Membe lobbying for withheld GBS funds

                                                    Foreign Affairs Minister Benard Membe.

Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe has said he will this week meet with Tanzania’s development partners who have withheld funds for the General Budget Support on corruption allegation grounds.

Membe said the main aim of his mission is to convince the donors to release the money they have suspended for the General Budget Support which might affect government operations if not released.
The minister said before he meets the donors, he would go through the Tegeta Escrow Account report first.

The minister vowed that any official implicated in the scandal will be taken to task.

He would not name any officials implicated, but several government officials, banks and court officials have been mentioned by a section of the media to have been involved in the decade old scam of the nation which has rendered power bill to skyrocket.

“The Controller and Auditor General’s report on Tegeta Escrow Account is ready and I will have a look at it before I meet the development partners. My meeting with the development partners is mainly meant to find a solution to the standoff,” he said on the sidelines of the interview at the official opening of the First Voice of Social Sciences International Conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

He hastened to add: “Tomorrow (today) or Wednesday I am going to meet with the development partners, the aim being to plead with them to release the GBS withheld funds to the tune of USD500m (roughly 846bn/-).”

According to the minister, the country will continue to maintain transparency on such matters as doing so will help foster good governance.

“If there is any one implicated in this matter, disciplinary action shall be taken immediately,” he noted.
The conference is organised by the University of Dar es Salaam, School of Social Sciences.

Speaking at the conference, Membe called on academics to assist the government in conducting research on issues pertaining to corruption saying their finds would have a big impact on individuals and the nation at large.

Membe said it is wrong to pretend that there is no corruption while the wananchi are being affected by it.

“We should not reach a point of accepting that corruption is part and parcel of our country. This is why I implore on you members of the academics to help by carrying out scientific studies on corruption and give us recommendations on how it can be touted out,” he said.

He added: “If professors will not do research untrustworthy people who have no knowledge in research will do the same for the interest of few people through their finances.”

Dean Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof Sam Maghimbi promised to work on the matter for the benefit of the nations.
The two-day conference with the theme Achieving Sustainability in an Interconnected World” has brought together over 200 academicians from different countries in Africa with aim of discussing four issues, the organisers said.

They include energy, research, corruption and environment.
Meanwhile, the Controller and Auditor General’s report on the transactions involving the Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL)   in the Tegeta Escrow Account has been referred to a Parliamentary Public Accounts subcommittee for closer scrutiny.

The report will be examined by full committee of the PAC before making its recommendations to the Parliament.

Speaking yesterday in Dodoma shortly after receiving the report from the Assembly Deputy Speaker, Job Ndugai, Committee Chairman Zitto Kabwe said the committee will operate as an investigating entity.

In executing its ten-day task, the committee will in the first place meet the Controller and Auditor General, who carried out the probe, to be followed by the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) director general.

“This marks government commitment in working on the matter as recommended by Members of the Parliament. All the matters have been held quite open, we have the report and we assure you that we will deliver to our best,” the chairman said.

Kabwe, who had earlier recommended for live broadcast as the PAC investigates those implicated in the saga, yesterday rescinded his stand, saying that all proceeding will be in camera.
This is because the committee will be working as an investigatory body, he insisted.

The chairman said the committee will work around the clock to ensure that all the required matters are addressed without fear or favour.

Deo Filikunjombe, PAC Deputy Chairman said the ten days that the committee will be working on the document are more than enough to conclude the saga.

Applauding media houses for revealing the scandal, Filikunjombe noted that media had played a pivot role and that “we have to thank them for making the matter public.”

He said there is no doubt that PAC has never backed down in its proceedings, especially in examining controversial reports and that the PAC sittings will resort to justice. source the Guardians

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Bunge team begins work on CAG report

Deputy Speaker Job Ndugai (right) hands over the CAG’s report on the Tegeta escrow account controversy to Public Accounts Committee chairman Zitto Kabwe (centre) and his deputy, Mr Deo Filikunjombe, in Dodoma yesterday.

 Dodoma. A parliamentary team today begins to dissect the voluminous report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) on the Tegeta escrow account scandal following the official release of the document by the Office of the Speaker.

Members of the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) scrutiny of the anxiously-awaited report will facilitate the unravelling of how Sh306 billion in taxpayers’ money was withdrawn from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) and ended up in the coffers of a private company.

Apparently, the money should have been claimed by Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), but was questionably withdrawn to facilitate a suspect purchase of the Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL) by Pan Africa Power (PAP).

The funds were deposited with the BoT as part of a guarantee requirement in the multi-billion shillings electricity supply contract between IPTL and Tanesco. 

Deputy Speaker Job Ndugai, who handed over the report and other evidence contained in various documents to PAC at a brief function in Dodoma, pledged openness on the handling of the remaining process.

Also present at the handing-over function were other committee members and minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs), Mr William Lukuvi.

PAC chairman Zitto Kabwe (Kigoma North-Chadema) and his deputy Deo Filikunjombe (Ludewa–CCM) poured praise on The Citizen newspaper for blowing the whistle on the matter and consistently following up on further developments.

“Even the PAC never knew anything about this IPTL scandal until The Citizen broke the story that is now appearing to be of help to Parliament as discharges its duty of supervising the government,” Mr Filikunjombe said.

Mr Ndugai directed the PAC to use the Parliamentary Immunities, Powers and Privileges Act to steer the process as it studies the report before its scheduled tabling in Parliament next week.

He said the committee should also work on the advice from both the CAG and that of the Prevention and Combating of the Corruption Bureau (PCCB), whose report on the same escrow scandal will also be availed to Parliament.

The deputy speaker tasked the office of the Clerk of National Assembly to work with PAC in ensuring that the task is completed on time and handed over to him for approval before it is tabled for open debate.

The Citizen confirmed that the Clerk, Dr Thomas Kashilila, immediately allocated PAC a team of four senior officials from his office who will work closely with the committee as the task to comb through the report starts.

The public is eagerly awaiting the final outcome and recommendations of the PAC on the scandal that has seen donor countries suspend budget funding for this year to the government in the tune of nearly Sh1 trillion. 

According to Mr Kabwe, his committee would summon the corruption watchdog’s boss, Dr Edward Hoseah, and CAG to appear before his team to give clarification on various issues contained in their respective reports.

Asked if nine days would enough to accomplish its work, Mr Filikunjombe said: “They are enough because we have all the facts with us from the CAG’s report,” he said.

They said the committee would discharge its duties in camera as a probe instrument and further asked Tanzanians to observe patience, promising that all wrongdoers implicated in the report would be exposed.source the Citizen

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Body Parts Dumping Irks Many

 adavers dumped in an open space outside Dar es Salaam

FOLLOWING the weird incident of dumping parts of human bodies in a valley at Mbweni Mpiji area in Kinondoni Municipality in Dar es Salaam on Monday, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) is pushing for immediate investigations and a clear-cut explanation on the issue.

In the same vein, the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) has strongly condemned the incident, referring to sanctions, including immediate closure, which had been taken against an institution that was involved in a similar abominable act in some other country.

So far, eight staff members of the International Medical and Technological University (IMTU), including doctors, are helping the police in their investigations in connection with the macabre discovery.

Deputy Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr Steven Kebwe condemned the incident, describing it as an inhuman act whose perpetrators should not left to go scot free. He pledged "painstaking investigations after which suspected offenders should be made to feel the full brunt of the law".

"This is an unusual happening that we must condemn in the strongest possible terms. There are many medical colleges in Tanzania, including the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), but we have never heard that they have done such a disgusting thing," he observed.

He added that the human body must be handled with care and treated with all the respect it deserves, further observing that the dumping act was a true reflection of decaying morals and violations of laws.

Dr Kebwe affirmed that the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) was supposed to take action against the college's management for its decision to dispose the bodies in area close to a residential neighbourhood instead of incinerating them.

MAT President Dr Primus Saidia affirmed that the incident was a gross violation of laws, human rights and medical ethics.

"The act makes the institution involved to disqualify itself from using human bodies in conducting practical lessons... and if it is a hospital then the incident automatically disqualifies it from offering medical services to human beings," he stressed.

The association has called on the relevant authorities to take immediate legal and disciplinary measures against the perpetrators.

The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Services, Ms Margaret Sitta, appealed to relevant bodies investigate the matter and find out the reasons behind the ghastly act. "The entire affair is not only immoral but also frightening.

I am thankful to the police and other pertinent authorities for their immediate response as it has come to our attention that investigations are going on while a number of suspects have been held," she said.

MoEVT Permanent Secretary Professor Sifuni Mchome told the 'Daily News' that the police, MoHSW, Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) and MoEVT have embarked on investigations to establish the reasons behind the act.

He pointed out that after the report on the investigations, which he said would be presented without delay, necessary legal and disciplinary measures will be taken against the institution and all other persons who were involved in the matter. "It is too early now to say exactly what our stand on this matter is.

After the investigations and basing on the expected report, we are going to announce measures to be taken against the institution right away," he declared.

An intern doctor from one of the Dar es Salaam-based medical colleges, talking on condition of anonymity, told the 'Daily News' that they were using human bodies in their practical lessons but had never seen such bodies being dumped in such an undignified manner.

He explained that in all years of bachelor degree studies, medical students, according to the current curriculum, were supposed to use cadavers in one semester of the first year lessons. "Where does the college exactly get these bodies?" is the question which he said ran deep in their minds.

However, according to him, they were made to believe that they could be bodies of those who died in the hospitals whose relatives failed to collect. He noted that the bodies were kept to last for number of years and after practical lessons were returned to the mortuary for preservation.

"To avoid trauma related to dealing with bodies of relatives, some people, though I am not so sure, were saying that medical colleges have been exchanging cadavers with other universities," he further noted.

He explained that the exchange, if really that was the case in Tanzania, was a good programme because it checks against a student being presented with a body of a person he or she knows.

TCU Principal Communications Officer Mr Edward Mkaku also observed that the commission was only mandated to recognise, approve, register and accredit universities operating in Tanzania, leaving the institutions to handle their own teaching modalities.

He however, maintained that after the investigations, which have also included a representative from the commission, being the coordinating body, TCU will take legal action in accordance with recommendations from the investigation team.

Reached for comment yesterday, the Dar es Salaam Special Zonal Police Commander, Mr Suleiman Kova, said investigations into the matter were still going on and thus could not give more details.
More on This
Human Beings Deserve Respect - Dead or Alive

ON Monday evening this week, the social media networks were awash with reports of body parts that were dumped atsource allAfrica.com

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6 charged with terrorism over Arusha restaurant bombing

 These six men were charged with terrorism at the Resident Magistrate’s Court in Arusha on Wednesday in connection to the recent bombing of a popular Indian restaurant.


Arusha. Six people were yesterday charged with terrorism in Arusha.

The accused allegedly carried out the bomb attack at a popular restaurant in the city earlier this month.

They were among eight people who were arrested on Monday night during an operation in which seven hand grenades and bomb-making material were also seized

The six were brought to the Arusha Resident Magistrate’s Court at around 1.20pm under tight security.

Scores of people jostled to get a glimpse of the suspects as they were being escorted into the court.

Mr Shaaban Mussa Mmasa, alias Jamal, 26; Mr Athumani Hussein Mmasa, 38; Mr Mohamed Nuru Salehe, 30; Mr Jaffari Hashim Lema, 38; Mr Abdul Muhamed Humud, 30, and Mr Saidi Maiko Temba, 42, appeared composed as the charges against them were being read out.

They were not allowed to enter a plea when they appeared before Resident Magistrate Rose Ngoka because terrorism-related cases are only heard by the High Court.

Prosecutors Augustino Kombe and Felix Kwatukia told the packed courtroom that the accused were involved in acts of terrorism in Arusha between February and July, this year.

They said the accused conspired to attack Vama Restaurant and carried out the July 7 bomb attack on the establishment, which wounded eight people.

Mr Athumani Mmasa and Mr Lema were also charged with illegal possession of explosives.

Mr Lema, Mr Saleh and Mr Temba faced an additional charge of facilitating terror attacks in Arusha by providing money to various people.

The  case was adjourned until August 6 when it will come up for another mention and the accused were remanded.

A 30-year-old man who was arrested in Monday’s operation and who police described as the “mastermind” of the attacks was not among those charged yesterday.

The suspect was arrested along with his wife after a cache of arms was found in their house.

Seven hand grenades, six rounds of ammunition, machetes and a powdery substance for making explosives were recovered from the house.

Director of Criminal Investigations Isaiah Mngulu told journalists on Tuesday that the suspect was among people who were being sought in connection with a series of bomb attacks in Arusha that have killed eight people and wounded at least 100 since May, last year.source the Citizen

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Pedalling solutions to Dar’s mega-city woes

“Dar es Salaam before dusk”: The city must follow the smart cities model and become more sustainable and innovative according to Ilala mayor Jerry Silaa.

Dar es Salaam. Fatma rides on the shoulder of the road, her infant daughter secured to her back with a length of brightly coloured kanga fabric.

Arms outstretched, she grasps the handles that function as pedals and rotates the chain around a gear, propelling herself through Dar es Salaam’s heavy traffic.

On roads that claim upwards of 10,000 lives every year, people who cannot walk take on the traffic in hand-pedalled tricycles.

“If I don’t use my bike, it would be very hard for my family to survive,” she says.

The roads are not just dangerous for those with disabilities. With five million inhabitants, Tanzania’s commercial and administrative capital is growing beyond the capacity of its infrastructure.

Trucks, buses and private vehicles share the road with daladalas, which are sometimes so crammed that passengers have to disembark through rear windows. 

Battered motorcycles and autorickshaws  (bajajis)negotiate the space between cars, speeding along sidewalks and darting into opposing traffic to gain a few extra metres.

Vendors form a slow procession between the cars, selling everything from fire extinguishers to cowboy hats and self-help books.

“Most people spend up to 43 days a year stuck in their car,” says Mejah Mbuya, the founder of UWABA, Dar es Salaam’s cycling advocacy group.

“I’m talking about people who are spending two hours to go to work and two hours to go back home.”

On these gridlocked streets, cyclists are trying to lay claim to a piece of the road.

During the annual Cycle Caravan, more than 400 people took to the streets to advocate for cyclists’ rights and to encourage policymakers to recognise that bike lanes help make cities more livable and also save lives.


Mbuya has been organising the event since 2006, and is passionate about the benefits of cycling not only for the health of individuals, but also for the health of cities.

It is not only drivers who need to be mindful of cyclists, but also city planners and highway engineers, he says.

“They have to plan including people and people who cycle - not only for cars and buildings.”

The city’s planned solution to the jams is a new infrastructure scheme called the Dar Rapid Transit Project.

Scheduled for completion in 2015, the project will rehabilitate 21 kilometres (13 miles) of trunk road to introduce a speedy bus system.

“We are working very hard to keep up with the pace, to design an intensive master plan with Dar es Salaam,” says Jerry William Silaa, the mayor of Illala Municipal Council, which includes the city centre.

Sporting a helmet and reflector vest at the Cycle Caravan, he says the plans also include dedicated bike lanes.

“We are trying to make the city live another 100 years to come because with this growth we are going to reach a population of 15 million people and go to mega-city criteria by the year 2025.”

Dar es Salaam, along with other rapidly urbanising cities in east Africa, must follow the smart cities model and become more sustainable and innovative, the mayor says.

Other government responses to urban sprawl have included a recent ban on semi-formal modes of public transportation, like motorcycles and autorickshaws, in the town centre. But this has failed to alleviate congestion in the busy area.

“The thing with infrastructure is that it’s a socio-technical system, and so you might improve the technical aspect of it, but then the social and economic side might undo all the good work that you’ve done,” says economist Angela Ambroz, a researcher on urbanisation. source The citizen

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Under the hammer: $2 billion assets of terror-linked Dar bank to be sold off

WATCHDOG: The Bank of Tanzania (pictured) is investigating US claims linking Dar-based FBME bank to “wire transfers related to suspected shell companies” with ties to terrorists and organized crime.


Nicosia/Dar Es Salaam. As the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) places the FBME Bank under surveillance, Cyprus has decided to sell all assets of the troubled financial institution valued at $2 billion, The Citizen has learnt.

According to a report published by a Lebanese premier English paper, The Daily Star, the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) is looking for buyers to take over branches of Tanzania-based FBME Bank.

 The move comes nearly a week after Cyprus took over the control of the financial house following grave allegations levelled against it by the US authorities.

While FBME Bank is presently headquartered in Tanzania, it transacts over 90 per cent of its global business and holds over 90 per cent of its assets, in its two branches located in Cyprus.

Data from the BoT show that by the end of 2013, FBME Bank had assets in Tanzania valued at $256 million (Sh431 billion). At the current exchange rate, $1 sells for Sh1,680.

In a dossier entitled, “Notice of finding that FBME Bank Ltd, formerly known as Federal Bank of the Middle East, Ltd, is a financial institution of primary money laundering concern,” the US says:

“FBME facilitated a substantial volume of money laundering through the bank for many years.  FBME is used by its customers to facilitate money laundering, terrorist financing, transnational organised crime, fraud, sanctions evasion, and other illicit activity internationally and through the US financial system.”

In just one year, from April 2013 through April 2014, FBME conducted at least $387 million in wire transfers through the US financial system that exhibited indicators of high-risk money laundering typologies, including widespread shell company activity, short-term “surge” wire activity, structuring, and high-risk business customers.

For instance the US authorities say FBME bank was involved in at least 4,500 suspicious wire transfers through US correspondent accounts that totalled at least $875 million between November 2006 and March 2013.

The Lebanese paper reported yesterday that the move by the Central Bank of Cyprus late on Monday came after allegations by key European Union partners that the island’s once-bloated banking sector had been engaged in laundering money on behalf of some Russian interests.

“The Central Bank of Cyprus, as supervisory authority, recommended resolution measures ... relating to the sale of operations of FBME Bank Ltd, to protect depositors."

"The above actions demonstrate the commitment of the independent institutions of the Republic of Cyprus to safeguard financial stability," Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides was quoted by the Daily Star as saying.

FBME Bank, whose twin branches in Cyprus hold an estimated 1.7 billion euros (roughly $2billion), in deposits, denies all charges of wrongdoing and has challenged Washington’s allegations.

 It is not clear whether the bank would continue to operate in future by depending its 10 percent base in Tanzania if Cyprus goes ahead to sell the bank’s profitable branches.

In its Monday statement, the CBC said: “The resolution authority has issued a decree, under the powers conferred to it ... which places the branch of FBME Bank in Cyprus under resolution.”source The citizen

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JK to health workers: You can stop maternal and child deaths

 President Jakaya Kikwete

President Jakaya Kikwete has appealed to health workers in the country to ensure that lives of women and children are not at risk during delivery.

Calling it a major national silent emergency, President Kikwete said it is a unacceptable that as many as 455 women out of every 100,000 live births die during delivery in a country boasting a comprehensive health system.

The president was giving his remarks during the launch of the ‘Tanzania countdown and a promise renewed on reproductive, maternal, newborn and child deaths’ in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

President Kikwete said while a lot has been achieved during the implementation of the Millenium Development Goals (MGDS) there were still sad stories of women and children who die for reasons which could be avoided.

He said the medical personnel and stakeholders must fight for increased utilisation of family planning services while also increasing the percentage of skilled health providers in the health sector.

He stated that many of the births were being conducted by traditional birth attendants who cannot handle delivery complications.

“We do not underrate the work done by these traditional birth attendants but measures must be taken to upgrade the qualifications of those dealing with helping pregnant mothers to deliver,” he said.

He asked the health ministry to make sure that men ware also included in programmes aiming to reduce maternal deaths in the country.

The president asked the health ministry to introduce Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) scorecards in all regions in the country which will show the regional performance in dealing with maternal and child health care problems.

He said the scorecards would allow effective supervision of the activities on reproductive health activities in respective regions by health officials.
The president said he himself will want to get the regional reports every four months “and not in six months as some officials suggested.”

“Matters concerning maternal and child health are very close to my heart. I will therefore want to have these scorecards every four month to know those regions which perform well and those which underperform.

He commended Singida Region for making sure that life saving items for women and children were readily available in the region.

Tanzania is one of the ten countries contributing to 61 percent and 66 percent of the global total of maternal and newborn deaths, respectively.
According to sources maternal mortality ratios are lowest in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions.

Mtwara, Tabora, Tanga, Lindi and Pwani have institutional maternal mortality ratios exceeding 200 per 100,000 live births.

Meanwhile President Kikwete has observed that some of the non-governmental organisations were diverting funds meant for maternal and child health affairs.
“We have organisations, although not many, who use funds meant to help maternal and child health activities for their own benefit,” he said.

“Instead of healing many mothers and children they help their own children,” he noted.  source The Guardian

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THINKING CRITICALLY: Sad watching the Bunge budget sitting

 Dr Azaveli Feza Lwatama 

Parliament is currently in its budget sitting and it is sad watching the conduct of the majority of its members. The sitting is supposed to be used by MPs to perform their cardinal civic duty of effecting oversight over government expenditure. Ministers are supposed to be held to account for the use of budgetary allocations passed by the last budget sitting.

Parliamentarians are also supposed to scrutinize and pass the next financial year’s budgetary allocations. What is sad is that parliamentary procedures such as threatening to block a ministry’s budget if the minister fails to give clear policy answers to questions put to him or her by parliamentarians are rendered ineffective by the tendency of the majority of MPs drawn from the ruling CCM to vote on the basis of party loyalty instead of the merits of arguments put forward by the minister’s response. Sadly, these ministers are also CCM parliamentarians, who were previously on the ruling party’s parliamentary backbenches.

Sadly, also, parliamentarians drawn from the ruling party constitute more than two thirds of the total number of lawmakers and can thus pass anything they wish without conceding anything to opposition MPs. Yet it is most often the case that parliamentarians drawn from the three main opposition parties, namely Chadema, CUF and NCCR-Mageuzi, who constitute less than one third of all MPs, are the ones who relentlessly seek to take away a shilling from the salaries of ministers whose answers are not only unsatisfactory but invariably delivered in an arrogant and paternalist tone meant to put down opposition lawmakers who seek ministers’ policy clarifications.

Again and again, one hears ministers nonchalantly stating that only a fraction of the financial resources the last budget allocated to their ministries were actually disbursed to them by the Treasury. Yet ruling party parliamentarians would only make feeble noises of protest over such budgetary misconduct. This is apart from ministers being allowed to get away with minor political injuries after their ministries had been clearly tagged by the Controller and Auditor General with red flags over allegations of misappropriation of public funds and other financial audit misdemeanours.

Even the CCM Publicity and Ideology Secretary, Nape Nnauye, earlier this week repeated remarks he and the party’s secretary-general Abdulrahman Kinana, had earlier made to the effect that ministers responsible for some key ministries, including agriculture, water, and education, were a great public burden (mizigo) and they ought to be held accountable.

Yet in Parliament, one observes the sad spectacle of CCM parliamentarians rallying support for these very ministers whenever an opposition MP directs an attack on their ministerial performance.

It was even sadder listening to contributions by CCM MPs relating to the passing of the ministerial budget of the office of the Vice President. This is the office in the Union government that is supposed to coordinate Union government activities, targeting the removal of what are cryptically called Union irks (kero). Instead of confronting the serious structural abnormalities of a two-tier “federal” government system that is crying out loud to be turned into a more normal and transparently federal structure consisting of three governments, CCM parliamentarians took it upon themselves to hurl insults and ridicule at the opposition spokesperson on legal affairs, Tundu Lissu.

It was after the clever opposition parliamentarian, who has been turned into a scarecrow by CCM propagandists, pointed out the irksome legal absurdities of the “unique” union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar. CCM parliamentarians wish everyone to forget that this great union was hurriedly stitched together by Tanzania’s great Pan Africanist but human founding fathers, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Sheikh Abeid Karume, in the murky geopolitical security waters in which both Zanzibar and Tanganyika were swimming back in 1964.

Critical thinking multiplies one’s sadness at the lack of foresight in the contributions of the defenders of the two-tier “federal” government Union structure when one looks at the stated top priorities of this year’s Sh19.6 trillion Union government budget, almost all of which covers Tanganyika’s non-Union maters such as infrastructure, water, energy, agriculture, basic education and basic healthcare. No wonder most Zanzibaris of goodwill have for years kept on demanding the adoption of a three-tier federal government structure that allows non-union matters of Tanganyika and Zanzibar to be given equitable support by an impartial federal sovereign state.


   

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CMSA mulls removing restrictions on capital movement next year

                                              Capital Markets and Securities Authority (CMSA)
The Capital Markets and Securities Authority (CMSA) is contemplating to lift all restrictions which have been limiting the free movement of capital to and from the country before the end of the next year.

This was revealed by an official with the CMSA, Nicodemus Mkama, at the just ended CRDB Bank Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Arusha last week.
“Removing the limits of capital movement is a priority that would see increased inflows of investments as well as ample opportunities for investors to invest in the region,” he said.

He said it is a unique opportunity for CRDB bank and other banks to go for the investment opportunities offered by the region’s equity markets as well as stretching wings into other EAC member states.

For example, the restriction on foreign investors to buy over 60 per cent of shares in firms listed at the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) will be lifted before the end of next year. In Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda there are no restrictions as movement is 100 per cent liberalised.

Also, the limitation for foreign investors to participate in the money markets and especially in the trading of government debt securities will be removed before the year end. Other member states like Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda have already liberalised this aspect, he said.

Mkama from the Directorate of Legal Affairs and Enforcement, said for listed firms, cross listing is an excellent opportunity to access low cost capital which is necessary for their expansion in the region.

For example, with CRDB, crossing the border means, the bank would pursue projects which were impossible by being in DSE only.

CRDB bank’s Managing Director Dr Charles Kimei said being listed at the DSE was of paramount importance but by cross listing is of more significance to both the bank and the country’s economy at large.

“Logically, restricting of foreign investors by only 60 per cent participation in buying shares from DSE listed firms is a missed opportunity as the country is struggling to attract more investments,” he said.

He added, the same is true if domestic investors cross the country’s borders to invest outside. By this, it implies that the gains and other benefits will be brought back home which is healthy to the economy.  source The Guadian

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Dengue spreads to Isles, Shinyanga

The Mnazi Mmoja head of disease prevention, Dr Salma Masauni, confirmed the matter. She said at least two women were admitted to the hospital, one of whom is a businesswoman from the Mainland



Zanzibar/Dar es Salaam/Shinyanga. At least two people have been referred to the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, where they were admitted after being diagnosed with dengue fever.

The reports from the Isles came as health authorities in Shinyanga also said a case of a four-year-old child who died a few days ago may have been due to the dengue fever.

Meanwhile, the ministry of Health has issued a statement clarifying that treatment against dengue fever is free in all public health facilities.

The statement further warned private clinics that would receive government-funded test kits against charging patients.

According to the ministry, the dengue rapid diagnostic kits have been dispatched to all public health centres. There was, however, persistent reports from various public health facilities in Dar es Salaam that the kits were not available. Private health clinics have raised the testing fee, charging as much as Sh50,000.

It was also reported that some public health centres were charging between Sh2,500 and Sh3,000.

The ministry is also cautioning the public to be wary of quacks that are said to advance falsehoods that there are alternative treatments for dengue fever. ‘‘There is no known scientifically proven treatment for dengue fever,’’ says the statement.

Reports of the existence of an alternative treatment for dengue were circulating in social media after some dealers posted an advert meant to entice potential dengue victims.

In Zanzibar, the disease was discovered on Wednesday after two patients went for tests at Al-Rahma Hospital, a private facility. They were later rushed to Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, a government referral facility.

The Mnazi Mmoja head of disease prevention, Dr Salma Masauni, confirmed the matter. She said at least two women were admitted to the hospital, one of whom is a businesswoman from the Mainland.

She added that the other patient was from Kama Village on the outskirt of Unguja Town. Dr Masauni said both patients were in the intensive care unit (ICU).

“We have taken their blood samples to the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Dar es Salaam. We are waiting for further results,” she said.

he Zanzibar deputy minister for Health, Dr Sirra Ubwa Mamboya, said her office has already received the information and it was doing all it could to check the scourge.

In Shinyanga, the regional health department cautioned residents on the growing fear that the dengue fever could spread in the region.

The warning follows reports that one child who died at the hospital last week could have been a victim of the fever.

The caution was issued yesterday by the regional medical officer in charge, Dr Fredrick Mlekwa.

“Following the mounting fear of the disease, we forwarded the child’s sample results to Dar for further investigation.”

Yesterday, the deputy minister for health, Dr Stephen Kebwe, failed to explain why public hospitals continue to face a shortage of dengue test kits despite the government’s insistence that there was no problem.

Reported by Mwinyi Sadallah, Syriacus Buguzi, Fariji Msonsa, Julieth Ngarabali and Stella Ibengwe source the Citizen

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Tanzania seeks rating within 3 months ahead of planned Eurobond

Tanzania aims to secure credit ratings from Fitch and Moody's Investor Services in the next three months ahead of a debut Eurobond it expects to launch in the 2014/15 financial year, the finance minister said on Monday.

The east African country, which has said the bond could be worth up to $1 billion, initially planned to launch it in the financial year ending in June. It has since said it would aim for the first quarter of the next financial year.

"We have a timeframe (for the rating) of the next three months," Finance Minister Saada Salum told Reuters on the sidelines of a Tanzania investment forum. "We want to do the Eurobond in the next financial year."

She said Tanzania was seeking a rating from Fitch and Moody's. Although the government did not have an official stance, she said experts had suggested BB-plus -a sub-investment grade - as an appropriate level.

Tanzanian officials have said the bond would support new infrastructure, citing the need for new roads, railways and ports. The country is also seeking to develop new gas finds.

Since a successful Eurobond debut by another east African nation, Rwanda, last year, analysts say conditions have tightened on international debt markets, partly due to the U.S. Federal Reserve scaling back its bond-buying programme.

While that stimulus was in full swing, investors had rushed into higher-yielding emerging markets.

Tanzania's neighbour Kenya also has plans for a Eurobond. source Yahoo news

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Train Students On Job-hunting Skills

It is no secret that there is a widespread perception, right or wrong, that some Tanzanian graduates are being deliberately passed in favour of foreigners when it comes to job placements.

Part of the answer to the perception may lie in what the Government Communication Unit in the Public Service Recruitment Secretariat has said about graduates’ skills in the area of communication.

We have also heard of the fears that partly because of the above skill deficiencies, Tanzanians will not be able to fully exploit the opportunities being created by the ratification of free movement of labour in the East African Community partner states.

Riziki Abraham who heads the communication unit says despite having the required qualifications, most Tanzanian graduates fail to get jobs because their curriculum vitae are not written properly.

Worse still, the language skills of many of them leave a lot to be desired and contribute to many of them failing in interviews.

This is part of the problem facing many of our young graduates at the moment, for which they are not to blame.

They are not to blame because it will be remembered in past curricula grammar and writing skills were taught and practiced.

In the good old days, right from primary schools, pupils were taught letter writing, including how to apply for a job. This helped them a lot, for on leaving school they were able to write job applications to a number of offices or firms without much difficulty.

Indeed one of the toughest tests that boggled the minds of ‘graduates’, before completing primary school education in those days, was the oral interview.

For half an hour or so the pupil was grilled by a panel of teachers and tested in the art of answering questions for some minutes.

The teachers usually came from other schools. These tests infused confidence in the pupils in facing the outer world, instead of the familiar faces they were used to interacting with at their school on a daily basis.

Late as it is therefore the idea of equipping students with skills of writing job applications and CVs in higher learning institutions is more than welcome back. 

The problem needs to be urgently addressed because it is denying some of our graduates the opportunity to put to some use the knowledge they have gained.

We live in a world where possessing or lacking communication skills may actually seal the fate of someone who is otherwise highly knowledgeable.

The argument is that however much knowledge one may possess, without communication skills, that person will be at a disadvantage compared to a more eloquent, but less knowledgeable rival, in a race for the few jobs available.

Lest we forget language skills are a basic tool in the pursuit of any knowledge. It is at the elementary school that the building blocks of language skills are laid. It is at this level also that it is easy to start moulding pupils into skilled communicators.source the Guardian

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Confusion in Constituent Assembly

 Constituent Assembly Chairman, Samwel Sitta

Several members of the Constituent Assembly have faulted Chairman Samwel Sitta’s appointments of the five members to the leadership committee.

They were speaking after the Civic United Front Chairman Prof Ibrahim Lipumba turned down his appointment by CA Chairman Sitta to the committee, blaming the ruling party for turning the CA into a CCM platform.

Prof Lipumba’s appointment to the streering committee was announced on Monday evening by the CA chairman Samuel Sitta who also named other members as Fakharia Khamis Shomar, Abuu Hamoud Jumaa, Mary Chatanda and Amon Mpanju.

Explaining his decision to turn down the appointment, Professor Lipumba said: “It seems the ruling party had already planned to maneuvre the constitution process by making sure almost all chairpersons constituting it are from CCM, and that no member from the opposition party was on the committee.

"The way I see it, is that if this trend continues we are not going to get the constitution of the people. At this juncture, chairman... I will not join the leadership committee; I don't like to be used by a group of people to attain their motives," he explained.

CA members who spoke said they were not satisfied with the election of committee chairpersons as majority of them are from the ruling party.

John Mnyika demanded clarification from the CA chairman on the leadership structure especially the criteria he used to appoint the five members who will join the twelve leaders chosen from the twelve committees.

Mnyika argued that the chairman’s appointment of the five members lacked equal representation for the Union and even the various groups in the assembly, because the majority was drawn from the ruling party (CCM).

"I am surprised that the leadership committee which is going to decide on sensitive issues such as the programme, the structure and  mode of voting does not comprise even one member from Chadema, which in fact it is the main opposition party in the country. This is a problem," Mnyika lamented.

Quoting regulation no 52 (2), a CA member, Mohamed Habib Mnyaa wanted to know why there are only three Zanzibaris elected as chairpersons.
"This has a big implication because from 19 members constituting the leadership committee, only four are from Zanzibar. And the regulation states that the vice chairman will only be allowed to enter the leadership committee if the chairman is absent."

"As you all know, the Union matter is a sensitive issue. How come Zanzibar is being represented by only four members and the majority of them are CCM." Is CA of CCM or for the United Republic of Tanzania?"

"This is what the Zanzibaris have been lamenting for years that they have been bulldozed in Union matters by the mainlanders. With this trend of bulldozing the Zanzibaris, we will not reach a consensus," he warned.

Another controversial CA member Kangi Lugora (CCM) said Chairman should ensure the minority are not swallowed by the majority (CCM).

"If we always say we should not swallow Zanzibar, why does CCM want to swallow the minority members in the CA?" Lugola asked.

Responding CA Chairman Samwel Sitta said not all decisions will be applauded by everyone, noting that one out of five members is from Zanzibar. 

He however said that it was not necessary that all opposition parties are representation. Sitta said in composing the committees he took into consideration both sides of the Union, gender, people with special needs and presence of members with knowledge of law as it is stated in section 55 of the Standing Orders.

 Sitta further said: "Such words like bulldozing Zanzibar are improper. Let us give chanced to the committee and see how it works and at the end of the day assess what they have done.”

He said the  proportion which some CA members are demanding  will never happen as the majority members constituting  assembly are from CCM and that is not the chairman's problem but because of ballots.

But speaking outside debating chamber here yesterday, CA member Rashid Hamad Mohammed said although Lipumba’s refusal was politically okay, he lost a golden chance to help Tanzanians.

 “This was a golden opportunity for him, because his party has many representatives in the CA. He could use his experience to contribute to the constitutional review,” he said.
Mohamed said Prof Lipumba could be used as a bridge that would convey a good message to both parties.
For his part a CA member Christopher Ole Sendeka said it was very difficult to satisfy every member of the assembly.

“The CA chairman has done what he was supposed to do. It was very difficult to appoint five members from various parties,” he said.

He urged all members to perform their duties according to the stipulated regulations which would ensure that Tanzanians finally get a good constitution.

Another CA member Victor Mwambalaswa congratulated Sitta for his decision, saying democracy has taken its course.

He said most of the elected members in various committees are from the ruling CCM because it has more members compared to the other parties.

“All committee leaders were elected by members so it was very difficult to go against the requirements,” he said.

Mwambalaswa allayed fears that the new constitution would not be available in time.
“It is our hope that this discussion on constitution review would be carried on as intended and we would get a new constitution in time,” he insisted.

Meanwhile barely a week after the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) Chairman Rtd Judge Joseph Warioba presented the second draft of the new constitution to the Constituent Assembly (CA); President Jakaya Kikwete has finally dissolved the commission.

However, the chairman, his vice or any other member of the dissolved commission might be requested to clarify some issues to the CA during discussions.

A statement from the Directorate of Presidential Communications to the media yesterday said the dissolution of the commission was with effect from March 19, 2014, just a day after Judge Warioba presented the second draft of the constitution to the CA.

The Constitution Review Act 83 as amended in 2013 gives powers to the President to dissolve the commission soon after presenting the constitution draft to the Constituent Assembly.
The statement said since CRC chairman Judge Warioba presented the second draft of the constitution to CA on March 18, 2014 and based on section 31 of the Constitution Review Act, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania dissolved the CRC on March 19 through government notice number 81 of March 21, 2014.

However, section 20(4) says the CA may invite the chairman, his vice or any member of the CRC to give clarifications on some matters.

“Despite the commission being dissolved…the secretary of the CA in collaboration with the CA Chairman can invite CRC chairman, his vice or any commissioner to give clarification that might be required during proceedings,” noted part of the statement.

On March 18, CA members convened to listen to Constitutional Review Commission Chairman Judge Warioba leading them through the second Constitution draft.

Judge Warioba failed to deliver his presentation on March 17 after some CA members calling themselves People’s Constitution Coalition (UKAWA) ‘systematically’ interrupted him, saying CA Chairperson Samwel Sitta had breached the Standing Orders by allowing Judge Warioba to table the draft before President Kikwete’s address. Sitta was forced to adjourn the proceedings on that account.source the Gurdian

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Can tyranny of numbers deliver a people’s Law?

"I wasn’t in control of why members in different committees decided to vote the way the voted…I did not have any ill motives against the Opposition in coming up with these names. I nominated Prof Lipumba so he could represent the entire Opposition in the Steering Committee,’’ SAMWEL SITTA''

Dar es Salaam/Dodoma.  With Members  of Constituent Assembly (MCAs) from the ruling party dominating  crucial Katiba House committees, there are fears that the Constitution-making process may be anything but smooth.

Indeed, a number of  MCAs, including some from the ruling party, yesterday expressed fears that the making of the Constitution faces a bleak future and uncertainty. They were concerned about what some analysts have described as CCM’s move to control key Katiba committees.  So tense has the situation become that Prof Ibrahim Haruna Lipumba quit the Steering Committee on Tuesday, saying he was not ready to be “a rubber stamp”. The Steering Committee, which comprises six members, is chaired by CA Chairman Samuel Sitta, and plays an oversight role in all the committees.

Riding on the back of what a renowned Kenyan political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi famously described as the “tyranny of numbers”, the MCAs from the ruling CCM on Monday elected their cadres to chair 12 of the 14 committees.

In reaction, Mr David Kafulila of the opposition NCCR-Mageuzi remarked:  “It’s like we are here to prepare a constitution for the ruling party.”

According to the MP for Kigoma South, the MCAs solidly elected Mr Sitta to chair the assembly in the hope that he would be fair to all parties and groups. Urging him to rescind his appointments, Mr Kafulila added:  “It’s a pity that you have turned this assembly into a CCM meeting. You may be applauded by CCM members in this House but people watching what you’re doing  on TV will have a different view of your wisdom.”

Mr Kangi Lugola, a CA member from the ruling party, joined the bandwagon and urged Mr Sitta to revoke the appointment of the five nominees to the Steering Committee. If we are guided by the intention of making sure that Tanganyika does not swallow Zanzibar within the Union,” he asked, “why can’t we apply the same logic and ensure that CCM, being the major party, does not muzzle the other minority parties in this process?”

Tanzania Constitution Forum (TCF) official, Mr Hebron Mwakagenda, told members of the CA that they were not in Dodoma to compete on the basis on their political affiliation and they should remember that rewriting the constitution called for a national consensus. It will be very difficult to get a constitution that will be in the public interest, he added, if the MCAs behaved as though it was business as usual.

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