Civil service audit reveals 2,500 'ghost' workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I am giving you 15 days to fix these problems," Magufuli told the RCs.

Read More »

Poaching of elephants at Tarangire decreasing, park authorities reveal

African bush elephants at Lake Manyara National Park

 ELEPHANT poaching in Tarangire National Park has gone down for the past two years due to various measures to contain the rampant wildlife killings.

Park tourism officer, Geoffrey Mboma, said that between July 2014, and early this year only four were killed by suspected poachers.

 

The killing of elephants in Tarangire National Park for their tusks has been largely contained, according to the official.

 

Falling within the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem, the wildlife sanctuary is reported to have the largest number of jumbos compared to other animal sanctuaries in the country.

 

The park is home to nearly 5,000 jumbos and is also famous for tree-climbing pythons.

 

He said that indiscriminate killing of animals for their trophies has also been contained due to intensified patrol and involvement of the local communities in conservation.

 

The chief park warden, Stephano Qolli, stressed on the need for the wildlife corridors linking Tarangire with other protected areas to be safeguarded in order to minimise the impact of human activities inside and around the park.

He said the animal pathways, mainly linking Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Park, have been turned into human settlements while livestock grazing inside the park was now common despite being prohibited.

 

The park official expressed concern that increased human activities may be one of the reasons for the declining number of wild animals in the park and the adjacent protected areas.

 

“Once there is an ecological disturbance through increase in human activities, the animals would simply migrate to other areas or get killed when they wander into the villages,” he pointed out, without giving any statistics.

 

He pleaded with the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) and the relevant ministries, including Natural Resources and Tourism as well as Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to coordinate on how to address invasion of protected areas by livestock keepers and farmers, saying it defeated the whole purpose of conservation.

 

Tarangire is the sixth largest national park in Tanzania after Ruaha, Serengeti, Mikumi, Katavi and Mkomazi. The name of the park originates from the Tarangire River that crosses through the park, being the only source of water for wild animals during dry seasons. 

 

It covers an area of 2,850 square kilometres and recorded 161,792 visitors in 2012. It was established in 1970.During the dry season thousands of animals migrate to the Tarangire National Park from Manyara National Park.

 

It lies a little distance to the south east of Lake Manyara and covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometres (1,100 square miles.).

 

  The elephant population in the country fell to 43,000 in June 2015 from 109,000 in 2009.  

 

In February, this year an investigation into the death of a British helicopter pilot who was looking for poachers near Serengeti National Park had uncovered a criminal poaching ring led by a rogue intelligence officer, the Tanzanian authorities said recently.

 

After a weeklong manhunt that involved house-to-house searches in villages surrounding the reserve, at least nine people have been arrested in connection with the death of the pilot, including the suspect, a former police officer who used his current position as an intelligence officer with a regional conservation authority to help the poachers travel undetected, said Lazaro Mambosasa, the regional police commissioner. With the arrests, the authorities said, the ring has been dismantled.

 

The pilot, Roger Gower, 37, was shot on Jan. 29 while conducting anti-poaching surveillance over the Maswa Game Reserve. He and a colleague, Nick Bester, came across a newly killed elephant and circled back to take a closer look, and their helicopter was shot at by poachers who were apparently still at the scene, the police have said. A bullet from a .458 hunting rifle punctured the floor of the helicopter and ripped through   Gower’s leg and shoulder. He managed to land the helicopter but died from his injuries before help could arrive.

 

Among those arrested was the gunman, Njile Gonga, 28, who led the police to the rifle, hidden on his roof, and to tusks he had taken from the elephant,   Mambosasa said.

 

The country’s National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit teamed up with the police and the local authorities to find the suspects, one of whom was chased hundreds of kilometers to the Tanzanian capital, Dodoma.

“We took this very seriously,” said Maj. Gen. Gaudence Milanzi, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. “We put a lot of effort into catching these poachers.”

 

Poaching is a serious problem in Tanzania. According to the most recent elephant census, published in June 2015, the country has 43,000 elephants, down from 109,000 in 2009.

 

In November 2014, the country formed a task force to investigate poaching. The task force has made a number of high-profile arrests in recent months, including that of Yang Feng Glan, a Chinese citizen had been suspected of exporting thousands of tons of ivory to China. Since the task force was formed, it has made more than 1,000 arrests.

 

  Gower worked for the Friedkin Conservation Fund and grew up in Birmingham, England. He trained as an accountant, but on the day he qualified for the job, he quit and started traveling the world, his brother Max Gower said in an interview. His travels eventually took him to Florida, where he trained to become a helicopter pilot. “He was very much his own man,” his brother said.

 

  Gower had worked in East Africa for the last seven years, spending time in Kenya and Tanzania. “Going to Tanzania, he had an opportunity to fly and look after animals and to watch animals, and it was a lot of things he loved all rolled into one,” Max Gower said.

 

  Gower’s body was returned to England. The family has set up a crowd funding campaign in his honour that has already raised more than 50,000 pounds, or $72,000, money they hope will be used to help combat poaching in Tanzania.

Read More »

YouTube Now Partially Supports Multitasking on iPad

 

iPad: iOS 9 introduced multitasking to the iPad way back in September of 2015 and today Google finally updated the YouTube app to support these new multitasking modes.

YouTube now supports Slide Over and Split View modes for watching videos in the app, but for some reason, Picture-in-Picture isn't supported at all. As always, Split View is compatible with the iPad Air 2, the iPad Pro, and the iPad Mini 4. Slide Over's compatible with the iPad Air and newer, the iPad Mini and newer, and the iPad Pro.

 

Source: Life hacker

Read More »

DART to educate public on proper use of BRT infrastructure

The Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (DART)

 The Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (DART) Agency has pledged to invest in education to protect the scheme’s infrastructure and the users.

 

The agency’s Infrastructure management manager, Engineer Mohamed Kuganda, said recently during a tour of the bus rapid transit (BRT) scheme in the city that the agency prioritised public education for all road users to minimise acrimonious relations, avert accidents and protect the infrastructure.

 

 “Education is key to our success.  We are targeting every user.  If everyone will do the right thing, the infrastructure will be safe and users will face minimal inconveniences,” he said.

 

 The tour, being conducted in phases, brought together representatives of transport agencies to make them conversant with the nature of the infrastructure and the traffic signs.  The tour started at Kimara Station to Morocco Station.

 

The delegation included representatives of DART, the Traffic Police department, Tanzania Roads Agency (Tanroads) and the project’s consultant (SMEC). Kinondoni Regional Traffic Police Commander, SSP Awadhi Jihad, said the police would work on the challenges spotted, adding that the tour had been an eye-opener.

 

 “This scheme has many features that other ordinary roads do not have.  We have learnt a lot,” he said, adding that the traffic police would endeavour to teach road users the right way of using the scheme’s roads.

 

“Essentially we enforce traffic laws and regulations.  We shall try hard to educate road users, especially drivers,” he pledged, warning that stubborn users would face stern action.

 

 “Stubborn drivers of all shades who break the law deliberately will be fined and where necessary we shall take them to court for stiffer punishment,” he warned.

 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Read More »

Apple News Is Now Open to Publishers of All Sizes

Apple is getting really serious about the publishing business. The company announced Tuesday that it's rolling out some big new tools for Apple News that can lure more writers and editors to the service - and improve it for current partners, as well.

The company has previously partnered with more than 100 major publishers and publishing groups (including The Washington Post) to get their articles and other stories served directly to millions of iPhones by way of the News app, which is included on every iPhone. Starting this week, the company will allow small- and medium-sized publishers who also want to reach that audience by signing up with the service.

According to the company, that could be anyone from an individual with a blog to a local newspaper or magazine. Opening up the platform to publishers of all sizes gives Apple far more variety to offer to its readers, who may want to turn to the app to get caught up on the news.

Apple is also going to give all publishers an easier way to see how articles are performing on the service, with a statistics dashboard. Apple said that these tools will include basic information such as how many people are reading and how long, as well as when and how they're sharing certain pieces. This information was available to Apple News publishers before, the company said, but it will now be much easier to read.

The additions extend Apple's efforts in publishing, an area it first announced it would enter six months ago, that put it into competition with Facebook, Flipboard and others interested in offering people a centralized way to aggregate articles from different sites. Reactions to the product were mixed. Early reports suggested that some publications didn't think Apple was offering enough information about how many readers found their way to articles through the app. Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue also confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that an early glitch undercounted how many people used the app.

Apple now estimates that 40 million customers have regularly used Apple News in the six months since its launch, illustrating fairly fast pickup. By comparison, Flipboard, which was founded in 2010, has about 80 million monthly active users.

Still, Apple will continue to try to raise the profile of its news product. In addition to the announcements for publishers, the company said it will also kick off a major advertising campaign for News in print publications, as well as on bus shelters and subway platforms.

Read More »

American ISIS Fighter Captured In Iraq

A Virginia man who surrendered to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Iraq on Monday is believed to be the the first U.S. citizen captured on the battlefield after joining ISIS. But it’s not clear that U.S. authorities will seek to extradite him, or that the Iraqi government would be willing to turn him over.

The man, who was identified in news accounts as Mohamad Jamal Khweis, reportedly gave himself up near the northern Iraqi city of Sinjar. He had traveled through Turkey to Syria some months ago. A driver’s license that circulated on social media and was apparently taken from him by the Kurds gave his residence as Alexandria, Va.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday that officials were aware of news reports that Khweis had surrendered. It wasn’t clear who was holding him as of Monday evening. And multiple U.S. officials told The Daily Beast that it was too soon to say if the U.S. would seek to put Khweis in American custody and prosecute him for supporting ISIS.

But it’s ultimately up to Iraq how to deal with the man.

“If the U.S. wanted to criminally prosecute him, we’d have every right to ask Iraq or the Kurds to extradite him. But it’d be their sovereign right to decide,” David Glazier, a professor of Law at Loyola Law School, told The Daily Beast.

Iraq is at war with ISIS, a non-state group that seeks to take Iraqi territory, but U.S. military is acting in a supporting role, Glazier said. That means ball is in Baghdad’s court. “If the U.S. doesn’t do something specific, then he would just stay there.”

Little is known yet about Khweis and why he left his home in suburban Virginia to fight with the terrorist group. His mother and father told Voice of America that they hadn’t seen their son in some time, and that they thought he’d traveled to Canada. They said they had no idea that he’d joined ISIS.

Phone calls to the Khweis home weren’t returned Monday afternoon.

Public records show that Khweis, 26, has had multiple run-ins with law enforcement. He was cited in Virginia for driving a car with tinted windows, speeding, and driving without a safety belt. More seriously, he was arrested in 2010 for driving while intoxicated and refusing to take a blood or breath test. A year earlier, Khweis was arrested for appearing drunk in public.

In a video taken by the Peshmerga fighters, Khweis appeared nervous when he identified himself as coming from the United States. He spoke English and asked that cameras be turned off.

Why Khweis left ISIS’s ranks is also still a mystery. But his apparent defection comes on the heels of what officials say is a notable increase in the number of foreign fighters breaking with the terror group and trying to return to their home countries.

“Fighters are becoming...certainly disenchanted with the effort that they signed up for,” said Kirby, the State Department spokesman. Reports from inside Iraq and Syria suggested that more are defecting, and ISIS has been making more use of child soldiers, Kirby said—a sign that the group may not be able to attract or keep as many adult fighters as in the past.

“There does appear, at least anecdotally, to be some cracks here in the foundation of their manpower and their resources,” Kirby said.

If Khweis is questioned by U.S. authorities, he might be able to provide information about why people are leaving ISIS’s ranks. Interrogation of ISIS members has also become central to the U.S. military’s strategy of defeating the group.

Last week, U.S. forces conducted airstrikes targeting ISIS’s chemical weapons program after obtaining information from a captured operative, Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, who once worked for Saddam Hussein’s Military Industrialization Authority.

And last year, U.S. commandos captured the wife of a top ISIS operative who oversaw the group’s oil trade. The woman, known as Umm Sayyaf, provided information on the group’s assaults on women and use of sexual slaves.

Both al-Bakkar and Umm Sayyaf were held for weeks in U.S. custody but eventually turned over. In Umm Sayyaf’s case, officials are now concerned that she hasn’t faced charges in an Iraqi court. In February, the Justice Department issued a criminal complaint against her as “an insurance policy,” a U.S. official said at the time, in case she escapes custody or is transferred out of Iraq.

That highlights some of the uncertainty over how to handle captured ISIS fighters and operatives. If the U.S. cannot easily prosecute all of them, it will depend upon the government of Iraq to do so. But if the government is unwilling, then the fighters might not face swift justice.

Read More »

How Tanzanians get a raw deal in mobile phone calls

MORE than 30 million Tanzanians currently own a mobile phone handset, but the vast majority of them are having to put up with poor quality of mobile calls, according to a new study by the country's telecoms watchdog.




Mobile phones






Tanzanians are getting a raw deal from all the major mobile phone operators in the country on call quality and other services, the Tanzania Communications and Regulatory Authority (TCRA) said in a new report, even as millions of people now depend on the hand-held communications devices for their everyday lives.

As Tanzanians continue to discover social media, short message texting, mobile money payments and video streaming via their mobile phone handsets, talking on the phone is an experience that has not gotten better for smart phone users.

TCRA said in a research report that all mobile phone companies operating in the country have failed to meet the minimum standards for call quality in both 2G and 3G services.

This means that despite the availability of sophisticated smart phones and even 4G networks, many mobile users in Tanzania are left less than satisfied with call clarity.

TCRA's quality of service report for cellular mobile operators shows that Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo, Zantel and Smart did not comply with the target of call quality in the study conducted in Dar es Salaam during October-December last year.

The voice quality test used by TCRA assigns a "numerical indication of the perceived quality of the media received after being transmitted and eventually compressed."

"All operators did not comply with the target (of reaching a numerical value of 3.5," TCRA said in the report. In terms of the average voice quality for 2G services, Vodacom got the lowest rating of 1.71, followed by Zantel (2.22), Airtel (2.25), Tigo (2.46) and Smart (2.6). In 3G services, the same mobile phone companies also failed to meet the minimum call quality standards, scoring 1.46 (Zantel), 2.32 (Vodacom), 2.36 (Tigo) and 2.51 (Airtel).

Smart offers only 2G services in the Dar es Salaam service area. Under TCRA's benchmarks, a call quality with the numerical value of 1 stands for bad (very annoying), followed by 2 for poor service (annoying), 3 for fair (slightly annoying), 4 for good (perceptible but not annoying) and 5 for excellent (imperceptible).

All Tanzanian mobile phone operators got a score of between 1 and below 3, which means the services that they provide ranges from "very annoying" and "annoying" when it comes to the quality of voice calls.

The newest mobile phone industry player in Tanzania, Halotel, was not included in the TCRA study. In addition to that, all the mobile phone companies also failed to meet minimum standards in call connection failure and call setup success rates.

While the telecoms watchdog has set the target of a call success rate of more than 95 percent, all the mobile phone companies failed to meet this benchmark.

Tests showed Airtel had the lowest call success rate at 79.2 percent, followed by Tigo (87.5 percent), Zantel (90.91 percent) and Vodacom (91.76 percent).

However, the telecoms regulator said technical tests showed that the mobile phone companies managed to comply with minimum set standards for network availability and call drop rates.

TCRA announced earlier this month that it has ordered the five mobile phone firms to pay a total of 112 million/- in fines for providing poor services and supposedly fleecing their customers.

TCRA director general Ally Simba said the firms were found guilty of failing to comply with service quality regulations by preventing network hitches and deducting service charges directly from customer accounts without actually providing the intended services or products.

Vodacom was fined 27m/-, Tigo and Zantel 25m/- each, Airtel 22.5m/-, and Smart 12.5m/-, the TCRA boss stated. He added that the fines must be paid before the end of March, or the non-compliant firms will face tougher regulatory action.

Telecoms experts say as Tanzanians continue to struggle with poor call quality, buying a more expensive handset does not guarantee better quality either because it depends on the mobile phone network. Voice quality is one of the major issues that the Tanzanian mobile industry has to address in terms of its future growth, users said.

Responding to the findings, some representatives of mobile phone companies said the firms were committed to improving the consistency and quality of voice calls.

John Wanyancha, corporate communication manager of Tigo Tanzania, said his company has been consistently investing annually on network expansion and quality improvement.

“Tigo Tanzania set aside $120 million since last year to invest on its network expansion and quality improvement in order to ensure that we provide quality services to our clients,” he said.

Airtel Tanzania’s director of communication, Beatrice Singano, said the company was also investing heavily in network expansion and improvement. She said Airtel was investing $100 million on its network in 2015/06 to improve the quality of service. The number of mobile phone subscribers in Tanzania rose by 16 percent in 2014 to around 32 million, according to TCRA.

Read More »

Three Basic Factors to Consider When Deciding to Buy a New Car

If your car is crapping out and you're thinking of getting a new one, or even a new-used one, it's a big decision. Cars cost a lot of money, so it's not a decision you want to make lightly. Here are the three main factors to consider when deciding whether or not to buy a new car.

There's a lot to consider when you're deciding whether to keep your old car or upgrade. For example, driving your car into the ground might seem frugal, but if that car is guzzling gas or in need of expensive repair, it might not be the best long-term decision. That's just one of many things to consider, but Consumer Reports points out that the decision involves three general factors:

• Money: Will you save money with a car with better fuel economy? How much will your current car cost to repair? Finally, how much will the new car appreciate? These are all important details to consider when you're weighing the financial factor of a new car.
• Safety: Consumer Reports points out that many newer cars have awesome safety features that make them worthwhile. If you're planning to shop for a new car, they recommend finding one that's at least equipped with: a backup camera, curtain airbags, electronic stability control (esc), and forward-collision warning.
• Features: A final factor in your decision should be what kind of features you're looking for. Most new cars have at least a USB port for plugging in a phone and Bluetooth phone connectivity. If features are your deciding factor, consider the fact that you can also equip your current car with these features.

With those three factors in mind, Consumer Reports also created a flowchart to help you decide. This should go without saying about any kind of flowchart, but keep in mind: it's just a generic visual guide to aid your decision, it's not based on any kind of science. So take it for what it is, and check it out below, then head to the full post additional info to help you decide.

Read More »

Google AdWords Automatic Scheduled Uploads

Google announced on Google+ a new automated feature to let you automatically set scheduled uploads for your AdWords ads.
Google AdWords can now automatically update your business data daily, weekly, or on the first day of the month. This sync process can happen without the need to sign in and update this information manually.
To set this up:

1. Sign in to your AdWords account. 
2. In the left menu, click Shared library > Business data.
3. Click the Scheduled uploads tab. 
4. Click +SCHEDULE.
5. Select how often you’d like AdWords to update your data from the “Frequency” menu. 
6. Select your data’s format from the “Source” menu. 
7. Link your file by completing the required fields:
   • Google Drive: Click Choose file, then select the file containing your business data. Once your file is linked, share it with the email address that's displayed on screen, then click Save. Learn how to share a file
   • HTTP: Add your file’s URL to the “URL” field, then click Save. 
   • HTTPS: Add your file’s URL and the username and password required to access your file, then click Save. 
   • FTP / SFTP: Add your file’s URL and the username and password required to access your file, then click Save. 
8. Click Save.

For example, let’s say you’re using ad customizers to dynamically insert product inventory into your text ads. Scheduled uploads can help ensure that only in-stock products are advertised, and that the inventory amount and local prices shown are accurate. This saves you time and provides a more useful experience for your customers.
Scheduled uploads supports a variety of file types, including: Google Sheets, .csv, .tsv, .xls, and .xlsx; and file sources, including: Google Drive, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and SFTP. With this release, we’ll also be increasing the allowed file limit from 50mb to 500mb for .csv and .tsv files to help you scale your workflow.

Read More »

Mining sector hit again as $1bn uranium project put on hold

MINISTER for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo

A $1 billion project that would have propelled Tanzania into the world's top ten uranium producers has been delayed due to a slump in global prices for the potentially-precious metal, dealing a new blow to the country's fledgling mining sector, officials said yesterday.

Toronto-based Uranium One, the world's fourth-largest uranium producing company which initially planned to begin constructing Tanzania's first uranium mine along the Mkuju River in Ruvuma region in 2013, have announced that the project would now be put on hold until its global industry outlook recovers.

Feroz Ashraf, chief executive officer of Uranium One which is Russian-controlled, confirmed on Tuesday that the company wont start building the planned Tanzanian mine unless spot uranium prices rise by at least 70 per cent - to above $55 per pound - from current levels.

Uranium currently trades at around $32.15 per pound on the global market.

"When people realize the price is going to go up, it's going to go up faster than you and I can dream about," Ashraf said in an interview with Reuters during the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto.

Several of the world's biggest uranium producers say they are also taking a cautious approach to building new mines, preferring to shave expenses and wait for higher prices despite forecasts for a supply shortfall by the end of the decade.

France's state-owned Areva SA will trim 100 to 200 more jobs this year and stay out of the hunt for new uranium mine exploration projects.

Spot prices for uranium, which is used to make fuel for nuclear power production, have been depressed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan which led to the shutdown of that country's reactors and generated burdensome stockpiles globally.

Demand is growing rapidly, however, with China in particular aggressively building reactors.

Uranium One's Tanzanian unit, Mantra Tanzania, initially announced that it hoped to start building the Mkuju River mine in 2013, and that - once completed - it would catapult the country to number 3 in Africa in production of uranium oxide, after Niger and Namibia.

The project in southern Tanzania has an updated resource of 119.4 million pounds of uranium. Construction of the mine was estimated to take two years.

Tanzania's mining sector has struggled over the past few years, losing its dominant position as the country's biggest foreign exchange earner largely due to falling global gold prices and a decline in production.

Mining is currently the country’s No.3 source of foreign exchange, after the tourism and manufacturing sectors.

In 2012, the World Heritage Committee accepted a boundary change for the Selous Game Reserve to allow for uranium exploitation directly south of the 50,000-square kilometer world heritage site, one of the largest protected areas in Africa and hitherto relatively undisturbed by human impact.

But the project was initially delayed by cumbersome regulatory licensing procedures. Environmental groups had also opposed the mine's construction in a world heritage game reserve. Contacted for comment on what the latest delay announced by Uranium One may mean for the government, Ministry of Energy and Minerals spokesperson Badra Masoud said she would respond later yesterday, but had not done so by press time

Read More »

Zanzibar VP wants more women to get university training

Zanzibar's Second Vice President, Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read More »

Commission allots 25 sites for irrigation schemes

The National Irrigation Commission has allocated 25 sites in six regions to develop paddy and sugarcane irrigation farming as part of Big Results Now (BRN) implementation drive.

Irrigation scheme

The commission’s Engineer, Seth Lusweme, who is also the former Acting Director of the Commission under the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said the 25 big farms would be located in Coast, Morogoro, Mara, Mtwara, Iringa and Kigoma regions reputed for their suitable condition for irrigation schemes.
“The National Irrigation Commission wants to see all areas that have irrigation potentials are utilised,” he said.
“Through the BRN, we will emphasize on improving irrigation scheme technology so as to provide good water control by delivering water closer to the plant root which will also enable the farmer to grow crops with much less water, which in the end generates more yields,” he said.
According to him, Tanzania utilizes only 1.6 per cent of the land which is suitable for irrigation farming, saying much has to be done to increase the areas for irrigation.
But his commission was making all efforts to ensure irrigation schemes would be improved and less rain water used in agricultural activities, he said.
“To improve irrigation schemes in the country, the government formed the National Irrigation Commission to implement all activities of irrigation farming on discovering its importance in boosting production,” he said.
Prof. Andrew Temu, an agricultural economist from Sokoine University of Agriculture advised the government to give investment in irrigation the first priority if it was serious in solving food insecurity and generate earnings from food exports.
But the professor was just echoing the environmentalists who had been insisting on irrigation farming as a way to prevent climate change and overcome its impact.
Faisal Issa from the Forum CC in climate change had earlier said that irrigation would not only speed up the economic growth, but withstand turbulent of the climate change if $125m is invested in one agricultural plan to adapt to climate change for the next five years.
He was speaking about an agricultural resilience climate plans 2014/19 report that cited irrigation potential area in Tanzania as 30 million hactares.
Under BRN, the area under irrigation is expected to increase by 389,000 hectares, in addition to the current 450,392 hectares.

Read More »

Beware slimming, enhancing drugs, govt warns

BERTHA, a Kiwalani resident on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, was very worried. She had a genuine reason to be because her boyfriend Erick (not his real name) was threatening to dump her unless she shaped up by losing weight.

Minister of the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ummy Mwalimu

She said Erick fancied slim girls, but she was getting plump owing to, ironically, the good life he was giving her. So, something had to be done to save her relationship, and be done fast.
That is when she contacted her friend, Mwanaidi, who lives in Sinza, another city suburb. Mwanaidi laughed off her friend’s worries, assuring her that her worries were as good as over. Hadn’t she heard about the wonder slimming drugs yet?
However, after Bertha had taken several doses of the ‘wonder’ drug she was disappointed that it wasn’t working as fast as she had hoped, and Erick was getting impatient.
After several weeks of experimenting with the drug, it dawned on her that she had been taken for a ride. And what an expensive ride! Luckily for her, Erick later recanted dropping her, telling her, “Tumetoka mbali na wewe switi.”
Other girls may not be as lucky as Bertha was. People anxious to lose weight have been cautioned against ‘experts’ visiting homes or advertising their wares in tabloids to canvass for customers and promising them of immediate and sure results.
Government authorities say such people are charlatans out to make a fast buck from unsuspecting but desperate people who, for one reason or another, would like to lose weight fast without having to go through a regime of punishing exercises, as others do at gyms or during their spare time at home.
The official agency charged with overseeing the use and trading in drugs, Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) is categorical that none of the so-called experts roaming the streets looking for clients has ever tendered their drugs and other medicines to them for testing, verification and subsequent authorisation for use in the country.
“These people who claim to offer such wonder drugs lack both professionalism and honesty, putting human health at risk,” a TFDA official told this writer recently in an interview.
But the crafty lie is not confined to fast slimming; it also involves other areas such as ‘wonder drugs’ to boost the bust for women; medicines to lose gray hair for both men and women; drugs to improve erectile function for men, etc, etc.
Thus, according to the TFDA official, the majority of adverts on social media networks and local Swahili tabloids, with some glued on trees and walls along the road sides, will soon face the wrath of the law.
The official said such slimming drugs posted on Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and different blogs are not recommended for body reshaping through burning of body fat and calories to result in the loss of weight.
Dr Francis Didas, a consultant at Cloud9 Wellness Clinic, told the Guardian on Sunday that no medical studies had yet proved that one could change their body and its parts by using drugs.
Interviewed professionals said the efficacy of such drugs was neither certified, nor were the ingredients established.
They added that even the doses prescribed were equally a matter of guesswork, warning that the use of such drugs could lead to heart attack, blood pressure, rapid heartbeats, liver and kidney complications.
“Such a reaction can happen over time and the users might not even be able to associate the side-effects with their indiscriminate use of such drugs,” Dr Didas clarified.
He said, for instance, that after slimming drugs had been administered, diarrheoa might soon follow.
“People are made to believe that diarrheoa enhanced discharge of body fats with subsequent loss of weight, which is entirely not true,” he noted.
“No research has ever establishing that diarrheoa can remove fats from the body. Such slimming drugs have been forbidden in some developing countries because of their serious negative impact on human health,” he added.
The medical professional added that the best way to lose weight was through physical exercises with a controlled diet, in addition to medically advised supplements.
However, the social media is awash with advertisements and online sale of such products claiming to reduce the belly, body fats and others like enlarging hips and other body organs at very high cost, both financially and healthwise.
The charlatans display luring prices of their products, promising prompt results. For example, a gel tube for hips enlargement is sold at between Sh200,000 and Sh100,000 while drugs for elongating or thickening the male sexual organ go for Sh100,000 per dose.
Fat control drugs fetch Sh80,000 per dose while those for removing a potbelly attract Sh90,000 and those for banishing gray hair can be acquired for Sh100,000.
Those keen on enlarging their sex organs should be ready to part with Sh100,000; drugs for shapely legs sell for Sh100,000 and anti-wrinkles drugs go for Sh80,000.
Surprisingly, and this is what dupes most people into having unshakable confidence in the efficacy of the wares on sale, dealers and their run their business with no qualms whatsoever, insisting that the quality of their products had been certified by TFDA.
However, TFDA has strongly denied ever having certified such drugs, insisting that it was yet to issue any approval for any of the drugs being peddled.
TFDA Public Relations Officer Gaudensia Simwanza told this paper that the Authority had never issued any certificate for any of the drugs, stressing that users ran very serious health risks.
“The drugs are unsafe and the Authority is working on the modalities to book salespeople and their agents who continue to put people’s health at risk.
They want to make profits at the expense of other people’s health,” Simwanza explained.
Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Ummy Mwalimu confirmed to the Guardian on Sunday that the Authority was yet to authorize a single drug commendable for body configuration.
“The public should avoid the use of such chemicals in order to protect themselves from other effects brought by the use of prohibited drugs. Despite the fact that most of them operate online to complicate their arrest, we will definitely get them and bring them to justice. Let the general public assist on this,” Ummy insisted.
Meanwhile, two dealers identified as Farida and Celestine, were adamant in a telephone interview that the safety of their products was certified, adding that the booming business had earned them a good life. They said that they got their supplies from Dubai and insisted that they had no plans to abandon the business.
“I embarked on this business three years ago and my clients always look for me after they have been satisfied with the way my drugs work. This business is superb.
I pay school fees for my children and lately I managed to buy a car worth Sh12m. Now I am planning to build a house. The clients are many and there is no need for you to worry about the safety of our products,” Farida proudly said.

Read More »

Quest for African unity: Mugabe’s unfinished project

President Mugabe

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mugabe is a true living legend who deserves a coveted place in the canon of African nationalism and liberation.

Read More »

Tanzania: Special Leadership Meeting Opens

Several business experts and spiritual leaders are in Dar es Salaam for three-day financial summit expected to be officially opened today.

The forum organised by Kingdom Leadership Network Tanzania (KNLT) in partnership with Bill Winston Ministries International and the Committee of Union of Churches is being held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar Es Salaam.

The Summit themed "Unlocking Kingdom Finances" targets leaders, policy makers, public and private sector leaders in the areas of business, government, politics, religion, according to a statement issued by organisers.

"The summit presents a unique and timely opportunity for the leaders of different sectors to gain insights and discuss issues that confront financial and economic progress.

"Tanzanian businesses and the nation at large, with a view to arriving at actionable resolutions in accordance with the purpose and plan of God for Tanzania. "The summit will culminate in the launch and inauguration of Tanzania's 1st ever National prayer breakfast on the 3rd of March (Thursday) at the Hyatt Regency hotel."

"Tanzania is entering a new season of leadership and economic vibrancy and Kingdom Leadership Network Tanzania is driven by the hunger to see visionary leadership permeating at all levels of business and governance with principles of Kingdom finances shared and unlocked for Tanzanians."

Read More »

Police in Arusha kill three heavily-armed 'bandits'

Arusha Regional Police Commander Liberatus Sabas

 Police have killed three suspected bandits armed with AK47 rifles, explosives, machetes and other traditional weapons in Engosheraton-Sinoni in the outskirts of Arusha City. 

 

Police said they have an accomplice in custody, a woman identified as Nasra, in connection with the incident.

Arusha Regional Police Commander Liberatus Sabas identified one of those killed as Athuman Ramadhani (26) alias ‘Kassimu.’

 

He said others were yet to be  identified and their corpses were in the morgue at Mount Meru Hospital in Arusha Region for investigation and provide an opportunity for citizens to identify them.

 

The woman in police custody is said to be the wife of Athuman Ramadhani who died during the gun exchange with the police.

 

Referring to the incident, Commander Sabas said early Saturday morning they received information from a concerned citizen who claimed that there was a boy suspected to be involved in criminal activities at Engosheraton – Sinoni Ward,.

 

He said they laid a trap and were able to arrest Athuman after he was found with Explogil TMV6 explosives, 17 water explosives and 10 long ranges explosives. Other items found on him were two big coats and facial masks.

 

During interrogation the suspect told the police that there were other two colleagues he cooperates with in criminal activities.

 

“We set up a trap at 11.00 at night. Accompanied by the suspect, we went to his home located near Fire and Rescue office area where the suspect claimed to house his colleagues,” he explained. 

 

“The police knocked on the door and when it opened, Athuman shouted ‘Takbir!’... after that the suspects started shooting at the police who had gone to arrest them,” he said.

 

Sabas said using military techniques and tactics, the police were able to stop the attacks, entered the house and found two teenagers who had been wounded by bullets.

 

Unfortunately, he said, during the gun exchange one police officer got shot by the suspects’ bullet whereas Athuman and the other three suspects died while being rushed to the hospital.

 

Commander Sabas said the raids took place in the room of the two criminals; the police found five uniforms of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF), five caps, facial masks, one pair of karate garb and one motorcycle with a fake licence plate---MC 983 BMK.

 

He mentioned other items that were found as two black flags with Arabic inscriptions used by terrorist groups, a metal box and passport belonging to Abrahaman Athuman Kangaa which was issued on April 2, 2013.

 

Other items were five mobile phones, of which one belonged to the late Mary Joseph, who died in a shooting by unidentified people on February 20, this year, in Engosheraton-Sinoni area.

 

He also said the police also found a package with gunpowder, one huge knife and paper with a threatening message saying: “My advice to old man Kova, prepare a funeral committee for your police officers. When we are done, we will come for you.”

 

He said they found AK 47 rifles used to attack the police with registration number 1998-AFV0822 with its magazine and 18 rounds of ammunition.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Read More »

Facebook IQ Examines the Tender Side of Technology

Does technology drive people further apart or pull them closer together? The latter is true, according to a recent study by Facebook IQ.
The social network’s research arm surveyed users in Nigeria, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. and consulted with experts and influencers to help determine how technology helps people “create new and different expressions of love.”
Facebook IQ arrived at four basic findings.

• ODA is the new PDA: Online displays of affection are the new public displays of affection. Facebook IQ found that 67 percent of the users surveyed agreed that the Internet has made long-distance relationships easier, with that figure rising to 82 percent in Nigeria. One respondent shared the story of Squeak and Quackers: “The last time I saw my boyfriend, we shared (an egg-shaped candy with) two small duckling figures. Mine was dubbed Squeak, his is Quackers. We take photos of our respective figurines in various locations … and send them to each other via private WhatsApp or Messenger.

• All you need is love … and tech: More than one-half of respondents in Nigeria, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. use online dating websites or applications, with one out of five doing so regularly. Facebook IQ found that 61 percent of online daters in its survey said dating websites and apps have made it easier to find compatible dates and 45 percent believe people are more likely to find compatible partners online than offline.
• Home is where the WiFi is: More than one-half of respondents in Nigeria, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. believe the Internet allows them to feel at home no matter where they are, with Facebook IQ finding that friendship-related keywords such as “best friends,” “friends for life,” “like old times,” “tbt” and “throwback Thursday” were used an average of 134 percent more in Nigeria, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S., with that figure soaring to 185 percent for those 65 and older. A virtual birthday party via Instagram is pictured below.

• Pic or it didn’t happen: More than one-half of respondents in Nigeria, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. enjoy online interactions with friends and family as much as real-life interactions, and one Instagram user said she felt compelled to “digitally document” a birthday card she mailed to her father. Speaking of digitally documenting:

Facebook IQ also provided the following takeaways for marketers on the social network:

• Celebrate relationships in creative ways: People are increasingly going online to fulfill the human want and need to connect with everyone from their loved ones to new romantic interests and old acquaintances. Brands should think creatively about ways to highlight and celebrate meaningful moments in people’s relationships.
• Adapt millennial trends for older generations: Millennial behavior isn’t just for millennials anymore, especially online. From habits to hashtags, identifying trends popular with millennials can help brands lead the adaptation for Gen Xers and baby boomers.
• Connect in a new online marketplace: As more and more rituals are reinvented online, new marketplaces will spring to life. Brands can seize these opportunities by strategically thinking about how their own products and services can become a part of such marketplaces.

Read More »