the public service and thereafter turn to God “because of their inhumane, insensitive and dangerous acts”, adding that receiving money as an inducement to do something evil to innocent people was worse than corruption…,” he said. “The Police Force in general has been doing a dedicated and selfless job in ensuring that peace and the rule of law prevail in the country, but a few unscrupulous elements within it are tarnishing its reputation,” the IPP Executive Chairman pointed out. He named Inspector General of Police Said Mwema, Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander Assistant Commissioner of Police Suleiman Kova, Elias Kalinga, David Msile, Faustine Shilogile and Venance Tossi among the police officers “who have committed themselves wholeheartedly to serving the force diligently and with integrity”. “My trust and confidence in the police is well-known. But this incident (the scheme) has irritated me. As far as I know my son cannot indulge in dirty business,” said Mengi, adding: “The fact that the scheme was hatched at a time when the General Election is just around the corner is what perplexes me most.” He explained that he had impeccable evidence that the person who mooted the plot was one of the people he once publicly denounced as “corruption sharks”. Giving the breakdown of the billions set aside for the conspiracy, he said Mkumbo was spotted along Dar es Salaam’s Nyerere Road on the morning of September 26 driving a silver Rav4 “as he was on his way to collect his advance payment of US$ 20,000 (half the full cut) with which to facilitate the scheme”. He added that Nzowa also pocketed a similar amount in advance payment just as did Inspector Eric and that the other three people involved in the conspiracy were promised 15m/- each. Reached for comment by phone yesterday, ASP Nzowa said a plot of the kind Mengi was talking about “would only be possible where there is ill will”. “The nature of my work requires me to be fully equipped with reasonable grounds, impeccable evidence and independent witnesses before making any arrest. I therefore do not understand what would drive me to target someone I do not even know in the first place,” he said. “My interests as a police officer do not match with the calibre of the people referred to (by Mengi) as those funding the said scheme. There is just no way we (police) can work with people ready to offer such huge amounts of money for such a scheme,” he noted, adding: “It is only in the courts that one can get justice.” Mkumbo similarly denied being involved in the conspiracy against Abdiel Mengi, arguing that he was too much of a high-ranking police officer to do anyone evil - least of all someone he is not familiar with.” He said he does not know Mengi’s son and “I only have been seeing the father through the media”, adding that he was not yet decided on what measures he would take following Mengi’s revelations. “But I hope my bosses will carry out thorough investigations to establish the truth and Mengi will also table his side of the story. In a word, I say these are mere fabrications that are 100 per cent false,” he noted. Deputy Director of Criminal Investigation Peter Kivuyo said when contacted by this paper yesterday evening that he could not comment on the matter as yet “because my office has not received any official complaints relating to the matter”.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Saturday, September 18, 2010

ERB Celebrates the 8th Annual Engineers’ Day (AED)

In early September this year, Tanzania’s Engineers’ Registration Board (ERB) organized a colorful event that marked the 8th Anniversary of the engineers’ day in the country. The celebration which took place at Mlimani City Hall in Dar es Salaam, was attended by over 800 engineers of various disciplines in the country. A two day occasion had to be attended by the Minister for Infrastructure Development in the country Dr. Shukuru Kawambwa as a guest of honour and due to his absence, his place was represented by his Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Omary Chambo. During the occasion, engineers normally receives learned discourse about their engineering activities from presenters and have the opportunity to visit various stalls that showcase their engineering works from various engineering firms or organizations.


Registration for engineers started at exactly 08:00 oclo’ck in the morning

ERB Registrar Engineer Steve Mlote delivering his opening speech to delegates in the hall