The government plans to use about seven billion US dollars to construct two standard gauge railway lines to facilitate the country’s rapid economic growth.

 Minister for Transport, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe

                                 
The Minister for Transport, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, said on Tuesday that the preparations for the construction of the railway lines were going on well.

He mentioned the railway lines to be constructed as that of the Northern zone of Tanga-Arusha -Musoma and Southern zone of Mtwara-Mchuchuma-Liganga-Mbambabay.

He said apart from the plans to construct the new railway lines, the government will embark on intensive rehabilitation of the central railway line so that it could operate at its maximum capacity as it was in previous years.

Clarifying further on the new railway lines, Dr Mwakyembe stated that the Tanga-Arusha-Musoma line will cost about three billion US dollars while that of the Southern zone would consume 3.6 billion US dollars.

Dr Mwakyembe was responding to questions from transport stakeholders who wanted to know, apart from other things, what the government was doing or will do to improve the transport sector especially construction of new railway lines which would ease goods transportation within and outside the country.


 The Tanga stakeholders also wanted to get further information on two big projects of the construction of the new Mwambani port and railway lines of which Dr Mwakyembe said, the process had reached a good stage and that the railway line project are penciled to take off next year.

He said the government considers the project as economically viable that is why it is determined to embark on them, to boost the growth of the country’s economy and neighbouring land locked countries that need an easy way for their transit goods from Tanzanian ports.

“We have already got a contractor, a Chinese firm known as ‘China Railway Number Two Engineering,’ is the one which constructed the Tanzania-Zambia Railway line popularly known as TAZARA now our experts are still going through some final analysis before submitting to the government for the work to start so we are moving,” he stated.

He further said that the railway line will pass through all areas which are economically viable in order to make the line more economical feasible in future, something which would also attract more investors and increase the volume of business.

Speaking about Mwambani port project, Dr Mwakyembe said that the project is still on preparations though much efforts were being directed to improving the present Tanga port which is the second largest port in the country, in order to increase its capacity in handling cargo and offer better service to customers.

According to Mr Mwakyembe the government is determined on infrastructural development projects in transport sector, to contribute to the country’s economic growth.

The minister who was on a one day tour to study the development of Tanga port was accompanied by the Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) Board Chairman Prof Joseph Msambichako and TPA acting managing director Eng Kipande Madeni. source In2Africa

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Dr Edmund Sengondo Mvungi, who died on Tuesday afternoon at Milpark hospital in South Africa, will be buried on Monday in Mwanga District, Kilimanjaro Region.

The Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) member was being treated for severe wounds sustained as he fought off suspected robbers, who invaded his residence in Dar es Salaam on November2, this year.

Speaking on behalf of the family, NCCR-Mageuzi National Chairman James Mbatia said the body of Mvungi will be flown to the country tomorrow and be preserved at Lugalo Military referral hospital in Dar es Salaam.

“On Saturday morning, the body will be taken to St Joseph Cathedral for prayers after which government officials, politicians and other civil servants will pay their last respects to Mvungi mid afternoon at Karimjee grounds,” said Mbatia.

The body will then be taken to Dr Mvungi’s residence at Kibamba-Msakuzi for members of his family and other colleagues to pay their last respects. The body will be flown to Kilimanjaro’s Mwanga district on Sunday for burial on Monday.

According to Mbatia, NCCR-Mageuzi will fly its flag at half mast until next Tuesday to mourn Dr Mvungi who was also a member of the party’s National Executive Council.

Meanwhile Essero Mafuru, UoI and Chenjerayi Millinga, TSJ report that Dar es Salaam Special Zone Commander, Suleiman Kova announced yesterday that police had arrested one more person in connection with the attack on Dr Mvungi, bringing the number of suspects to ten.

Kova named the suspect as John Mayunga (56) alias Ngosha who was found in possession of the pistol allegedly belonging to the Dr Mvungi.

“When we searched Mayunga’s house we found the pistol belonging to Dr Mvungi. Documents we obtained from the family members showed that the pistol we found in Mayunga’s house indeed belonged to the late Mvungi, and was among items that were stolen on the material day,” Kova told a news conference yesterday.

In a related development, President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday visited and consoled Dr Mvungi’s family at Kibamba-Msakuzi.

Accompanying him were the Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadiki, Members of the Constitutional Review Commission headed by Judge (rtd) Joseph Warioba and Kinondoni District Commissioner Jordan Rugimbana.

The President in a State House statement of condolences to the Chairman of Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), Retired Judge Joseph Warioba expressed shock at the death of Dr Mvungi, saying: “I am very much grieved by the news of his death.”

Kikwete said Dr Mvungi contributed to various development activities in the nation and that he met his death when the country still needed his wisdom in putting together the new constitution.

“From the time he was a journalist for Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) newspapers - Uhuru and Mzalendo - to his position as a lecturer at the university of Dar es Salaam and as a Lawyer with South Law Chambers and chairman for …NCCR and his aspiring to the Presidency in 2005 and now as a commissioner for constitution review commissioner, Mvungi has been instrumental in the developments of the nation, for which he shall be forever remembered,” said the President.

He added: “I join you in mourning…through you, I express my condolences to the family members, friends and neighbours. May God rest his soul in peace.”

CCM General Secretary, Abdulrahaman Kinana, sent CCM’s condolences to Mvungi’s family, CRC Chairman, retired Judge Joseph Warioba and NCCR Chairman, James Mbatia.

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Revealed: 40pc doctors ditch profession yearly

Muhimbili sickle cell specialist doctors address patients during a recent clinic for children. Specialists are located in cities and major towns.

Dar/Moshi/Mwanza.Tanzania spends between $40,000 (Sh66million) and $60,000 (Sh99million) to train a single medical doctor, but four out of every ten who finally graduate soon abandon their calling to pursue less exacting or better paying undertakings.

The cost of producing a medical doctor doubles if one goes for training abroad, especially in Europe and the US where medical education is still very expensive.

A recent study has revealed that slightly over 40 per cent of doctors who graduate in Tanzania ditch their profession in search of greener pastures. This is not about the infamous brain drain, whereby individuals trained at the expense of the taxpayer in a poor nation like Tanzania leave the country and go and serve abroad for better pay. Tanzania and other sub-Saharan African countries are amongst the countries that are worst hit by brain-drain, subjecting it to a massive economic loss, a new study shows.

According to a research by Canadian scientists in 2011, in nine African countries, Tanzania included, taxpayers are losing the equivalent of US$2 billion per year as their expensively trained healthcare professionals leave to seek jobs in wealthier countries.

The trend of doctors abandoning their profession is among the key factors that lead to shortage of doctors in the country, stifling efforts to improve the health sector, a report by civil society organisation indicates.

The revelations come amid a growing concern over the trend in which patients are routinely being flown abroad for treatment.

A survey conducted this year by a health NGO, Sikika, and the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT), indicates that in addition to the abandonment of the profession by over 40 per cent of graduate doctors, a further 42 per cent are of the graduates chose to stay in major urban areas such as Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya and Moshi.

“Dar es Salaam alone accounts for 32 per cent of all tracked medical doctors in the country,” Irenei Kiria, executive director of Sikika said at the weekend in a statement, quoting the report in Dar es Salaam.

Tanzania has a one of the world’s poorest doctor:patient ratio, with one doctor serving about 26,000 patients. The WHO recommended ratio is 1:1,000.

Generally about 60 per cent of all medical experts trained locally turn down job offers and leave the country to seek better paying hospitals and other health facilities outside the country, according to Kilimanjaro Medical University College Principal, Prof Egbert Kessy.

The two factors – brain drain and quitting the profession – explain why the country continues to face a shortage of medical experts despite an increase in their training institutions, according to Prof Kessy.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the weekend in Moshi, the don called on the government to improve the remunerations of the doctors in order to attract more experts.Source the Citizen

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Illegal fishing in L.Victoria on the rise

Illegal fishing in Lake Victoria is currently at an alarming rate calling for urgent steps to save the resources, The Officer-in Charge of the Fisheries Department in Kagera region, Ms Monica Kishe, has said.

She noted that pollution and environmental degradation has also led to extinction of more than 400 fish species in Lake Victoria over the last four decades.

According to Ms Kishe, the government spent over 28bn/- to rehabilitate seven fish landing sites and fish breeding stations in Muleba, Bukoba Rural and Bukoba Municipality, They include Nyamukazi, Igabilo, Rushara, Marehe, Kerebe, Iramba and Katembe.

“Joint efforts are needed to preserve the resources,” she said. Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda told Parliament in Dodoma recently that during 1999, Nile Perch species in Lake Victoria decreased by 60 per cent, while between 1999-2007 the fish decreased by 32 per cent and between 2007-2009 the fish decreased by 16 per cent.

He called upon all stakeholders to take a holistic approach to ensure the resources were managed for the benefit of future generations.

He noted that there were indications that many fish species in Lake Victoria would become extinct within the next 30 years.

A recent study conducted by Accord Tanzania revealed that by 2048 there would be a big loss in fish resources in the lake. “There is increasing fish pressure and environmental pollution in Lake Victoria.

If it is not well-managed there will be over-fishing, depletion of resources and loss of socio-economic benefits,” the premier said.

A recent survey conducted around Lake Victoria’s beaches by Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programme (LVEMP) revealed that fish-breeding grounds have been heavily destroyed.

This has negatively affected fish species with the Nile Perch being the most vulnerable. Use of illegal fishing gear like gillnets, monofilaments and beach seines is also on the rise. source In2east Africa

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Pregnant woman washed away in Typhoon Haiyan floods gives birth in rubble

Miracle birth: New-born baby Bea Joy is held as mother Emily Ortega, 21, rests after giving birth at an improvised clinic at Tacloban airport

TACLOBAN, Philippines – Cheers have broken out in the typhoon-devastated airport of Tacloban city in the Philippines when 21-year old Emily Ortega gave birth to a girl.

It was a rare piece of good news for the city where officials fear 10,000 were killed, and where tens of thousands of residents saw their homes flattened by ferocious winds from Typhoon Haiyan.

The typhoon made landfall Friday, barrelling through the central Philippines, wiping away buildings and destroying homes with powerful winds. The birth of Bea Joy Sagales on Monday was near miraculous, officials said — her mother was in a shelter when the storm flooded the city. She clung to a post to survive, then reached the safety of the airport where a military doctor assisted the birth. Source The In2EastAfrica

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EAC at crossroads

Fourteen years after the treaty for the establishment of the East African Community sailed in Arusha, the EAC is suddenly at crossroads and hasty efforts are now being  taken to save the regional body.

As reports regarding what is feared to be yet another ‘break-up’ of the East African Community continue to thrive  around the region, but especially in local media outlets, the Arusha-based EAC Secretariat has released an official statement allaying fears of  separation  triggered by the recent Kenya-Uganda-Rwanda triumvirate that cut-off Tanzania and Burundi.

The EAC Secretary General, Dr Richard Sezibera stated here that he has already consulted the five Partner States regarding this state of affairs and that all concerns will be addresses by the East African Council of Ministers meeting later this month adding that the ultimate stand  will be declared by the Heads-of-States summit at the end of this November.

“On the side-lines of the 19th Sectoral Council of Ministers Responsible for East African Community Affairs, the Ministers in the spirit of consolidating and strengthening East African Integration have exchanged on progress occasioned by the challenges that have arisen,” said Dr Sezibera admitting that both the Republic of Burundi and the United Republic of Tanzania have made public their concerns regarding the meetings held by  Kenya,  Rwanda and  Uganda during a number of meetings at Heads of State level.

“There have also been persistent press reports including misrepresentations on the matter but East Africans are urged not to be unduly alarmed because the challenges are being addressed and will be further considered by the Council of Ministers at its 28th Meeting scheduled for 28th November 2013 and make recommendations to the Summit,’’ maintained Dr Sezibera.

And as far as the Secretary General is concerned, the EAC Partner States are still committed  to implement the protocols on the Common Market and the Customs Union, and in particular laying the requisite infrastructure, and removal of barriers to the free movement of goods, services and people.

However, the signing of the Single Customs Territory in Kigali  by Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, left out Tanzania and Burundi.

Tanzania recently spoke against the move by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to sign tripartite agreements secluding it and Burundi, to the extent that Dar started mulling own closer ties with the other EAC  Burundi, and the mineral rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

                                  President Jakaya Kikwete (left) and Kenyan President
                                       Uhuru Kenyatta when they met over the weekend
                                        in South Africa during the SADC Conference.

Dar, apparently, isn’t about to be the loser either, because Tanzania occupies more than 52 Per-cent of the total area covered by the five EAC Member states of  Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Burundi . 

The minister for East African Co-operation, Mr Samuel Sitta stated that Tanzania will not recognize any EAC agreements made by other member states in its absence, reinforcing that there are clear signals that the country is being side-lined alongside Burundi.

At the moment Tanzania is keen to develop the railway line project that will connect Uvinza in Kigoma along the shores of Lake Tanganyika to Msongati in the DRC. The minister added that, Tanzania-Burundi closeness will come in handy and cost-effective for Bujumbura’s business community members, because Dar es Salaam port, is much closer to the land-locked country compared to Mombasa harbour of Kenya being used by its neighbour cutting down the distance by  900 kilometres. source Arusha Times

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The Chinese Embassy has directed its citizens living in the country to strictly abide by both Chinese and Tanzanian laws and never to involve themselves in government trophies or any kind of smuggling.

 Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Lu Youqing

The directive was issued in a statement by the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Lu Youqing, following reports that three of its citizens had been arrested over elephant tusks smuggling.

The statement said the Chinese government was holding discussion with the Tanzania authorities on the issue. The statement further said that the Chinese government had always attached great importance to the protection of wildlife, promulgated a series of laws and regulations, and set up a National Inter-Agency CITES Enforcement Collaboration Group (NICECG) mechanism.

Moreover, the statement said, the Chinese State Forestry Administration had set up a special armed anti-poaching team, adding that China led the world on severe punishment in cases of wild animal protection violation including ivory smuggling and dealing in its products.

The country has also actively participated in international law enforcement cooperation to crack down on criminal activities, especially on smuggling and trading in ivory and its products.

Last February the Chinese government successfully carried out Operation COBRA, a cross-continent joint special operation to combat illegal wildlife trade together with 22 countries in Asia and Africa.

Ambassador Youqing strongly condemned the killing of elephants and ivory smuggling and firmly supported the Tanzania government action to fight ivory smuggling, adding that China was willing to actively provide help.

“The Chinese government and police are ready to work together with their Tanzanian counterparts to crack down on criminals according to the law.

“The majority of Chinese citizens are able to abide by local laws in Tanzania and take part in legitimate businesses. China’s national image has been severely undermined by the illegal or bad behaviour of quite a few Chinese nationals,” he said. In2EasstAfrica

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The Democratic Republic of Congo’s M23 rebel group declared an end to its 20-month insurgency on Tuesday and said it was ready to pursue a political solution after the army captured its last two hilltop strongholds.

The M23 made its announcement hours after government forces drove the rebels out of Tshanzu and Runyoni before dawn, following a two-week offensive that cornered the insurgents in heavily wooded hills along the border with Uganda and Rwanda.

“The chief of staff and the commanders of all major units are requested to prepare troops for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration on terms to be agreed with the government of Congo,” M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa said in a statement.

The United States welcomed the declaration as a “significant positive step” for eastern Congo, a region beset for more than 15 years by conflict fueled by competition for gold, copper and cobalt as well as cross-border ethnic tensions.

A meeting of regional leaders in South Africa said earlier on Tuesday that President Joseph Kabila’s government would sign a peace deal within days if rebels laid down their arms.

In the distant capital, Kinshasa, thousands of women dressed in white marched down the central boulevard to parliament chanting songs praising Kabila and the army.

It marked a dramatic turnaround for the 42-year-old leader. Only a year ago, M23 had swept aside U.N. peacekeepers and the army to capture Goma, the largest town in eastern Congo.

That defeat led to the deployment of a tough new U.N. Intervention Brigade and to increased diplomatic pressure on neighboring Rwanda and Uganda not to meddle in the conflict, changing the tide of events. M23 has been riven by defections and factional fighting.

Martin Kobler, head of a 19,850-member U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, said attention would turn to scores of smaller armed groups operating in the lawless east, including the Rwandan Hutu FDLR.

“We have teeth and we are using those teeth,” Kobler said in Pretoria, referring to the 3,000-strong Intervention Brigade.

DESERTING BASES

The M23 is the latest manifestation of simmering anger with Kinshasa among ethnic Tutsis in eastern Congo and the real test will be whether government and rebels can reach a lasting political deal. M23 took up arms last year when a previous 2009 peace accord with the Tutsi-led CNDP rebels unraveled.

Russell Feingold, U.S. special envoy to the Great Lakes region, said the issues of an amnesty and reintegration of rebels into the army were vital to ensuring a durable deal.

“In a region that has suffered so much, this is obviously a significant positive step in the right direction,” he said.

Feingold voiced confidence that Rwanda, accused by U.N. experts of backing the M23, now supported ending the insurgency. Kigali has repeatedly denied backing the rebels.

Those suspected of serious rights violations should be pursued and should not be covered by any amnesty, he added. Analysts said M23′s military leader Sultani Makenga was among those unlikely to benefit from any amnesty deal.

Congolese government spokesman Laurent Mende said many M23 fighters had surrendered after government soldiers seized control of the rebel hideouts of Tshanzu and Runyoni.

“Militarily, this is finished,” Mende said, adding that Kinshasa was ready to pursue peace talks.

The rebels deserted their positions, setting fire to munitions depots and military trucks before fleeing into forests, a senior Congolese army commander told Reuters.

Paddy Ankunda, a Ugandan army spokesman, said more than 80 M23 fighters had fled into Uganda where they were being held until a diplomatic decision was made on their fate. M23′s military leader Makenga has not been located.

The Rwandan Hutu FDLR will likely be the next priority for Congo’s army and U.N. troops, analysts said.

The FDLR includes some Hutus who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus and has long been used by Kigali as a pretext for intervening in Congo.

A plethora of smaller local rebel groups, ranging from the oil- and gold-rich Ituri district in the northeast to the copper-producing Katanga province in the southeast, also undermine Kinshasa’s grip on its eastern border zones.

“The military victories over the M23 will send a very strong message to the many other armed groups operating in the east,” said Stephanie Wolters of the Institute of Strategic Studies in Pretoria. “It may prompt them to consider the advantages of a negotiated solution over a drawn-out military campaign.” source In2East Africa

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Mt Meru said to be potentially dangerous volcano Scientists advises for monitor stations

 Mount Meru. How serious is Mount Meru potential eruption?

It may have appeared passive for many years, but the country's second highest peak, Mount Meru, towering above Arusha City, is reported to be still apt to erupt without notice, placing lives of nearly one million people in jeopardy.

Recent studies, as well as chronological volcanic measurements conducted by the Monduli-based, Eco-Science centre, indicate that   mountain Meru remains active volcano and unless tremor and eruption sensors get installed around them, disasters related to volcanic actions are likely to take people by surprise.

 “Mt Meru volcano, which had three eruptions between 120 and 90 years ago, is a potentially dangerous volcano, with more than 1 million people living around it,” said Mr Ben Beeckmans the Director of Eco-Science.

Mr Beeckman a renowned scientist has a long track record of studying volcanoes on the African continent and before settling in Arusha, he had done volcanic studies in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


Mount Meru. How serious is Mount Meru potential eruption?

According to Mr Beeckmans, as the weak spot of the volcano is on its eastern side, as far as a future eruption is concerned, that side would suffer logically more damage, but the ascending magma, which would make the volcano swell, could trigger off partial collapses on any side, which would be a disaster for a city like Arusha.

To save the Arusha population, Mr Beeckmans advised that it is imperative for a seismic net to be organized around both Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro where the town of Moshi is built so that alarm can be triggered should any of the two features start boiling beyond ordinary heats.

“The University of Dar-Es-Salaam has a small seismology section, which, according to the scientist, could perfectly monitor the seismicity of both volcanoes.

Ben Beeckmans wants the central government, local authorities as well as the private sector to join hands in taking the necessary steps for monitoring these volcanoes through installing at least the first seismic station (apparently three are needed on each volcano).

Disaster may also strike by surprise; “Nature is quiet,  the volcanos seems not to exist anymore but in reality these are the more catastrophic areas.

Making a presentation in Arusha, the scientist pointed out that, such calamity happened in 1982 in Mexico, when El-Chichon volcano woke up and killed many people, which will also be a problem for Meru and Kili,” warned the scientist.
But how serious is Mount Meru potential  eruption? According to Beeckmans the force of St Helens (Washington state) when it erupted in 1980, was about 150 times the atomic bomb of Hiroshima.

“Mt Meru had a similar eruption, which was ten-times bigger, when its eastern side blew out. While the avalanche debris on St Helens produced a volume of 2.8 cubic kilometres of materials, Mount Meru blew out a whopping 28 cubic kilometres; which was 1500 bigger than Hiroshima Bomb, creating the Momella lakes,” he said.

It was one of the largest sub-aerial debris avalanches ever recorded and its repeat will not only annihilate human and animal population in Arusha City, but also parts of Moshi, Namanga and Kajiado in Kenya.Source Arusha Times

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Here’s why I might quit CCM: Sumaye

Former Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye yesterday threatened to quit Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) should the party nominate a candidate tainted by corruption in the 2015 General Election.

Mr Sumaye took a swipe at his immediate successor, Mr Edward Lowassa, who also served as Premier before he was forced to resign in 2008 after being implicated in the Richmond scandal, accusing the latter of politics of deception ahead of 2015 polls.

According to the former Premier, the Kikwete succession politics have turned nasty—shaped mainly by corruption, divisions and a media campaign targeting those seen as potential candidates.

Mr Sumaye, who was one of CCM’s top three candidates in the 2005 presidential race but lost to Mr Kikwete, warned his party that it would lose the next election if it picks a corrupt candidate.

Yesterday’s press conference came a day after Mr Lowassa, one of those said to be eyeing the presidency, lambasted the current leadership for allegedly not being bold enough. Mr Lowassa declared himself fit and ready for the top job.

But in what appeared to be a swipe at Mr Lowassa, Mr Sumaye accused the immediate former PM of misleading the public that he was behind a water project in Shinyanga. Mr Sumaye was the Prime Minister when Mr Lowassa served as minister for Water and Livestock Development in the third phase regime.

Mr Sumaye was referring to a story that appeared in Mwananchi to the effect that it was only President Kikwete, the then minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr Mohamed Seif Khatib, the minister in the Vice President’s Office, who supported the project as other cabinet members lined up against it.

He accused the former PM of not telling the truth and revealing secrets of Cabinet meetings, which is considered a criminal offence. “Maybe he decided to talk about it in public knowing it is not true and no punishment can be laid on him for not telling the truth,” he said.

The project to pump water from Lake Victoria to Shinyanga was a government initiative that was started by the then minister for Water, Dr Pius Ng’wandu, and later taken over by Musa Nkhangaa.

According to Mr Sumaye, it was former President Benjamin Mkapa who kicked off the project when he declared that Shinyanga would get water from Lake Victoria at all cost. “If he claims the project was his initiative, why didn’t he push it further to Dodoma or other places when he became the prime minister and had more powers?” Mr Sumaye wondered.

He also warned Tanzania against withdrawing from the East African Community, saying it would be a big mistake at this time when other countries are pulling together in regional federations.

Addressing journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Mr Sumaye also wondered why the government had failed to name leaders who have stashed billions of money in Switzerland despite the Swiss government’s willingness to assist in tracing the offshore accounts. “Why can’t the government act, once and for all, to clear this controversy that has existed for years now?” he asked. source The citizen

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Mbowe warns Dar off EAC withdrawal

Dodoma. The leader of official Opposition in the Parliament, Mr Freeman Mbowe, has sounded a warning against politicians who have been urging the government to pull out of the East Africa Community.

Speaking during the 13th National Assembly Meeting debating the 2014/2015 National Economic Development Plan, Mr Mbowe warned that the prospect of Tanzania pulling out of the EAC will have serious consequences to wananchi.

Mr Mbowe, on Thursday evening also warned some politicians who have been issuing what he called offensive statements against other EAC partner states.

On Wednesday, some MPs pressured the government to either withdraw from the EAC or forge another community with other neighbouring countries or halt Tanzania’s engagement in the regional activities.

The MPs expressed their concern over the Kenya-Uganda-Rwanda ‘coalition of the willing’ which, they said, have been engaging in talks and negotiations without involving Tanzania and Burundi.

The three members have even been discussing a protocol for speeding up the formation of a political federation, according to the MPs.

Ms Anne Kilango Malecela (Same East – CCM) said it would be better if Tanzania stopped making further commitments as far as the EAC integration process was concerned.

Ms Rukia Ahmed (Special Seats – CUF) asked the government to draft and table in Parliament a motion seeking withdrawal from the EAC.

“The minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe, was quoted as saying that what the country was waiting for was only a divorce from its EAC partners. Why should we sit and wait for a divorce, why don’t we go ahead and divorce the EAC?” she questioned.

However, Mr Mbowe was skeptic of his fellow MPs’ remarks as he warned that the prospect of Tanzania pulling out of the EAC will have negative impacts to the citizens.

“I appeal to my fellow politicians to refrain from making statements which might offend other nations; to refrain from statements which might bring diplomatic tensions between us (Tanzania) and other countries,” said Mr Mbowe.

According to Mr Mbowe Tanzania and other EAC member states should engage in diplomatic discussions to find solutions to recent developments which have clouded the future of the EAC. Source The Citizen

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Miners set to drag Dar to ICC over $ 410 taxes

Former commissioner for minerals, who is currently an independent mining consultant and analyst, Dr Peter Kafumu, told The Citizen: “Refunding will be tough because the government has no money…it received billions as VAT and excise duty, but it has failed to refund these companies for some years now"

Dar es Salaam. Major foreign-owned gold mining firms operating in Tanzania, including South African-based Anglogold Ashanti, are seeking arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to recover over $410 million (Sh676billion) tax refund, The Citizen has learnt.

Another company that has also threatened to sue is Resolute Mining Tanzania Ltd, which closed its business last year in Nzega after its mine lifespan ended.

An officer with Resolute who spoke to The Citizen yesterday under conditions of anonymity because he isn’t an authorised spokesperson said: “We’ve made it clear that we’re taking this matter to the ICC because all other options have failed and we aren’t alone...”

The officer noted that the contract signed between miners and the government has a clause that allows an aggrieved party to seek redress at the ICC.

The government was a few years ago taken to the ICC by Dowans Ltd in which the latter finally got a reward of $115 million, sparking a strong public outcry.

“The MDA signed between the firms and the government has a provision for arbitration in case of disputes. Negotiations seem to be stalled due to the government’s unwillingness to accept the miner’s proposals, fearing that it could set a precedent for other firms in other sectors... Besides, the government is in financial difficulties, thus it’s unlikely to pay,” the government source said.

The revelation comes amid a major fall of global gold prices, which may lead to the companies cutting down on investments, thus impacting heavily on service providers. Investments in mining exploration have also dropped by 20 per cent since 2012.

But African Barrik Gold (ABG) a company with over $1bn in revenue and a market capitalisation of over $900m, said it has opted for a direct negotiations with the government.

For instance ABG’s monthly pending tax refund is $10million(Sh16.5billion), while it gets a refund of $2 million after every three months from the government, which the company says isn’t enough considering the financial crisis currently facing the industry following the plunge in gold price at the world market.

The refund, which has been accumulated for about five years now, is VAT and excise duty, paid by the mining firms in their export and import transactions.

Details gathered by The Citizen show that a big chunk of this money is VAT paid on gold exports which, according to the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) signed between miners and the government, is refundable.

Tanzania tax laws state clearly that firms producing goods for export don’t pay VAT, but according to reliable sources within the mining sector, major gold producers have been paying 18 per cent tax in every single ounce of gold they export. Tanzanite and diamond exporters too have been paying 18 per cent VAT. The Citizen

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Kagasheki unveils Chinese ivory haul in Dar es Salaam

 Natural Resources and Tourism minister, Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki, in disbelief as he looks at a pile of elephant trophies impounded at a Mikocheni house in Dar es Salaam

Kagasheki unveils Chinese ivory haul in Dar es Salaam
  Scoffs at stopping `Operation Tokomeza`

At a time when poaching has tremendously scaled up in the country, about 706 pieces of ivory, representing more than 200 tuskers killed, were found yesterday in Dar es Salam Mikocheni area at a residence of Chinese nationals.

The incredulous catch was hidden in a manner that needed informed intelligence to uncover as shells of snails mixed with garlic to fool any suspicious minds sniffing about the ivory. Even the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Khamis Kagasheki, and police officers at the scene were so stunned with the ingenuity of the residents, evidently agents of Far East ivory traders.

A detailed report made available to The Guardian on Sunday in past months says China is deeply implicated in the wave of killing of elephants owing to its million dollar trade in ivory products. The report authored by the Tanzania Elephant Protection Society (TEPS) said rising economic relations between China and Tanzania fuel elephant killings in the country, calling for proper government intervention.

The document underlined that though the Chinese investments were important in the country’s economy and development, this shouldn’t compromise the country’s natural wildlife conservation efforts.

The report affirmed that at the current rate of 30 elephants killed every day and 850 elephants shot every month, there is an unprecedented risk of the country’s elephant population perishing in the next seven years.

“China is the number one investor in Tanzania … but the majority of tusks exported illegally from Tanzania end up in China due to the huge demand for ivory in China,” it said, noting that Tanzania’s partnership with China risks being at the expense of Tanzania’s vital natural resources and the tourist industry,

This requires political will and strong leadership to resolve, it said, recommending that the Tanzania government “should make investment from China and other countries strictly conditional on China tackling its demand for ivory at home, and stronger law enforcement collaboration to halt the flow of ivory from Tanzania to China.”

Three Chinese, Che Jinzhan, Xu Fujie and Huang Qin, are said to use a special Noah microbus with registration number T713 BXG to transport the ivory pieces to the house.

Until this paper left the house more than 1800 kilogram of ivory pieces were found, although the police were not yet finished with counting.

Inside the house police found a weighing unit that the Chinese used in their illegal business, a number of fresh garlic onions and sacks of shells which were mixed with the ivory during transportation.

Interviewed, the Chinese said that the ivory business is owned by their friends and what they were doing was only the garlic business.

Huang Qin explaining that his friends are the one who used to bring the ivory in their home. He admitted that it is illegal business and if it was in their country they would be executed.

The bus that used to bring the product in the house uses different numbers whereby during a day the used plate number is T713 BXG but at night the number is twisted with plate number T 317 BXG.

According to the information released from the ivory storehouse, the minibus is used to conduct the operation at midnight, specifically from 1:00 am.

Briefing the media at the event, minister Kagasheki said they managed to find the ivory as a follow up to Operation Tokomeza against gangs hunting elephants with automatic rifles, all over the country.

Ambassador Kagasheki said the fight against poachers will not be achieved by suspending public officials but by joining efforts with all stakeholders, including MPs to fight the scourge.

The ivory pieces found yesterday represent a big amount as elephants are steadily diminished, he said, underlining that stopping Operation Tokomeza as MPs are proposing would see elephants cleared out from game parks in a few years.

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