Tanzania

Tanzania

VPN users in Tanzania could face up to 12 months in prison, here is why

Posted on Africa, East Africa, Stories, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has implemented a stringent ban on the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in the country. This, according to a report. is in consonance with Regulation 16(2) of the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations of 2020.

This move, while officially aimed at preventing Tanzanians from accessing content deemed illegal, has raised a multitude of implications and concerns, provoking strong reactions from citizens and digital activists alike.

In another report, the TCRA has mandated that both individuals and businesses that depend on VPNs for their daily operations must disclose their VPN usage and furnish all pertinent details to the regulatory authority by the end of this month. This must also include their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

The penalties for non-compliance with the Virtual Private Networks ban are severe. Violators may face a hefty fine of TSh 5 million (approximately USD 1,997) or a minimum prison sentence of 12 months.

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What are the implications?

There are serious ramifications to the TCRA’s decision to crack down on Virtual Private Networks. VPNs are used extensively around the world to protect internet security and privacy, making it more difficult for unfriendly entities to keep an eye on users’ online activities.

By asking Tanzanians to obtain Virtual Private Network permits, the TCRA is essentially jeopardizing its residents’ internet privacy. Furthermore, because it allows authorities to closely monitor individuals’ and businesses’ internet activity, this step could pave the way for further government monitoring and restrictions on freedom of information.

This raises questions about the country’s freedoms being restricted in addition to discouraging the usage of Virtual Private Networks. With this, Tanzanians may soon find themselves in legal hot water for something that was formerly a tool for internet freedom.

Why are these new laws coming into place?

The reasons for this law are unclear, except for what the regulator has stated clearly. The government may want to restrict the flow of information which could be one rationale for the VPN ban. With the use of VPNs, people can access content that is restricted by the government and get around censorship, which could constitute a danger to the establishment.

Also, the government may aim to collect data on Virtual Private Network users to monitor their online activities more closely. This could be part of a broader strategy to curb dissent or maintain political control. In essence, the ban on VPNs could be a means to enhance governmental authority over online communication and content.

The ban on VPNs has sparked widespread condemnation among digital activists and civil societies. It is seen as a clear act of censorship that infringes on Tanzanians’ right to information and online privacy.

Individuals and businesses that use Virtual Private Networks for legal purposes must now deal with the difficult permit application process, which may harm their online security and privacy.

Tanzania is not the only country

Tanzania is not the only country in the region with VPN restrictions. In a 2011 report, Uganda, a neighbouring country, imposed a Social Media Tax. However, according to the Ugandan Communications Commission (UCC), VPNs were being used to avoid paying the tax.

But how can the government tell when someone uses a VPN? In the report, the Ugandan government further explained that while it might be a hard situation, there are technologies in place that block these VPN technologies.

The ban on VPNs in Tanzania raises questions about the growing trend of governments imposing restrictions on internet access. Tanzania’s ban on VPNs carries significant implications for its citizens and raises concerns about internet freedom and privacy.

While the regulator cites regulations as the basis for this move, the underlying motivations might appear to be rooted in maintaining control over online activities and information flow.

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has implemented a stringent ban on the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in the country. This, according to a report. is in consonance with Regulation […]

Continue reading "VPN users in Tanzania could face up to 12 months in prison, here is why" →

Let’s support young people doing small businesses

Posted on Africa, Business, East Africa, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

I recently met a girl called ‘Zai’. She has a fascinating story of resilience. But the greatest lesson in her story is that our young people must never give up, no matter the challenges they come across with.

Zai was a Form Four leaver. Unfortunately, she failed her Form Four National exams. One day, Zai’s father, a stern man with high expectations, confronted her with disappointment in his eyes. “There is nothing else I can do for you since you have failed Form Four exams,” he said in a sordid tone. Those words struck Zai’s heart like a dagger, leaving her feeling lost and defeated. Note ‘Zai’ is not a real name but a hypothetical one.

Being determined to change her circumstances, Zai made a bold decision. She would venture to Dar es Salaam city, where opportunities seemed abundant.

With hope in her eyes and a heavy heart, she bid farewell to her beloved village and embarked on a journey to the big city. It was her grandma who provided the fare.

However, life in the city was not easy. It turned out to be harsh and unforgiving for young Zai. She found herself as a house helper in the rules of an unkind employer. To her dismay, an entire year went by without being paid. That is a story for many girls employed as house helper.

Feeling trapped and exploited, Zai confided in a kind neighbour who lived nearby.

The neighbour, moved by her plight, decided to take her in and offer her sanctuary from the hardships she faced. Little did Zai know that that act of kindness would be a turning point in her life!

Her neighbour was a compassionate and wise person. She introduced her to Mwenge Market, a vibrant part of Dar es Salaam city. Zai took a leap of faith and borrowed Sh20,000 to buy a small assortment of second-hand clothes.

When I met Zai, it had been a month since her business had started flourishing. With each sale she made, she diligently set aside a portion of her earnings to repay the money she had borrowed. After four months, I met Zai again, and said she was struggling to settle and support her parents in the village.

“One of the difficult moments in Dar was when some girls approached me to engage in prostitution” narrated Zai. However, she firmly stated that she held dear to her values and refused to compromise. Zai’s story is a testament that girls should not forsake their morals and dignity for a living.

Parents influence their children’s lives, and their decisions can profoundly impact their children’s future.

Unfortunately, there are instances where parents make choices that go against the best interests of their children. Zai’s story is a painful reminder that this can happen to other children.

Every person engaged in business has a unique story to narrate. Society needs to support business individuals by purchasing their products and contribute to their success. Zai’s journey is about resilience, hard work, and an absence of bitterness despite the many challenges encountered.

Parents should be the pillars of all support and guidance to their children, offering encouragement and understanding during difficult times.

Contrary, Zai’s father responded with a harsh dismissal of her daughter. It’s a hard reality that sometimes even those expected to protect and nurture children fail to provide the support and understanding the children’s need.

We MUST never define our kids solely on their academic performance. Every child possesses talent, dreams, and potential. All these should not be overshadowed by a single setback. For instance, for Zai’s father, instead of abandoning her, he could have explored alternative paths and solutions to help her find a true calling and achieve her dreams.

I recently met a girl called ‘Zai’. She has a fascinating story of resilience. But the greatest lesson in her story is that our young people must never give up, […]

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Hard times lie ahead for EA citizens as states raise budgets to spur growth

Posted on Africa, East Africa, Kenya, News, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ugandaby civic_admin

East African governments this week presented their most expensive budgets yet, seeking to reinvigorate their economies, finance expanded government operations and repay ballooning debts.

Economists are warning the region’s citizens to brace for harder times as the fiscal measures proposed in the 2023/24 budgets are wont to further raise the cost of living, cause investor flight in some countries, and result in job losses.

Kenya, the region’s biggest economy, has proposed a $26.3 billion spending plan, while Tanzania has a $19.2 billion budget. The Democratic Repulic of Congo is planning to spend $16 billion, Uganda $13.9 billion, Rwanda $4.7 billion, Burundi $1.5 billion and South Sudan $1.4 billion.

The region’s taxpayers are facing more levies, with Kenya introducing measures to raid payslips of the working class to finance election promises President William Ruto made to his “hustlers,” to shore up forex reserves and spur growth.

In Uganda, the Museveni administration is seeking to borrow to finance some 18 big-ticket infrastructure projects while promising more on household incomes through the Ush1 trillion ($271.9 million) Parish Development Model, a programme the government launched in February 2022 to bring 39 percent of poor Ugandan households into the money economy.

Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu ’s regime has sought more cash to finance an economy shaking out of slumber, with Finance Minister Mwigulu Ncheba proposing to boost domestic revenue collection through a raft of measures while reducing domestic and external borrowing.

Reduced incomes

In Burundi, Finance Minister Audace Niyonzima presented a $1.4 billion budget against a struggling economy where spending will rise 65 percent and the budget deficit is expected to rise to BF728.9 billion ($258.3 million), from BF197.4 billion ($69.9 million) in the ending financial year.

South Sudan and DRC are yet to read their budgets but the estimates have already been made public.

In Kenya, Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, the Treasury Cabinet Secretary, on Thursday presented a Ksh3.68 trillion ($26.3 billion) budget whose implementation will involve raiding the wallets of salaried workers, increasing fuel costs and heavy borrowing.

Salaried employees will part with more to finance the National Health Insurance Fund (2.7 percent) and pay a 1.5 percent of gross salary to support the affordable housing programme in addition to a 35 percent income tax.

Prof Ndung’u proposed an amendment to the Income Tax Act to adjust Pay as Your Earn by introducing two additional tax bands: 32.5 percent for individuals earning monthly incomes between Ksh500,000-Ksh800,000 (($3,570- $5,712), and 35 percent for those earning more than Ksh800,000.

He said the two new bands will affect 26,676 employees, who constitute 0.8 percent of the employed workers.

“It remains to be seen how much additional tax revenue will be generated from the two new tax bands and whether the government will achieve its objective in making the tax system more progressive,” said Dr Benson Okundi, a partner at audit firm PwC.

Prof Ndung’u proposed to allocate Ksh35.3 billion ($252.3 million) to Dr Ruto’s pet project, the housing programme, to reduce mushrooming of slums and create more jobs for the youth.

He proposed to amend the Employment Act, 2007 to introduce a housing levy payable by employers and employees at 1.5 percent of an employee’s gross monthly.

Yet the minister hinted at a possible retrenchment of lower-cadre staff in state corporations. He said the State Corporations Advisory Committee will start “rationalising staff establishment to keep them lean.”

Kenya proposes an increase in VAT of petroleum products from eight percent to 16 percent; zero rating of liquified petroleum gas from VAT and increase of turnover tax from one percent to three percent, with the upper threshold lowered to 25 percent.

The doubling of VAT on fuel will see the cost-of-living skyrocket as fuel has a ripple effect on transport, infrastructure, energy, agriculture and food and housing.

PwC, in its budget review, observed that an increase on VAT on fuel will impact inflation.

“The inflation rate in Kenya rose to eight percent in May 2023, from a ten-month low of 7.9 percent in the prior month. Increase in VAT of petroleum products is likely to have far-reaching consequences,” PwC said.

Prof Ndung’u indicated that the National Assembly will formulate a county revenue bill to provide governance around revenue generation for counties.

The government is seeking to raise Ksh2.57 trillion ($18.4 billion) – the highest amount in its history – from ordinary revenue, amid opposition by lobbies and the opposition in parliament.

Investor concerns

Foreign businesses, through lobbies, have expressed their concerns. In a letter to the National Assembly, Maxwell Okello, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce, asked legislators to remove several proposals deemed detrimental to business.

Foreign businesses have also taken issue with the digital content monetisation tax – which has now been reduced to five percent from the proposed 15 percent – saying it will put undue burden on digital service firms, which are mostly foreign multinationals.

“The additional administrative requirements and possible additional tax costs may discourage the use of content creators for advertisement and other digital campaigns and kill this budding industry in Kenya,” Okello said.

The proposal to raise income tax for those earning above Ksh500,000 ($3,575) may also discourage foreign investors and expatriates from working in Kenya due to the high taxes.

“We will lose business to other countries that position themselves as global business and lifestyle destinations. The founders of businesses and expatriates have the option of setting up in other markets such as Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa, and those currently in Kenya may relocate to these destinations,” he said.

A top executive in a regional petroleum company who asked not to be named told The EastAfrican the rise in VAT on petroleum products will depress demand, impacting the entire economy.

“In the end it’s a zero-sum game,” he said.

“If demand reduces, the private sector will have to take measures to reduce their overhead costs, including by reducing their workforce. On the other hand, if revenue is not met, government will take austerity measures, and if the state doesn’t spend as it should, it will depress the entire economy.”

However, Prof Ndung’u said the move is meant to enable oil companies “recover the VAT credits that they have been carrying forward over the years.”

On the flip side, foreign businesses in Kenya will now pay a lower corporate income tax of 30 percent – like local firms – down from 37.5 percent, to eliminate ‘discrimination’ of non-resident businesses.

Uganda austerity measures

Uganda’s Ush52.7 trillion ($13.9 billion) is dedicated to poor Ugandans but does not address the high cost of living. Instead, Uganda will borrow more to finance infrastructure.

Finance Minister Matia Kasaija proposed austerity measures, including a freeze on new administrative units, domestic borrowing and rationalisation of agencies to save the government Ush1 trillion ($271.9million) annually.

The decision to look for more credit to fund 18 new infrastructure projects is raising fears of disrupting the country’s debt management, amid risks of aggressive behaviour by local lenders and the consequences of shor-term loans.

The 18 projects are valued at $3.344 billion and are scattered across transport, energy, agricultural, education and ICT sectors.

Uganda borrowed $1.26 billion in the 2021/22 financial year to finance nine projects in those sectors, according to the latest government report.

Some of the new projects are industrial parks, which require a $173.8 million loan, expected from the China Exim Bank; and an Industrial Transformation and Employment Project that bears a $150 million loan from the World Bank.

The Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Project requires a $518 million loan expected from the World Bank, while the Climate Smart Agriculture Project also bears a $325 million World Bank loan request. In addition, upgrade of Kitgum-Kidepo road carries a loan financing burden of $117.7 million expected from Standard Chartered Bank.

Uganda’s overall public debt portfolio increased from Ush73.5 trillion ($19.6 billion) in June 2022 to Ush86 trillion ($22.8 billion) by end of March 2023, government data shows.

Its annual debt servicing bill is projected to expand from $500 million in 2022/23 to around $1 billion by close of 2024/25, with a debt servicing costs to revenue ratio increase from 25 percent in 2022/23 to 30 percent in 2024/25, according to Bank of Uganda (BoU) data. The debt servicing costs to GDP ratio is forecast to rise from 17 percent to 22 percent in the period.

“We are still examining the viability of all the selected projects together with different lenders but we are confident that all of them will receive funding in the next financial year,” said Patrick Ocailap, deputy secretary to the Treasury at Uganda’s Finance Ministry.

“We also expect debt servicing to GDP ratio to remain at less than 50 percent after absorption of the new projects in government’s infrastructure portfolio in line with strong economic growth patterns.”

Uganda’s top borrowing priority lies with concessional loans for certain projects in the education and health sectors, while commercial loans will be used for a few high-yielding projects, the Ministry of Finance said.

Massive government borrowing is blamed for aggressive investor behaviour in local debt markets and lukewarm short-term credit ratings.

“The government’s latest move appears very risky in the financial markets. Dollar borrowing is very costly today,” argued Allan Lwetabe, director for investment operations at the Deposit Protection Fund of Uganda.

A commercial dollar-denominated loan would cost eight percent per annum over a five-year period. It cost two percent per annum three years ago.

“Borrowing so much in US dollars would also require matching loan repayments with dollar supply flows anchored on export earnings from coffee, gold, tea and fish among others,” Lwetabe told The EastAfrican.

Uganda will need to manage the two issues, as it may require more dollars than the local market has.

Dar plans

Tanzania’s Tsh44.39 trillion ($19.13 billion) budget tabled by Finance Minister Mwigulu Nchemba is meant to boost domestic revenue collection through a raft of measures while reducing domestic and external borrowing.

Projected domestic revenue has been pegged at Tsh31.38 trillion ($13.52 billion), an increase of 12 percent from the 2022/2023 target of Tsh28.02 trillion ($12.07 billion). It will make up 70.7 percent of the total budget and includes Tsh26.73 trillion ($11.52 billion) from tax collection as new levies, which appeared to target middle-income earners , take effect.

Just Tsh7.57 trillion ($3.26 billion) is expected from external sources, including grants and concessional loans (Tsh5.47 trillion, $2.36 billion) and non-concessional loans (Tsh2.1 trillion, $905.17 million), according to Nchemba.

Concessional borrowing will provide Tsh2.22 trillion ($956.9 million) for key projects compared with Tsh1.65 trillion ($711.2 million) in 2022/2023, while external commercial loans will drop by 30.8 percent from Tsh3 trillion ($1.29 billion) to Tsh2.1 trillion ($905.17 million).

The government expects to borrow Tsh5.44 trillion ($2.34 billion) from the domestic market. Maturing government paper is projected to yield Tsh3.54 trillion ($1.52 billion) while the remaining Tsh1.9 trillion ($818.56 million) will be canvassed from locals to help finance development projects.

Tanzania’s private sector is set to be fully incorporated into this fund-raising drive under a new public-private partnership law passed by parliament on June 13.

Some Tsh6.3 trillion ($2.71 billion) will be spent on servicing national debt which, by April 2023, stood at Tsh79.1 trillion ($34.09 billion), up 13.9 percent from Tsh69.44 trillion ($29.93 billion) in April 2022.

External debt stood at Tsh51.16 trillion ($22.05 billion) against a domestic debt of Tsh27.94 trillion ($12.04 billion), with concessional loans standing at Tsh37.69 trillion ($16.24 billion).

At least Tsh4.13 trillion ($1.78 billion) will go to external debt repayments including principal payments and interest. Nchemba said the concessional loans component in the new budget has been increased by 22.8 percent and non-concessional loans cut down by 14.4 percent.

The government’s spending plan also includes Tsh1.14 trillion ($491.37 million) to cover government subsidies in education (free primary/secondary school education and higher education student loans), Tsh1.5 trillion ($646.55 million) to complete the Julius Nyerere Hydro Power Project and Tsh1.11 trillion ($478.45 million) to the standard gauge railway project.

Other priority areas will include Air Tanzania revival, developing a special economic zone at the coastal town of Bagamoyo, and developing a Rare Skills programme aimed at increasing youth’s capacity for self- employment.

In Rwanda, Finance Minister Uzziel Ndagijimana proposed increased spending by six percent to Rwf5.03 trillion ($4.4 billion), from Rwf4.7 trillion ($4.1 billion) in 2022/23.

The government plans to finance 63 percent of its budget with domestic revenues while external loans would constitute 24 percent and external grants 13 percent.

“The budget reflects the government’s economic resilience efforts in the face of global shocks.

The government will continue to prioritise fiscal consolidation, ease inflation and invest in agriculture, scale up social protection coverage; improve the quality of education, create employment opportunities and support micro, small, medium and large enterprises affected by Covid-19 through the enhanced Economic Recovery Fund and Manufacture and Build to Recover Programme,” Dr Ndagijimana said.

Rwanda announced a 10 percent increase in customs duty on imported construction materials, including metal tubes, doors, windows, and their frames. Wheelbarrows, plastic bags, and cloth bags will also face a 35 percent import duty.

Import duty for second-hand clothes will remain at $2.5 per kilogramme, while second-hand shoes will be taxed at $5 per kilo. Under the EAC Customs act, import duty on second-hand clothes and shoes is $0.4 per kilogramme.

The government will allocate Rwf2.8 trillion ($24.7 billion — 55.9 per cent of the budget) to the Economic Transformation Pillar.

These resources will scale up agricultural productivity, create jobs, support private sector development and strengthen climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.

It will also increase access to electricity and clean water, support urbanisation and settlement, improve the national road network, scale up the adoption of ICT, and implement agriculture de-risking and financing facilities.

Under the Social Transformation Pillar, the government will allocate Rwf1.5 trillion ($1.3 billion — 30.4 per cent of the budget).

“Is government borrowing to invest or consume? And what is the actual return on investments on those projects?” pondered Paul Corti Lakuma, a senior research fellow at the Economic Policy Research Centre based at Makerere University.

On stays of application of import duty rates per the East African Communty Common External Tariff. Prof Ndung’u said it will apply for one year on rice (35 percent), imported iron and steel products (35 percent), vegetable products (35 percent), baby diapers (35 percent), leather and footwear products (35 percent), paper and paper products (35 percent).

It will also apply to timber (plywood and particleboard $120/MT – $200/MT), furniture (45 percent), plastic and rubber (35 percent), smartphones (25 percent), and billets (10 percent).

“Interestingly, one of the reasons for the introduction of a four-band EAC CET (version 2022) was to minimise the request for stays by partner states, but it seems this trend persists,” PwC observed.

Source

East African governments this week presented their most expensive budgets yet, seeking to reinvigorate their economies, finance expanded government operations and repay ballooning debts. Economists are warning the region’s citizens […]

Continue reading "Hard times lie ahead for EA citizens as states raise budgets to spur growth" →

Katiba: President Samia pulls a fast one on Tanzania opposition

Posted on News, Posts, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu has formally re-introduced the constitutional review, pulling a fast one against an opposition that has been using it to criticise her administration.

Her move, coming after two recent failed attempts led by the opposition, could be the President’s way of taking charge of the process that could define her political future.

On May 6, President Samia gave the go-ahead for an all-inclusive political parties meeting to get the constitution-writing process underway based on the recommendations of a government-backed taskforce on democratic reforms.

The taskforce concluded its work of collecting public views in September 2022 and advised, among other things, that the draft that was shelved in 2015, just before being presented for voting in a public referendum, would provide the best basis for the next steps.

According to state house, the Registrar of Political Parties Rtd Justice Francis Mutungi will convene a meeting to “evaluate progress in implementing the recommendations of the task force” and set out a proper participatory roadmap for the new drafting process.

Opposition parties will also discuss with representatives of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) amendments to laws related to elections and political party activities ahead of next year’s local government elections and the 2025 presidential and parliamentary polls.
All these, particularly the new Katiba and an independent electoral system, have been key aspects of the opposition’s demands for major political reforms and a level playing field by the time the next elections cycle comes around.

Samia said that the constitution-making process should involve not only politicians but also “various other stakeholders, and particularly ordinary citizens” from both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.

Read: Plunder in state-owned firms rattles Samia

By the end of the week, the registrar had yet to announce a date for a meeting, even as public debate began to gather pace.

A national dialogue

In its recommendations, the taskforce proposed a “national dialogue” to pinpoint particular clauses in the current constitution that need to be amended or scrapped altogether, and a “panel of experts” appointed by the President to prepare a fresh draft using ideas from the dialogue and the 2014 draft.

Demands for constitutional change have dominated Tanzania’s political landscape since 2012, due to growing public impatience with a document that has been in place since 1977 before the return of multi-parties and now appears outdated.

The first government-sponsored constitutional review led by former prime minister Joseph Warioba produced a draft in 2014, after public consultations, but it was abandoned, amid significant disagreements at the political level.

Samia, then a Cabinet minister, was the deputy chair of the second review sittings, which produced another draft for tabling in a national referendum. However, opposition parties disassociated themselves with the entire process, complaining of CCM’s manipulation and unsanctioned alterations to the original Warioba Draft.

The referendum was postponed indefinitely in April 2015, months before the general election that saw Samia’s predecessor John Magufuli come to power, with her as vice-president.

Her initiative to kick-start the process this time round is in keeping with her reconciliation (Maridhiano) agenda designed to appease an opposition still hurting from years of political persecution under Magufuli.

In January, she ended a ban on political rallies imposed during the Magufuli years which had also been high on the opposition’s reforms agenda.

Read: Harris hails Samia as ‘champion’ of democracy

Opposition parties reacts

Opposition parties have reacted in a somewhat muted fashion to the latest move in the constitutional review.

ACT Wazalendo said it hoped the proposed meeting would agree on a timetable to ensure new laws for elections and political party activities were enacted “before the end of this year.”

“We also expect the issues that thwarted the 2014 constitutional review process to be discussed in depth, followed by resolutions to ensure those issues do not recur,” the party’s secretary-general Ado Shaibu said.

Chadema Deputy Chairman Tundu Lissu appeared to maintain his customary vocal stance, telling public rallies in Dodoma and Singida during the week that if the new constitution is not in place by 2025, “no one will be able to live comfortably in this country”.

Referring to CCM public banners portraying successful reconciliation talks with the opposition, Mr Lissu also warned the government to “first solve all the issues brought up in the talks” before sending out messages to the people that “everything is now good”.

“They have not changed a single law; instead, it’s just banners everywhere, like they’ve already started campaigning for the next election three years early,” he told supporters in Singida on Wednesday.

“I am not against Maridhiano, but I object to being led on, massaged with soothing oil, blindfolded. The only real solution is a new constitution, and if that fails, we are all finished,” he added.

Chadema is being represented by its chairman Freeman Mbowe in the Maridhiano talks with CCM leaders. According to Mr Lissu who was the party’s presidential candidate in the 2020 election, the talks have so far yielded little more for Chadema than “slice of bread” promises of inclusion in a coalition government and equitable parliamentary representation after the 2025 election.

Damas Ndumbaro, minister for justice and constitutional affairs, told parliament while presenting the ministry’s 2023/2024 budget proposals last month that the new Katiba and election laws review process would be prioritised during the year, with Tsh9 billion ($3.88 million) added to the budget for that purpose.

Minister of State responsible for Parliamentary Matters Jenista Mhagama also pledged in the House this past week that the government would table bills for the electoral and political parties’ laws for endorsement before the end of 2023.

source

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu has formally re-introduced the constitutional review, pulling a fast one against an opposition that has been using it to criticise her administration. Her move, coming after […]

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CIVIC SPACE IN NUMBERS

Posted on Africa, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Africa, Kenya, Media, News, Posts, Rwanda, South Sudan, Stories, Tanzania, Tips, Ugandaby civic_admin

The CIVICUS Monitor measures enabling conditions for civil society or civic space. We provide ratings for civic space in 197 countries and territories (all UN member states and Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestine, and Taiwan). At CIVICUS, we see civic space as the respect in policy and practice for the freedoms of assembly, association and expression which are underpinned by the state’s duty to protect civil society.

We view civic space as a set of universally-accepted rules, which allow people to organise, participate and communicate with each other freely and without hindrance, and in doing so, influence the political, economic and social structures around them.

CIVIC SPACE IN 2022

Today, only 3.1% of the world’s population lives in countries with Open civic space. 

For better accuracy and comparison over time, this year we added a decimal point to the percentages.

GLOBAL CIVIC SPACE RESTRICTIONS 

Over the past year, civil society across the world has faced a variety legal and extra-legal restrictions. Below we document the top ten violations captured in the CIVICUS Monitor.

Top 10 Violations to Civic Freedoms

COUNTRY RATINGS

The CIVICUS Monitor currently rates 39 countries and territories as Open, 41 rated as Narrowed, 42 rated as Obstructed, 50 rated as Repressed and 25 rated as Closed.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWNS

 OpenNarrowedObstructedRepressedClosed
Africa2413246
Americas 109952
Asia and Pacific8710114
Europe and Central Asia1921644
Middle East and North Africa00469
This page was last updated on 22 June 2022

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The CIVICUS Monitor measures enabling conditions for civil society or civic space. We provide ratings for civic space in 197 countries and territories (all UN member states and Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestine, and Taiwan). […]

Continue reading "CIVIC SPACE IN NUMBERS" →

EU to inject $574m in women-led businesses in Tanzania

Posted on Business, News, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

The European Union, through the Europe Investment Bank, has entered into an investment deal with Tanzania that will unlock over $574.4 million worth new business investments in women-led businesses and the blue economy agenda.

The investment is meant to facilitate businesses and projects in different areas including electricity, clean energy, regional airports, Dar es Salaam port, clean water around Lake Victoria and the blue economy agenda in Zanzibar.

This was revealed by the bank’s Vice President Thomas Östro during the opening ceremony of the Tanzania-EU Business Forum on Thursday in Dar es Salaam.

“After a seven-year gap, it is great to be back in Tanzania. These new investments are specifically targeted to support the blue economy and dedicated to finance women-led businesses and entrepreneurs. My colleagues and I are also looking forward to discuss further investment and business opportunities in Tanzania,” he said.

Tanzania also used the platform to market its potential investment areas of agriculture, tourism, the energy sector, manufacturing, logistics and technology to European businesses in a joint business forum with the EU.

“Tanzania is a de facto gateway to and from landlocked countries, making it a strategic investment hub. We welcome investors in our potential investment areas including agriculture, tourism, logistics and energy sector including oil and gas exploration in Zanzibar, different power sources such as wind and water. ICT is also another area posing potential investment for the EU,” noted Tanzania’s Vice President Phillip Isdor Mpango.

The EU-Tanzanian Business Forum brought together high-level dignitaries and businesses from across the host country and various European countries. The forum was jointly organised by the European Union in Tanzania, together with the government of Tanzania, in cooperation with the EU member states and the Tanzanian private sector.

“Tanzania values very highly the good and cooperative relations we have had with the European Union since the 1970s and the support we have been getting from EU to complement our development efforts,” said Dr Mpango.

Data shows that Tanzania has so far received support and investment from the EU to a tune of more than $1 billion.

“But special mention goes to the vaccine support we received from EU which was much needed,” added Dr Mpango

Tanzania signed three investment deals with European Union institutions including an MoU on air service agreement between France and the Tanzania Civil Aviation Agency.

The air service agreement will allow the airlines of both countries to increase the number of flights between them.

Air France will benefit from it as it plans to increase the number of flights to Tanzania with the incoming inauguration of a direct flight between Dar es Salaam and Paris in June 2023.

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The European Union, through the Europe Investment Bank, has entered into an investment deal with Tanzania that will unlock over $574.4 million worth new business investments in women-led businesses and […]

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DR Congo EALA representatives boycott Kampala meeting

Posted on Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Africa, Kenya, News, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Ugandaby civic_admin

The Democratic Republic of Congo representatives at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) have boycotted a retreat of the members of the regional body that is being held in Kampala, Uganda.

Mr Stephen Odongo, a Ugandan representative in the EALA, said their DRC counterparts were concerned about their security while in Kampala. They are said to have avoided entering Rwanda for the committee sessions of EALA on the same grounds.

Members of the regional body were Monday evening hosted to a dinner by the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament Anita Among at her residence in Kampala where she committed to have the Speakers of the respective parliaments in the region develop standards to be observed by EALA members.

“Let us have a meeting as Speakers and agree on what should be done by our members who are in the community,” Ms Among said.

Caution

Speaking about the boycott, Ms Among cautioned members against involvement in matters that do not concern them.

“Don’t enter into wars that do not concern you,” she said.

Ms Among’s remark was prompted by Mr Odongo when he raised concern about the boycott and called upon her to give assurance to the legislators about the state of security in Uganda.

“As the number three in the country, we would wish that you make a very strong statement of the state of our security to inspire confidence in our colleagues who are not here with us that this country is safe and we are here for regional integration,” Odongo had appealed.

EALA Speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana said he was shocked when he received the communication from the DRC representatives that they would not attend the committee sessions both in Kigali and Kampala.

M23 rebels

DRC last year severed relations with Rwanda as the former accused Kigali of providing material support to the M23 rebels who have captured swathes of territory around North Kivu province.

Both the United Nations and the United States accuse Rwanda of supporting the rebels but Rwanda has vehemently denied the allegations.

However, the relations between Kampala and Kinshasa appear to have been warm, signified by the signed Status of Forces Agreement which has allowed the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) to hunt down the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group in the jungles of eastern DRC.

The same cannot be said for Rwanda whose deployment of the country’s army as part of the East African Joint Regional Forces has been objected to by DRC.

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The Democratic Republic of Congo representatives at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) have boycotted a retreat of the members of the regional body that is being held in Kampala, […]

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UAE firms troop into Tanzania after President Samia’s visit

Posted on Business, Posts, Tanzaniaby Erick Omondi

Two more United Arab Emirates companies have made in-roads into Tanzania, following President Samia Suluhu’s trip to the Gulf country last year to seek business.

On February 6, the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) and UAE-based Blue Carbon LCC announced a joint environmental conservation programme to promote sustainable forest management practices while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

It came after state-owned Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) on January 27 signed a memorandum of understanding with Tanzania’s Ministry of Energy to invest up to $500 million in expanding the national imports gateway for fuel products and related storage facilities.

Presidential seal

President Samia’s administration has made the UAE a top target of its international economic diplomacy agenda since she assumed power two years ago. During an official visit to Dubai in February 2022, she made a personal appearance at the Expo Dubai festival where 36 bilateral MoUs were signed between Tanzania and UAE authorities for total investments of $7.49 billion.

The deals involved energy, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and transport technology sectors. Tangible results of that trip have so far included a $500 million deal for Dubai-based logistics firm DP World to improve ICT and other infrastructural systems at Tanzania’s seaports and another agreement for UAE renewable energy firm Masdar to oversee the development of up to 2GW of renewable energy in Tanzania.

Oil terminal project

Tanzania also reached a formal agreement with UAE authorities in September last year to remove double taxation hurdles in mutual trade, investment and social interactions including labour payments, education exchanges (student bursaries) and sports matters.

A preliminary MoU for the latest oil terminal project was signed between ENOC Group CEO Saif Humaid Al Falasi and Tanzania’s Energy Minister January Makamba in Dodoma on January 27 and ministry officials later said formal negotiations would start “soon” on the project requirements and a detailed implementation framework.

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Two more United Arab Emirates companies have made in-roads into Tanzania, following President Samia Suluhu’s trip to the Gulf country last year to seek business. On February 6, the Tanzania […]

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Media Services Act amendments to be tabled  today

Posted on East Africa, Media, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

THE suspended bill of the amendments of Media Services Act of 2016 will be tabled in the National Assembly for the first reading today, the Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology Nape Nnauye revealed on Thursday.

The development comes after the Director of Information Services and Chief Government Spokesperson, Mr Gerson Msigwa, announced on Tuesday  that  the long-awaited amendments of the Media Services Act of 2016 has been pushed forward to the forthcoming budget session of the National Assembly slated to start in April, this year.

The suspension triggered complaints from the Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF) on why the delay was necessary in the amendment process.

Addressing the media in Dodoma, Mr Nnauye urged the media stakeholders to continue having faith in the government, especially on the process of amending the provisions of the Act.

The Minister said that the amendments will be read today in the National Assembly following the cancellation of Universal Health Coverage bill which was scheduled to be  tabled  in Parliament.

“The amendments of the  Act  was suspended due to limited time but the cancellation of Universal Health bill pushes information bill to be read tomorrow (today)” he said

However, he urged the media stakeholders to cooperate with the government if there are issues that need clarification.

“I call upon media stakeholders to cooperate with the government on issues related to the amendment of the Media Services Act rather than discouraging journalists and Tanzanians in general with news that have not been well researched,” he said.

He added that in ensuring freedom of information and expression, the sixth phase government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan has spared no effort in improving relations with the Media as well as ensuring freedom of expression.

“President Samia has made a lot of efforts to improve the media sector including meeting with media stakeholders and discussing the challenges of the media law and advising them to propose amendments to the law,” he added

Last year Mr Nnauye announced that the government is planning to amend the Media Services Act as part of its efforts to uphold the welfare of journalists and the media industry at large.

“The aim for the amendments is to provide a conducive working environment for journalists through which their freedom and rights will be promoted and protected,” Mr Nnauye said.

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THE suspended bill of the amendments of Media Services Act of 2016 will be tabled in the National Assembly for the first reading today, the Minister for Information, Communication and […]

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Air Tanzania plane held in the Netherlands in row over land title

Posted on Business, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

A plane belonging to Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) has been seized in the Netherlands after a Swedish firm won a $165 million award against Tanzania due to a revoked land title in the Bagamoyo sugar project.

It is still not clear exactly which particular aircraft on ATCL’s fleet has been seized and under what circumstances.

However, on Wednesday, the government dispelled fears of the possible attachment of an ATCL plane by a Dutch court, with the Attorney-General Eliezer Feleshi saying everything was under control.

Dr Feleshi confirmed to The Citizen that a Swedish firm that won a $165 million award against Tanzania had persuaded the court to uphold the attachment of the aircraft despite the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) having issued a stay of execution, pending annulment proceedings.

“It’s true that they went to court in the Netherlands after we had successfully appealed to the ICSID for a stay of execution. Everything is under control,” he said.

Appealed court’s decision

Dr Feleshi added that the government had already appealed against the Dutch court’s decision but declined to offer further details.

“I can’t disclose further details. Let’s be patient as the matter is in court.”

Tanzania has argued that the attachment is unlawful because it was obtained a day after the state petitioned the ICSID to annul EcoDevelopment’s award.

But the judge reasoned that the ICSID’s provisional stay of execution of the award only took effect on the date the institution registered the state’s annulment request.

EcoDevelopment, which is owned by 18 Swedish nationals, brought its ICSID claim in 2017 under the Sweden-Tanzania bilateral investment treaty.

That came after the government decided to unilaterally revoke the land title for a sugar project in Bagamoyo.

The case commenced at the ICSID, a World Bank organ based in Washington.

The land title revocation was a major blow to the Swedish company, which had for over ten years worked to develop the project and invested $52 million in a ready-to-go project for local production of sugar, renewable electricity and fuel.

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A plane belonging to Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) has been seized in the Netherlands after a Swedish firm won a $165 million award against Tanzania due to a revoked […]

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KCB floats first Islamic bond worth $4.4 million in Tanzania

Posted on Business, Kenya, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

KCB Bank Tanzania has floated its first Islamic bond worth Tsh10 billion ($4.4 million) to fund its Sahl banking asset portfolio.

The Sharia-compliant paper was opened on November 9 and closes on December 5.

“KCB Fursa Sukuk provides opportunities for Tanzanian and non-Tanzanian individuals, retailers, corporations and institutions to invest in the capital markets for three years at an expected return of 8.75 per cent per annum, quarterly,” KCB Tanzania managing director Cosmas Kimaro said in a statement.

The minimum initiation investment is set at Tsh500,000 (about $218).

The bank will list the paper on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange after the ongoing initial public offer.

KCB joins NMB Bank and the National Bank of Commerce in offering bonds this year.

NMB floated its Tsh25 billion ($10.9 million) Jasiri bond to finance women-led businesses, with NBC’s Twiga bond targeting to raise Tsh300 billion ($131 million) for funding small and medium enterprises.

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KCB Bank Tanzania has floated its first Islamic bond worth Tsh10 billion ($4.4 million) to fund its Sahl banking asset portfolio. The Sharia-compliant paper was opened on November 9 and […]

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Tanzania in five-year plan to eradicate malaria scourge

Posted on Health, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania is now banking on support from the USA to end the scourge of malaria — one of the world’s biggest killer diseases — by 2027.

The new five-year anti-malaria programme to combat malaria infections, both in Tanzania mainland and in Zanzibar, targets destruction of breeding points for mosquitoes, the vectors that help malaria parasites to spread.

It also targets strengthening of healthcare systems, including readiness to deal with emergency cases.

The programme is based on seed funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

In Zanzibar, a $27 million boost will target the Tanzania Malaria Case Management (TMCM) programme, which falls under the US president’s plan to combat malaria.

This newly launched malaria control project would also help Zanzibar to reduce its overall malaria prevalence by 2027, then achieve a total zero-malaria as part of the island’s initiatives to improve the welfare of its people. This is then expected to contribute to improved tourism business through a healthy environment.

Make Zanzibar malaria-free

“The 2022-2027 TMCM project will accelerate our struggle to make Zanzibar a malaria-free area, with great hope to extend to the mainland,” Zanzibar’s Health Minister Nassor Ahmed Mazrui said.

“Health safety is a major tourist consideration when tourists consider taking a safari in Africa. Malaria prevalence is one of the major tropical diseases that tourists are conscious about and in many cases, a deterring factor,” Mazrui noted.

Over 45 million people in Tanzania are at risk of malaria because of the climate and topography. The US government funding helped reduce malaria prevalence from 18 per cent in 2015 to 7 per cent in 2022, the latest available data from USAID indicates.

Since 2006, the US government has contributed more than $661 million (Tsh1.5 trillion) to combat malaria in Tanzania, USAID said in its latest report.

Tanzania is currently implementing a five-year malaria surveillance activity (TMSA) between August 2022 to August 2027 through the Ifakara Health Institute, which aims at reducing the malaria burden and moving towards elimination of the disease.

Skilled health workers

MNSP also targets to improve availability of skilled health providers and high-quality testing services to control the spread of malaria in Tanzania.

Tanzanian Minister for Health Ummy Mwalimu said the government, in collaboration with major donors in the health sector, has been running preventive campaigns against malaria.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had placed Tanzania among 17 countries with high rates of infections globally.

Data from the Ministry of Health indicate that malaria cases have dropped from 7.7 million patients in 2015 to 4.4 million patients in 2021.

Deaths from malaria have reduced from 6,311 in 2015 to 1,905 in 2021, data from the Ministry of Health shows.

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Tanzania is now banking on support from the USA to end the scourge of malaria — one of the world’s biggest killer diseases — by 2027. The new five-year anti-malaria […]

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Death toll rises to 19 after Precision Air plane plunges into Lake Victoria in Tanzania

Posted on Business, News, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

The death toll from Sunday’s plane crash in Tanzania has jumped to 19, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said, after the Precision Air flight with dozens of passengers aboard plunged into Lake Victoria while approaching the northwestern city of Bukoba.

“All Tanzanians are with you in mourning the 19 people who lost lives during this accident,” Majaliwa told a crowd after arriving at Bukoba airport, where the flight had been scheduled to land from financial capital Dar es Salaam.

Regional authorities earlier said that 26 survivors out of the 43 people on board flight PW 494 had been pulled to safety and taken to hospital in the lakeside city.

But Precision Air, a publicly-listed company which is Tanzania’s largest private carrier, said in a statement that 24 people had survived the accident, with an airline official telling AFP that the other two hospitalised patients were not aboard the plane to begin with.

“There are two people who were injured during rescue efforts who have been counted as survivors but they were not passengers,” he said on condition of anonymity.

The airline said it had dispatched rescuers and investigators to the scene and expressed its “deepest sympathies” over the accident, which occurred at around 08:53 am (0553 GMT) on Sunday.

The company said the aircraft was an ATR 42-500, manufactured by Toulouse-based Franco-Italian firm ATR, and had 39 passengers — including an infant — and four crew members on board.

Video footage broadcast on local media showed the plane largely submerged as rescuers, including fishermen, waded through water to bring people to safety.

Emergency workers attempted to lift the aircraft out of the water using ropes, assisted by cranes as residents also sought to help.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her condolences to those affected by the accident, saying: “We pray to god to help us.”

The disaster ranks among the deadliest plane crashes in the East African nation’s history.

Condolences

The US embassy in Dar es Salaam released a statement, paying tribute to “the heroic efforts of first responders, especially ordinary citizens who helped rescue victims.”

The African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat also shared his condolences, as did the secretary general of the regional East African Community bloc, Peter Mathuki.

“Our hearts and prayers go to the families of passengers on-board a plane that crashed into Lake Victoria, with our full solidarity to the Government & people of #Tanzania,” Faki wrote on Twitter.

“The East African Community joins and sends our condolences to Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan, families and friends of all those who were affected by the Precision Air plane accident,” Mathuki said, also on Twitter.

Precision Air, which is partly owned by Kenya Airways, was founded in 1993 and operates domestic and regional flights as well as private charters to popular tourist destinations such as Serengeti National Park and the Zanzibar archipelago.

The accident comes five years after 11 people died when a plane belonging to safari company Coastal Aviation crashed in northern Tanzania.

In March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi plunged six minutes after take-off into a field southeast of the Ethiopian capital, killing all 157 people on board.

The disaster, five months after a similar crash in Indonesia, triggered the global grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX model of jet for 20 months, before it returned to service in late 2020.

In 2007, a Kenya Airways flight from the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan to Kenya’s capital Nairobi crashed into a swamp after take-off, killing all 114 passengers.

In 2000, another Kenya Airways flight from Abidjan to Nairobi crashed into the Atlantic Ocean minutes after take-off, killing 169 people while 10 survived.

A year earlier, a dozen people, including 10 US tourists, died in a plane crash in northern Tanzania while flying between Serengeti National Park and the Kilimanjaro airport.

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The death toll from Sunday’s plane crash in Tanzania has jumped to 19, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said, after the Precision Air flight with dozens of passengers aboard plunged into […]

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Tanzania exports cashew nuts to US as focus shifts to value addition

Posted on Business, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

A consignment of processed cashew nuts from Tanzania to the United States left the country on Monday as the East African nation seeks to move away from exporting raw nuts to value-added ones.

The eight-tonne cargo of processed cashew nuts was dispatched to New Orleans, Louisiana via the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.

In October this year, a 20-foot container carrying 7.5 metric tonnes of branded consumer packaged cashew nuts left Mtwara for the US.

The exporter is Ward Holdings Tanzania Limited (WTH), a subsidiary of Ward Holdings International, a Michigan-based global market development and investment company.

While flagging off the cargo, Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Agriculture Anthony Mavunde said WTH is supportive of the government’s plan to ensure that by 2025, 60 per cent of Tanzania’s cashew nuts are processed locally.

Currently, the country processes less than 10 per cent of its cashew nuts, with the remainder being exported raw.

More jobs for youth

“If our plan succeeds, it will mean increasing new industries and creating more jobs for our youth,” he said.

Mr Robert Adrian Raines, the American embassy representative, said the shipment represented the growing business relationship between Tanzania and the US. 

“This step will boost the wellbeing of cashew nut farmers and promote their crop,” he said.

WHT President Godfrey Simbeye described the occasion as a “historic moment of cashew nuts grown, harvested, and consumer-packaged in Tanzania being exported directly for the first time from farmers in Tanzania to the US marketplace”.

Mr Simbeye assured the gathering, which included business leaders, that Ward Holdings International is a reputed American market maker, which is “committed to the advancement of Tanzanian interests through industrialisation of its agriculture industry and high-value crops”.

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A consignment of processed cashew nuts from Tanzania to the United States left the country on Monday as the East African nation seeks to move away from exporting raw nuts […]

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Tanzania President Samia arrives in China for state visit

Posted on Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu has arrived in Beijing, China for a state visit that seeks to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

President Suluhu arrived at Peking International Airport, Beijing on November 2 for the official visit that ends on Friday, November 4.

The visit is expected to focus on key areas of cooperation between Tanzania and China.  These include agriculture, industrial development, trade and infrastructure.

President Suluhu’s visit follows an official invitation by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will host a welcoming ceremony for President Suluhu.

The two leaders will later hold bilateral talks and jointly attend a signing ceremony of cooperation documents, according to a statement issued last week by Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Mao Ning said.

President Suluhu is also expected to meet with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. She will also meet Mr Li Zhanshu, the chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

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Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu has arrived in Beijing, China for a state visit that seeks to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries. President Suluhu arrived at Peking International Airport, […]

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Tanzania’s population expanded 16 million in a decade

Posted on Health, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania’s population expanded by 16 million in ten years to 61.7 million, President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced from Dodoma on Monday.

President Suluhu said the census results showed there are  59.8 million in Tanzania mainland and 1.9 million in the Zanzibar islands.

Of the total population, 31.7 million are females, and 30 million are males.

Dar es Salaam is the most populous region, with 5.38 million people, followed by Mwanza with 3.69 inhabitants.

The Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics conducted the Population and Housing Census (PHC), the sixth since independence in 1964, from August 23 to September 4.

Tanzania’s population stood at 44.9 million in the 2012 census.

President Suluhu also launched the 10-year National Directive for the Implementation of the 2022 Census that will span from November to October 2032.

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Tanzania’s population expanded by 16 million in ten years to 61.7 million, President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced from Dodoma on Monday. President Suluhu said the census results showed there are  […]

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Tanzanian gas pipeline to cut cost for Kenyans

Posted on Business, Kenya, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

The Kenyan government has announced plans to speed up construction of the proposed gas pipeline from Tanzania in an effort to cut prices of cooking gas.

President William Ruto on Monday said the 600-kilometre pipeline that Kenya will use to import gas from the Mtwara plant in Tanzania is a priority item, a pronouncement that looks set to end a delay of over one year.

The pipeline whose cost is estimated at Ksh132 billion ($1.1 billion) is part of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Natural Gas Transportation that former President Uhuru Kenyatta signed with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu in May last year.

Importation of gas from Tanzania will offer Kenya an alternative to lowering the cost of cooking gas.

“We will expedite the gas pipeline from Dar es Salaam to Mombasa and eventually to Nairobi so that we can use the resources that we have in our to lower energy tariffs both for commercial and domestic use in Kenya,” Mr Ruto said on Monday in a joint briefing with Ms Suluhu.

“We will ensure that what the Government of Kenya is required to do will be done in a timely, efficient and effective manner so that in the shortest time possible we can access the gas resources that you have in your country.”

The project to be funded through Public Private Partnership (PPP) will, upon completion, allow Kenya tap the vast natural gas deposits of Tanzania and lower the cost of cooking gas and also electricity prices.

The 13-kilogramme cooking gas has shot up to Sh3,400 while the six-kilogramme is going for Sh1,500 at the back of global rally in crude prices and the re-introduction of the six percent Value Added Tax on the commodity.

Kenya re-introduced 16 percent VAT on cooking gas in July last year and coupled with the global jump in cost of crude, led to a surge in prices of the commodity.

The tax was halved this year after a public uproar but oil marketers have failed to pass on the tax reduction to consumers.

Unlike diesel, super and kerosene, prices of cooking gas are not controlled by the State leaving consumers at the mercy of oil dealers.

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The Kenyan government has announced plans to speed up construction of the proposed gas pipeline from Tanzania in an effort to cut prices of cooking gas. President William Ruto on […]

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Tanzania, Qatar sign deals on infrastructure and energy

Posted on Business, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania have signed an agreement with Qatar to boost trade and investment relations between the two states as President Samia continues with her official visit to Doha. She arrived in Qatar on October.

The tripartite deal was signed on Thursday in Doha by Mohamed Bin Ahmed Twar Al Kuwari, the First Vice-Chairman of Chambers of Commerce, President of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) Paul Koyi, and Ali Suleiman Amour, the Chairman of the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC).

Tanzanian Chamber of Commerce president Paul Koyi, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Qatar’s Chamber of Commerce vice chairman Mohamed Bin Ahmed Twar Al Kuwari and Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce Ali Suleiman Amour in Doha on October 6, 2022. PHOTO | STATE HOUSE TANZANIA

“The objective of the MoU is to enhance trade and investment cooperation and partnership between business communities from Tanzania and Qatar, particularly in the areas of tourism and hospitality, infrastructure and energy,” noted Zuhura Yunus, Director of Presidential Communications.

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan also held talks with Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Qatar’s Finance Minister, on double taxation between two countries particularly on investments, gas sector, livestock, tourism and agriculture.

The two countries agreed to share expertise on emergency and trauma care.

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Tanzania have signed an agreement with Qatar to boost trade and investment relations between the two states as President Samia continues with her official visit to Doha. She arrived in […]

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Tanzania screens travelers, trains communities on Ebola prevention

Posted on Health, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania has begun training border communities on preventive measures as well as screening passengers following the Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Uganda.

The trainings for local communities in eight district councils in Kagera region, northern Tanzania, are being carried out by health services officers.

The country has been on high alert since Uganda confirmed an outbreak on its soil.

Read: Tanzanian doctor becomes second health worker to die of Ebola in Uganda

Early this week, Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu and medical experts visited the region and ordered local officials to deny entry into the hinterlands to anyone infected with or suspected to have Ebola—the patients will, instead, be taken to designated camps for quarantine.

Ministry reports show that about 6,000 people have been screened at the border, among them 500 truck drivers.

Tanzania has not recorded any cases of Ebola, said Beatrice Mutayoba, the Director of Disease Control from the Ministry. However, the country is taking precautionary measures to prevent and, if need be, combat the Ebola Virus Disease.

So far, Uganda has so far recorded 44 cases of Ebola infections and 10 deaths, among them health workers.

Read: Ebola survivors to forego sex for 90 days

Ugandan Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng has urged all health workers to wear protective gear in the course of duty to prevent infections.

The country has also called for mask wearing and hand washing to prevent spread of Ebola, which is transmitted from person to person through contact with an infected person’s fluids. The virus can also be transmitted through infected animals. Its main symptoms include being fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.

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Tanzania has begun training border communities on preventive measures as well as screening passengers following the Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Uganda. The trainings for local communities in eight district councils in Kagera […]

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Relief for Tanzanians as fuel prices drop further

Posted on Business, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania has announced another drop in fuel pump prices as the global industry continues to stabilise.

From Wednesday, motorists in different parts of Dar es Salaam will now purchase a litre of petrol at Tsh2,886 ($1.23), Tsh133 ($0.5) less than September prices, the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) said.

Residents will spend Tsh3,083 ($1.32) for a litre of diesel, which is Tsh275 ($0.12) less than previous petrol price, and buy a litre of Kerosene at Tsh3,275 ($1.40).

In Mtwara, a litre of petrol now goes for as low as Tsh2,908 ($1.24) and diesel Tsh3,099 ($1.33), while in Tanga a litre of petrol will retail at Tsh2,924 ($1.25) and diesel at Tsh3,108 ($1.34).

“The world oil prices for August 2022 that have been used for computation of local fuel prices in October 2022 decreased by 7.4 percent for petrol, 3.9 percent for diesel and 1.9 percent kerosene as compared with prices for July 2022,” said EWURA Director-General Modestus Lumato.

Fuel and other petroleum products hit a new high in May, affected by the Russia-Ukraine war and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The hike in fuel prices forced Tanzania to issue a Tsh59.58 billion ($25.56 million) subsidy to help reduce the burden on consumers.

The most expensive selling point remains Kyerwa district in Kagera region on the border with Rwanda and Uganda where petrol now costs Tsh3,102 ($1.33), diesel Tsh3,298 ($1.41) and kerosene Tsh3,491 ($1.49) per litre.

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Tanzania has announced another drop in fuel pump prices as the global industry continues to stabilise. From Wednesday, motorists in different parts of Dar es Salaam will now purchase a […]

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President Samia drops Mulamula in mini Cabinet reshuffle

Posted on News, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Sunday made changes to her cabinet, a few months after she reshuffled the cabinet in April.

In the new changes announced in a statement by the Directorate of Presidential Communication, Ms Stergomena Tax has been appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs and East Africa Cooperation, replacing Liberata Mulamula.

Prior to the new appointment Ms Tax served as the Defence Minister, being the first woman to head the docket.

Innocent Bashungwa, who was the Minister of State in the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government, has been moved to the Defence ministry taking over from MS Tax.

President Samia also appointed Ms Angela Kairuki to replace Bashungwa at President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government.

The new appointees are scheduled to take oath of office on Monday at State House Dar es Salaam.

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Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Sunday made changes to her cabinet, a few months after she reshuffled the cabinet in April. In the new changes announced in a statement […]

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Tanzania, DR Congo rank poorly on digital life quality: report

Posted on Democratic Republic of Congo, Lifestyle, Stories, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Tanzania are among the countries with the worst digital quality of life globally, occasioned by slow internet speed, high costs of internet, and other factors.

The 2022 Digital Quality of Life Index, produced by Dutch network company Surfshark, reveals that DRC citizens have the least digital wellbeing, out of the 117 countries surveyed, with Tanzania ranking 107.

The index measures the quality or speed and affordability of internet in the countries along with the availability and strength of electronic infrastructure, security, and government.

Kenya was ranked the highest in East Africa, but 78th globally, with Uganda coming second in the region and 98th globally. There was no data on Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan.

DRC came last, particularly in electronic infrastructure which assesses how developed and inclusive a country’s digital infrastructure is; and in electronic government that assesses how advanced and digitised the government services are.

Kinshasa also came last in electronic security, which measures how safe and protected people feel while in the digital space in the country. Uganda was ranked to have the second least affordable internet globally.

According to the Surfshark report, electronic infrastructure and government are the leading determinants of citizens’ digital well-being, as many countries that ranked low in these also ranked low in the overall index 92 percent of the time.

Internet affordability and quality are the least important factors of the quality of life, the report says.

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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Tanzania are among the countries with the worst digital quality of life globally, occasioned by slow internet speed, high costs of internet, and […]

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Tanzanian wanted in Kenya for killing colleague over ugali

Posted on Food, Kenya, Stories, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Kenyan police are looking for a Tanzanian suspected of stabbing his colleague at a gold-mining site in Narok in a dispute over a bowl of ugali.

Narok County Police Commander Kizito Mutoro said the two men were having supper after a long day at the Got Kabong mines in Transmara West on Thursday when the incident happened.

“It was reported that while they were taking the meal, an argument ensued between Mr Mungare Busene, 27, and another only identified Magige, 23, (both Tanzanians) over ugali they were eating,” Mr Mutoro said.

It is believed that Mr Busene picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed Mr Magige in the left leg, inflicting a serious deep injury.

“Mr Magige was rushed to Lolgorian Level Four Hospital, where he was pronounced dead while undergoing treatment,” Mr Mutoro said.

After the attack, the suspect went into hiding.

Police are investigating the incident and are pursuing the suspect.

The body of the victim was taken to the mortuary at the same hospital.

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Kenyan police are looking for a Tanzanian suspected of stabbing his colleague at a gold-mining site in Narok in a dispute over a bowl of ugali. Narok County Police Commander […]

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Tanzanian Maasais lose case on relocation from game reserve

Posted on News, Stories, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

A regional court on Friday ruled that Tanzania’s decision to cordon off land for wildlife protection was legal, dealing a blow to Maasai pastoralists who had protested the move, two lawyers for the community said.

The nomadic community in Loliondo in the northern district of Ngorongoro has accused the government of trying to force them off their ancestral land in order to organise safaris and hunting expeditions.

Read: Tanzania removes Maasais out of Ngorongoro

But the government has rejected the accusations, claiming it wants to “protect” 1,500 square kilometres (580 square miles) of the area from human activity.

After several postponements, the Arusha-based East African Court of Justice upheld the government’s decision, a lawyer for the Maasai told AFP.

“Unfortunately, the court ruled against us,” Esther Mnaro said.

“They have delivered a very impugned judgement,” another lawyer, Yonas Masiaya, told AFP.

Read: Tanzania ends hunting deal with Dubai royal family

Kenyan Maasai community members protest in solidarity with their counterparts from Ngorongoro conservation in Tanzania facing eviction at Namanga town on June 17, 2022. PHOTO | NMG

The Maasai had asked the court to “stop the evictions, the arrest, detention or persecution” of their members and demanded a billion Tanzanian shillings ($430,000) as damages.

The three-judge bench said no compensation was due, Mnaro said.

They “decided that there… was no loss of property and none of these people were injured during the evictions, but our evidence and our witnesses had said totally different things.”

Mnaro said the community would decide whether to appeal.

There was no immediate reaction to the ruling from the government, which had previously argued that the Arusha court did not have jurisdiction to hear the matter.

Also read: Court criticised for entertaining Serengeti case without evidence

Tensions have soared in recent months with violent clashes breaking out in June in Loliondo between police and Maasai demonstrators.

More than two dozen Maasai protesters were charged with murder over the death of a policeman in the clashes.

Tanzania has historically allowed indigenous communities such as the Maasai to live within some national parks, including the Ngorongoro conservation area, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

But the authorities say their growing population is encroaching on wildlife habitat and began moving the pastoralists out of Ngorongoro in June, calling it a voluntary relocation.

Read: ULIMWENGU: Trouble in Ngorongoro paradise and MPs see no evil

The relocation has sparked concern, with a team of UN-appointed independent rights experts warning in June that “it could jeopardise the Maasai’s physical and cultural survival.”

Since 1959, the number of humans living in Ngorongoro has shot up from 8,000 to more than 100,000.

The livestock population has grown even more quickly, from around 260,000 in 2017 to over one million today.

As climate change leads to prolonged droughts and low crop yields, pressure on the pastoralists has increased, forcing them into conflict with wildlife over access to food and water.

In 2009, thousands of Maasai families were moved out of Loliondo to allow an Emirati safari company, Ortelo Business Corporation, to organise hunting expeditions there.

Read: Dar to crackdown on illegal Kenyan Maasais

The government cancelled that deal in 2017, following allegations of corruption.

The East Africa Court of Justice came into force in 2001 to ensure adherence to the laws establishing the seven-nation East African Community bloc, made up of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

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A regional court on Friday ruled that Tanzania’s decision to cordon off land for wildlife protection was legal, dealing a blow to Maasai pastoralists who had protested the move, two […]

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Dar, Mombasa in race to attract more cargo business

Posted on Business, Kenya, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Dar es Salaam and Mombasa, the largest ports in East Africa, are in a race to attract more sea bound cargo and imports into the region.

While Dar projects to handle 30 million tonnes by 2030, its competitor, Mombasa, is undergoing expansion to increase its capacity to 47 million tonnes.

Read: Competition from new East Africa ports boon for importers

These emerged during a visit by the board members of the East African Business Council (EABC) to Tanzania’s largest port, which last year handled 17.03 million tonnes.

“We envision to boost capacity to 30 million tonnes by 2030,” said the director general of Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) Plasduce Mbossa during the Friday visit.

TPA has set up a One Stop Centre at the Dar port housing import and export agencies to boost capacity. The logistics centre will improve the Dar es Salaam port performance, he said during a briefing to board members led by chairperson Angela Ngalula.

Read:Kenya seeks to regain fuel business from Dar with its new reserve in Mombasa

The board members visited the port for updates on trade facilitation activities at the Dar port, which has undergone various improvements recently.

The Dar port serves land-locked countries—Malawi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda—and also handles more than 80 percent of cargo destined for inland Tanzania.

The port’s main competitor in the East African Community (EAC) bloc is Kenya’s Mombasa port, which also serves Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and other landlocked countries.

Read: Kinshasa enters shipping business, set to rock EA boats

According to information contained in its website, the Mombasa port is currently undergoing expansion to raise its capacity to 47 million tonnes by 2030.

Kenya has also given incentives to other states, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to keep doing business using the Mombasa port.

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Dar es Salaam and Mombasa, the largest ports in East Africa, are in a race to attract more sea bound cargo and imports into the region. While Dar projects to handle 30 […]

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Catholic priest in court over sexual abuse of students in Tanzania

Posted on News, Posts, Stories, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

A Catholic priest was arraigned Monday at the Resident Magistrate’s Court in Moshi over allegations of raping and sexually assaulting more than 10 children.

He had been in police custody since September 20.

His arraignment came after he was accused of giving a Standard Six pupil and a Form One student Tsh3,000 ($1.29) and Tsh5,000 ($2.14), respectively, for sexual favours.

The children had been attending First Holy Communion and Confirmation classes.

Regional Commissioner Nurdin Babu said “it is a disgraceful incident”.

Parents had raised the alarm that the priest had abused many students and planned to march in protest to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa’s office before the priest was arrested.

Sources said that the parents had reported the allegations to the leadership of the Catholic Church in Moshi and to the police.

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A Catholic priest was arraigned Monday at the Resident Magistrate’s Court in Moshi over allegations of raping and sexually assaulting more than 10 children. He had been in police custody […]

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Stiffer penalties for human traffickers in Tanzania

Posted on Lifestyle, News, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania has approved amendments to the local anti-human trafficking laws to include tougher penalties such as lifetime jail-terms and fines of up to Tsh200 million ($86,000).

Attorney General Dr Eliezer Feleshi said the country needed to implement punitive measures to effectively shut down the vice.

Read: UK, Dar partner to fight child trafficking and abuse in Tanzania

Also read: 22 Kenyans rescued from human traffickers in Laos

The Human Trafficking (Amendment) Bill fixes a minimum jail term at 30 years for offenders of trafficking and hands judges free rein to impose a life sentence depending on the nature of the case.

“We have amended section 5(4) which showed that a convict may be jailed for 10 to 20 years to a minimum imprisonment of 30 years depending on the nature of the case,” the AG said last week.

Serial human traffickers may be handed life sentences while first offenders would pay Tsh100 million ($43,000) fine.

Read: Tackle escalating human trafficking in Horn of Africa, IOM says

Also read: UN uncovers human trafficking at refugee camp in Malawi

Najma Murtaza, the deputy chairperson for the Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs had suggested a tougher punishment to repeat trafficking offenders (serial traffickers).

Another MP, Salome Makamba said human traffickers were wealthy people, hence the need to hit them hard with large sums in fines.

“I want us to slap bigger fines because these are people with no economic problems,” she said.

Human traffickers are paid between $5,000 and $15,000 to transport a single person, mostly from Ethiopia and Somalia, through Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique to southern Africa states, a bulletin by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) indicates, suggesting existence of networks in these countries who collude to traffic people.

Read: Burundi, South Sudan: East Africa’s weak link in human trafficking

Also read: Human trade is alive and thriving across East Africa

The IOM estimates that over 15,000 illegal immigrants pass through Tanzania every year, mostly from Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi and Rwanda on transit to South Africa and its neighbouring states.

Other key destinations for their human cargoes are Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India and China, data from IMO showed.

Read: Covid-19 fueling rise in human trafficking, UN warns

Victims of serial traffickers are women and children for domestic work (household), crop farms, mines and the informal business sector.

Tanzania is a leading transit route for trafficking due to its geographical position and longer and porous land borders and the Indian Ocean routes with pirate ports in Zanzibar, Tanga, and Mtwara.

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Tanzania has approved amendments to the local anti-human trafficking laws to include tougher penalties such as lifetime jail-terms and fines of up to Tsh200 million ($86,000). Attorney General Dr Eliezer […]

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Tanzania scraps levy on electronic transactions after outcry

Posted on Business, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania has scrapped the recently introduced levies on electronic transactions following public outcry.

The decision was announced by the Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba, in Parliament on Tuesday when he was responding to questions from the legislators.

The government imposed the levy in July this year on bank withdrawals done over the counter, ATMs and interbank transfers and mobile wallets.

“The amendments made are to cancel the levies for transferring money from banks to mobile networks (both sides) and for transferring money within one bank,” he said.

Dr Nchemba said that the new changes would take effect on October 1.

He said the move aims to reduce the scope of charges, stimulate cash transactions, simplify levies and prevent double taxation.

The government has also cancelled levies on electronic money transfers from one bank to another.

Transaction fees for cash withdrawal through bank agents and ATMs for amounts not exceeding Tsh30,000 ($12.87) have also been waived.

At the same time, the government has abolished withholding tax on rental properties collected from tenants and instead returned the responsibility to the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA).

“I would like to emphasise that the withholding tax is not for the tenant but should be paid by the landlord who receives income from investment or rental business,” he said.

Dr Nchemba ordered the collected monies refunded from government expenditure savings so as not to affect services and development projects.

“Let’s cut tea, snacks, domestic and foreign trips for the officials of our ministries as the President (Samia Suluhu Hassan) has instructed. Let’s cut training, seminars, concerts, workshops,” he said.

“The government expected to collect approximately Tsh500 billion ($213.51 million) shillings from mobile and bank transactions levies,” said Dr Nchemba.

Tanzanians have been decrying the high costs, with businesses saying they have witnessed a decline in online purchases as people avoid electronic transactions.

The outcry led President Suluhu to direct a review.

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Tanzania has scrapped the recently introduced levies on electronic transactions following public outcry. The decision was announced by the Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba, in Parliament on […]

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Tanzanian minister calls for talks over water shortage in the capital

Posted on Health, Lifestyle, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania is organising a meeting of stakeholders to discuss ways of ending water shortage in the capital Dodoma.

Minister for Water Jumaa Aweso on Sunday announced plans to convene the meeting when he launched the third phase of the country’s Water Sector Development Program, a five-year initiative estimated to cost $6.5 billion.

He said the meeting will be attended by officials from the Ministry of Finance and Planning and development partners.

He, however, did not confirm when the meeting would take place.

Aweso said the national capital of Dodoma should be supplied with adequate water to meet the demands of a growing city.

Residents and leaders have for a long time complained of water crisis in Dodoma.

Earlier this year, Tanzania and the African Development Bank signed a $125.2 million loan agreement for a project that will help address water shortages in three districts in the country’s Dodoma region.

Read: Dar es Salaam hit by power, water rationing as rivers dry up

The Dodoma Resilient and Sustainable Water Development and Sanitation Program (Phase I) is set to benefit more than two million residents in the Bahi, Chemba and Chamwino districts, which have suffered droughts and recorded high population growth.

Last November, the country’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam faced power and water rationing blamed on low water volumes in rivers and dams following a drought.

The dire situation has prompted the Law and Human Rights Center (LHRC) to call on the government to take short and long-term measures to mitigate the situation.

The LHRC urged the government to adopt strategies to ensure sufficient supply of water, including digging deep wells, monitoring water sources and taking measures to ensure they work efficiently. The LHRC also urged the government to allocate a sufficient budget for water harvesting projects.

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Tanzania is organising a meeting of stakeholders to discuss ways of ending water shortage in the capital Dodoma. Minister for Water Jumaa Aweso on Sunday announced plans to convene the […]

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Tanzania constitution review team starts work on final report

Posted on News, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

The team formed to conduct public consultations on democratic reforms in Tanzania, as the quest for constitutional review gathers pace, says it has completed making public consultations and is compiling the views into a document to be presented to President Samia Suluhu, and the public.

The task force, chaired by Prof Rwekaza Mukandala, has been gathering the views through face-to-face interviews and written submissions in both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar since March this year.

Read: Task force elicits new debate in Tanzania

Prof Mukandala did not specify how long the final compilation would take, saying only that it was “a big job that needs enough time to be done properly”.

The task force was formed by the Registrar of Political Parties last December year and comprises representatives of various political parties, civil society organisations, academicians, clerics, lawyers and media workers representative groups.

Its initial mandate was to look into opposition party demands for a new Tanzanian constitution to replace the current one of 1977 and the adoption of independent elections regulatory system to ensure a level political field in future polls after years of dominance by the ruling CCM party.

The task force has the backing of the Tanzania Centre for Democracy, a cross-party think-tank that includes CCM and leading opposition party ACT-Wazalendo.

But it lost the support of other major parties like Chadema and NCCR Mageuzi after it recommended in its preliminary report in March that the new constitution review process be postponed until after the next election in 2025.

After the controversy, the task force mandate was expanded to gather views on democratic reform. Still, proposals related to the constitutional review and independent electoral body have continued to form the bulk of views brought before it.

Former prime minister Joseph Warioba, who led a previous constitutional review processes that aborted, said that a “stronger political will” was required to restart the process afresh.

Former president Jakaya Kikwete, who formed a Constitutional Assembly that was later dissolved, said President Samia had made a “wise decision” in allowing the formation of the task force as a way of “reducing political tensions in the country.”

“My hope is that the goal of political reconciliation that this exercise is aiming for will eventually come to fruition,” he stated.

Other views collected included those of Tanzania’s former Chief Justice Mohamed Chande who told a press briefing after his September 7 session that he had proposed constitutional amendments to allow for presidential election results to be challenged in court, as is the case with parliamentary poll results.

Tanzania’s current constitution was adopted in 1977 when the country was still a one-party state and has remained the blueprint for successive national elections despite constant opposition demands for amendments that acknowledge the advent of multi-party politics in 1992.

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The team formed to conduct public consultations on democratic reforms in Tanzania, as the quest for constitutional review gathers pace, says it has completed making public consultations and is compiling […]

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Tanzania’s Samia backs African Court building permanent premises in Arusha

Posted on Africa, News, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu has affirmed the country’s support for the African Court for Human and People’s Rights.

President Suluhu made the pledge when the court’s judges paid her a courtesy call at State House Dar es Salaam early this week.

Led by the court President, Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud, the delegation discussed the building of permanent premises for the Pan-African legal institution with the Tanzanian head of State.

The African Court, which executes duties from the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha, plans to move into its own permanent buildings.

Read: Treaty changes to give African court teeth

Currently, the African Court is hosted at the Tanzania National Parks’ premises in Majengo, Arusha.

Tanzania has since approved funds for the court’s building.

The National Assembly in Dodoma endorsed Tsh4 billion ($1.7 million) for the construction in the outskirts of Arusha.

The Tanzanian government has allocated about 25 hectares of land to the court along the Great North Road on the hill known as ‘Laki-Laki.’

Also read: Tanzania makes U-turn on African court pull out

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Tanzania President Samia Suluhu has affirmed the country’s support for the African Court for Human and People’s Rights. President Suluhu made the pledge when the court’s judges paid her a […]

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Tanzania slaps new rules on foreign grain traders

Posted on Business, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Kenyan grain traders seeking to import maize from Tanzania will now be required to register their companies in Dar es Salaam as the country imposes stricter rules to protect its commodities and jobs from shifting abroad.

The new measure by Tanzania will have an impact on Kenya’s food security as the country relies heavily on cross-border stocks from this East African nation to bridge the annual deficit.

A notice issued by Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture wants foreign traders to register their companies in Tanzania to enjoy better terms and ensure a smoother flow of their commodities across the border.

Tanzania’s Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe said in an interview with The Citizen that the country has not stopped the issuance of permits but has put in place processes to control the arbitrary export of grains.

Read: Tanzania dismisses claims of freezing maize export permits

The measures include the mandatory requirement to secure export permits and the need for foreign exporters to register their entities domestically.

“The ministry urges those who are not Tanzanians to register their companies and to follow the law of the land, so that they can benefit from doing grain business in the country,” said the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture in a notice.

Measures

Data from the Eastern Africa Grain Council shows imports from Tanzania nearly grew five-fold last year to 469,474 tonnes from 98,000 tonnes in 2020, making it the largest exporter of grain to the country.

The raft of measures issued by Tanzania a fortnight ago also makes it mandatory for importers and exporters of grain to register with the Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA) and obtain a trading permit.

Traders will also be required to present tax clearance certificate and show business permit issued by BRELA, allowing them to trade on grain before they are allowed to export the commodities.

Before this, Kenyan traders bringing in maize from Tanzania were only required to have export permits, according to United Grain Millers Association chairperson Ken Nyaga.

These strict conditions have seen traders cut on imports from Tanzania, worsening the situation locally, given limited supply of maize locally.

Some millers and animal feed manufacturers raised concerns early in the week that Tanzania had stopped issuing permits last week, cutting the supply of the grain locally.

However, Dar es Salaam has dismissed the claims surrounding the export permits, urging traders from Kenya to follow the right procedures.

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Kenyan grain traders seeking to import maize from Tanzania will now be required to register their companies in Dar es Salaam as the country imposes stricter rules to protect its […]

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Tanzania dismisses claims of freezing maize export permits

Posted on Business, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania has dismissed claims by Kenyan traders that it has frozen the issuance of new maize export permits, urging them to follow procedures.

“Tanzania hasn’t barred issuance of permits for maize exports and it is not planning to do so. Traders should follow crop export procedures including securing crop export permits that are issued free of charge,” said Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe told The Citizen on Wednesday.

“Between August 27 and September 7, 2022, Tanzania issued maize export permits for 37,450 tonnes of the product,” added Mr Bashe.

Agricultural produce exporters, he said, a required to secure an export permit and a phytosanitary certificate. Foreign exporters are required to register their companies in Tanzania.

“The challenge is that people don’t want to follow procedures. Foreigners would like to arbitrarily enter the farms in Tanzania and ferry the crop to their respective nations,” he said.

The minister said the procedures are to help control arbitrary crop business.

“These procedures have been put in place to prevent possible burden that could befall the government and the country in case there were challenges facing the produce in the international market,” he said.

The minister’s comments follow claims by Kenyan traders that Tanzania had stopped issuing permits since last week, a move that tightened the supply of the staple in Kenya.

Read: Tanzania freezes exports permits for Kenyan traders

Tanzania has for the last two years become a key source market for maize to bridge deficits especially after the two countries mended their trade ties with the change of regime last year following the death of former President John Magufuli.

Data from the Eastern Africa Grain Council shows Kenya imports from Tanzania nearly grew five-fold last year to 469,474 tonnes from 98,000 tonnes in 2020. The development has left processors jostling for stocks that are available locally and a few imports coming in from Zambia.

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Tanzania has dismissed claims by Kenyan traders that it has frozen the issuance of new maize export permits, urging them to follow procedures. “Tanzania hasn’t barred issuance of permits for […]

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New maize shock as Tanzania freezes exports permits for Kenyan traders

Posted on Business, Kenya, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania has frozen the issuance of new maize export permits for Kenyan traders in what could worsen the shortage of the product, which has driven prices of flour to historic highs.

Several millers and animal feed manufacturers in Kenya told Business Daily the neighbouring country stopped issuing permits last week, tightening the supply of the staple locally.

“We have been unable to get maize from Tanzania since last week after the country stopped issuing export permits to traders with the cutting off of stocks from Tanzania expected to push up the cost of flour,” said Ken Nyaga, the chairperson of the United Grain Millers Association.

John Gathogo, publicity secretary of the Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers, said their members are unable to get stocks from Tanzania as well following the move that has seen processors cut down on production.

Millers are issued with a one-off permit for grain export from Tanzania and they need to apply for a new one every time they intend to ship maize out of that country.

Tanzania has for the last two years become a key source market for maize to bridge deficits especially after the two countries mended their trade ties with the change of regime last year following the death of former President John Magufuli.

Data from the Eastern Africa Grain Council shows imports from Tanzania nearly grew five-fold last year to 469,474 tonnes from 98,000 tonnes in 2020. The development has left processors jostling for stocks that are available locally and a few imports coming in from Zambia. Tanzania restricts exports to protect its local stock following poor harvests.

Read: Kenya wants share of maize imports from Africa raised

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) said the maize coming in through the Namanga border has significantly declined, confirming that imports into the country at that point is originating from Zambia.

“We have witnessed a significant decline in maize coming in from Tanzania; on average we are now getting 10 trucks from a high of 80 trucks previously,” a Kebs official at the Namanga border said.

The move leaves Zambia as the only key source market for the produce to bridge the local deficit as most stocks from Uganda— also a key source — is now heading to South Sudan owing to high prices in Juba.

The shortage occasioned by Tanzanian ban will push up the price of maize locally to Ksh5,900 ($49.06) for a 90-kilogramme bag from Ksh5,400 ($44.91), according to millers.

Kenya has been relying on cross-border stocks from Tanzania and Uganda to meet the rising demand of flour after supply in the local market dwindled. The price of flour has jumped to Ksh210 ($1.75) for a two-kilo pack after the subsidy programme that lowered the cost to Ksh100 ($0.83) ended.

Countries in the region are competing for a limited white maize for flour and animal feeds.

$1 = Ksh120.25

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Tanzania has frozen the issuance of new maize export permits for Kenyan traders in what could worsen the shortage of the product, which has driven prices of flour to historic […]

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Tanzania begins weeklong population census

Posted on News, Posts, Stories, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania has launched a nationwide week-long population and housing census that will delve deeper than in the past to identify bona fide citizens, immigrants, refugees, foreign residents and passing visitors along with employment statuses and other livelihood engagements.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who designated Tuesday as a public holiday for the exercise, was the first to be enumerated at the Chamwino State House in the capital Dodoma.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is asking a raft of questions, about 100, related to age, gender, birthplace, residential status (ownership and tenancy), education, employment and financial inclusion status. It is also collecting details on marital status, reproductive health and technology use.

“I have been counted. It is true that the questions are more, but they can be answered,” President Suluhu told journalists at State House, where she urged citizens to familiarise themselves with the questions and have the necessary documents such as the national identity cards beforehand so they can answer quickly.

Read: Census: Tanzania lures hunter-gatherers with bush meat

The census commissar Anne Makinda said the exercise would run for seven days.

This year’s census is the first to be done digitally and will cost Tsh328 billion ($141 million). The census will also include housing and property statistics for the first time.

According to the concept documents, the findings will allow relevant authorities to streamline the provision of various social services and facilities according to more accurate estimations of different community, demographical and living environment needs.

Officials say the census findings will also be used to determine unemployment numbers, crime control requirements by area, and the sustainability of existing social security and pension systems.

Tanzania is estimated to have a population of between 55 and 65 million. In 2012, Tanzania reported 44.9 million people.

UN predictions have placed Tanzania’s population among the world’s eight fastest-growing countries over the next three decades.

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Tanzania has launched a nationwide week-long population and housing census that will delve deeper than in the past to identify bona fide citizens, immigrants, refugees, foreign residents and passing visitors […]

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Tanzania holds census with eye on 2025 election

Posted on News, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

The voting blocs and issue-based political campaigns are some of the issues that could emerge as Tanzania prepares to conduct a massive census in the country in a decade.

And while real political campaigns are three years away, most political aspirants may look at the contents of the upcoming census as a launchpad. This is because the registration of voters for Tanzania’s 2025 General Election will be based on data collected from this year’s population and housing census to be conducted nationwide on Tuesday, August 23, which is also a designated public holiday.

According to government officials, data on key factors such as age eligibility, citizenship status and specific area residency will be filed for future reference when verifying voters for the next poll in three years’ time.

Tanzania’s first substantive population and housing census in 10 years will seek to verify various unofficial figures. Those figures have variously put the country’s current population at between 55 and 65 million. In 2012, Tanzania reported 44.9 million people.

The upcoming census will be held against the backdrop of UN predictions that have placed Tanzania’s population to be among the world’s eight fastest-growing countries over the next three decades.

The census budget has been set at Tsh328 billion ($141 million).

According to official concept documents, this year’s census will also delve deeper than in the past to identify bona fide Tanzanian citizens, immigrants, refugees, foreign residents and passing visitors along with employment statuses and other livelihood engagements.

The Director of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Wilson Mahera, told The EastAfrican that the commission intends to use the census statistics obtained to conduct a fresh voter registration exercise ahead of the 2025 poll.

“We see this as the best way to ensure that all the voters are eligible given the kind of problems regarding age, citizenship, residency, etcetera that we have experienced in the past,” Mr Mahera said.

He said that NEC will use the data to identify eligible voters in all areas within each constituency in order to cut down on time for filling application forms and avoid complaints from contestants over alleged cheating and fraud like double voting at different polling stations.

The current voter registration process basically requires eligible voters to be citizens and permanent residents of a respective voting station aged 18 years or above.

Read: Samia’s 2025 election plan: CCM brings back veterans

Electronic storage

The latest census will also include housing and property statistics for the first time. The exercise will be done digitally instead of manually as has been the case in past censuses and all data collected will be electronically stored at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Data clerks will gather information for several days.

The questionnaire to be used in the exercise is composed of about 100 questions related to age, gender, birthplace, residential status (ownership and tenancy), education, employment and financial inclusion status, and other details.

According to the concept documents, the findings will also allow relevant authorities to streamline the provision of various social services and facilities according to more accurate estimations of different community, demographical and living environment needs.

This includes destitute and special needs groups such as the elderly and people with disabilities, schools and enrolment numbers, hospitals and fertility rates, individual household economies and access to health care and quality education, water and electricity.

Officials say the census findings will also be used to determine unemployment numbers, crime control requirements by area, and sustainability of existing social security and pension systems.

According to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, the data collected will also aid official updates of land surveys and demarcation boundaries for residential housing, commercial and industrial investments, and agricultural and livestock keeping activities including pastoral grazing land.

It will allow for proper identification of people living in informal settlements, particularly in urban areas, or on public land designated for other social services, the ministry said. Land use planning including plot allocations to local and foreign investors will also made easier to control incessant disputes and conflicts over ownership rights, it added.

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The voting blocs and issue-based political campaigns are some of the issues that could emerge as Tanzania prepares to conduct a massive census in the country in a decade. And […]

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Joint Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda power project nears completion

Posted on Burundi, Business, News, Rwanda, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

The Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project (RRFHP), a joint venture by Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi, is 95 percent done, with completion set for November this year.

The 80MW project was started in February 2012 to supply electricity to the three countries by December 2021 but was extended by two years following procurement flaws that increased its cost by over 20 percent.

Read: Rusumo power project delayed by two years

The three governments received $468 million worth of grants and loans from multiple development partners, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank, for the project.

Taking over the one-year rotational chairmanship at the weekend, Tanzania’s Energy minister January Makamba said the project is expected to catalyse development in the three countries.

Each country is expecting 26MW to be added directly to its national grid.

“This project shows the willingness of these countries to use natural resources to bring about the development of their citizens,” said Mr Makamba.

Respective governments expect the project to help plug power supply deficits. Rwanda specifically banks on the project to help reach its 100 per cent electrification target by 2024.

The project is located at the Tanzania-Rwanda border, Rusumo Falls.

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The Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project (RRFHP), a joint venture by Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi, is 95 percent done, with completion set for November this year. The 80MW project was […]

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Tanzania invites bids for SGR line to Burundi

Posted on Burundi, News, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania is inviting bids for the construction of the 367km Uvinza-Gitega line that will extend the Standard Gauge Railway to Burundi.

In an August 12 notice, interested parties have until November 15 to place their bids with the Tanzania Railways Corporation, to design and build the line from Uvinza in western Tanzania to Burundi’s administrative capital of Gitega.

The TRC said funds have already been set aside by both governments for the bilateral project to take off within the 2022/2023 financial year.

“It is intended that part of the proceeds of the funds will be used to cover eligible payments for contracts under the D&B [Design and Build] arrangement,” TRC said in the notice.

The project will involve 282km of the main line and 85km of siding/passing loops. Lot 1 will cover 180km from Uvinza to Malagarasi within Tanzania, and Lot 2 will cover 187km across the border to Musongati and then Gitega.

The project has been in the pipeline since January, when the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on initial cost estimates of $900 million.

The notice said that although the Uvinza-Gitega link project will be supervised jointly with ARTF in Burundi, the TRC will be in charge of all related procurements on behalf of both governments.

Extension

The line will be an extension of Tanzania’s ongoing $7.6 billion SGR project, providing Burundi with a link to the port of Dar es Salaam through the central corridor.

The line is expected to significantly lessen the costs of transporting Burundian goods.

Both countries are set to also benefit from increased cross-border trade via the railway line, and cargo volumes through the port of Dar es Salaam will be boosted.

Negotiations for similar SGR links with Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are ongoing.

At the signing of the agreement, Burundi’s Minister for Works and Infrastructure Deogratius Nsanganiyumwami said the link would allow the country to increase its cargo export volumes through Dar es Salaam to at least three million tonnes of minerals and one million tonnes of other cargo annually.

Burundi currently ships 99.2 percent of its international cargo through the port of Dar es Salaam, and Rwanda ships 86 percent, according to Tanzania Ports Authority figures.

Tanzania’s 1,637km SGR line is being built in phases by contractors from Turkey and China. The first phase from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro (300km) is set to start operating next year following successful test runs.

SOURCE

Tanzania is inviting bids for the construction of the 367km Uvinza-Gitega line that will extend the Standard Gauge Railway to Burundi. In an August 12 notice, interested parties have until […]

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Rotavirus childhood vaccine shortage hits Kenya, Tanzania

Posted on Health, Kenya, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Supplies of a vaccine to prevent the deadly rotavirus infection in children have either run out in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Cameroon or are close to doing so, officials close to the roll-out told Reuters, after disruptions at drugmaker GSK.

The World Health Organization estimates that up to 200,000 children die each year of the highly contagious infection, which is the leading cause globally of severe, dehydrating gastroenteritis in children under the age of five. 

Officials in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Cameroon had no immediate response to requests for comment from Reuters.

GSK (GSK.L) confirmed that there is a shortfall of around 4 million doses of its Rotarix vaccine this year, with a drop to 42 million from an expected 46 million. The British drug maker had already cut its agreed deliveries by 10 million a year for the period 2022-2028, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said.

GSK acknowledged the fall in supply and said it was pursuing plans to address the deficit. “GSK communicated to Gavi earlier this year on manufacturing challenges leading to an unplanned, short-term drop in Rotarix production for 2022, for which priority mitigation plans are fully in place,” a GSK spokesperson told Reuters.

GSK did not give any further details on the manufacturing issues or what plans were in place. Gavi said that as well as the drop in Rotarix supplies in 2022, there will also be delays in delivery.

A source close to negotiations between the two parties said they understood the delays were due to staff absences during the COVID-19 pandemic. GSK did not give further details.

Immunization blow

The supply problems are a blow as national health services scramble to regain ground lost on routine childhood immunizations during the coronavirus pandemic. UNICEF, the children’s aid agency within the United Nations, said COVID-19 disruptions represented the biggest step backward in a generation for childhood immunizations.

“It’s beyond the normal… and in the environment where countries are already struggling, It’s a really unfortunate time,” Andrew Jones, chief of the vaccine centre at UNICEF’s supply division, said about the rotavirus shortage. “There will be kids missed,” he added in an interview.

UNICEF works with Gavi to help supply rotavirus vaccines to poorer countries, alongside national governments. Both organizations said they were attempting to switch in vaccines made by other manufacturers, or from countries with spare doses.

Rotarix is given in two oral doses to infants from 6 weeks of age. A second dose should be given at least 4 weeks after the first, and no later than 24 weeks, adding to the time pressure on inoculations.

Gavi said there were also delays with another rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, manufactured by Bharat Biotech, which were related to “regulatory procedures”, although the problem is not as significant. However, Bharat Biotech had no immediate comment.

SOURCE

Supplies of a vaccine to prevent the deadly rotavirus infection in children have either run out in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Cameroon or are close to doing so, officials close […]

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Tanzania bans day-old chicks imports, again

Posted on News, Posts, Stories, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzania has imposed a total ban on the importation of day-old chicks effective next week as it seeks to protect its local hatcheries and limit the inflow of substandard chicks.

The ban, which takes effect on July 30, aims to protect the local poultry market, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries said in a statement on Monday.

Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Abdallah Ulega said the government would no longer issue import permits on chicken from Saturday.

This was after a meeting with poultry business executives in the capital Dodoma. The government, Mr Ulega said, is currently collecting poultry industry data to ascertain the demand for day-old chicks.

Local poultry producers, Organia and Mkuza Chicks, had decried the rise in smuggled chicks sold at lower prices.

Most incubators in the country are selling day-old chicks at an average price of Tsh2,000 ($0.85), while the smuggled chicks sell at Tsh1,200 ($0.5) per chick.

In 2016, Tanzania banned the importation of chicks and fresh poultry meat from Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa and the US to protect local farmers.

On October 31, 2017, government authorities in Arusha destroyed 6,400 chicks imported from Kenya through the Namanga border crossing. The ban was later lifted.

Read: Tanzania destroys another 5,000 chicks from Kenya

Most of the day-old chicks are imported from the United Kingdom and South Africa, with substantial quantities imported from Kenya and Zambia.

Source

Tanzania has imposed a total ban on the importation of day-old chicks effective next week as it seeks to protect its local hatcheries and limit the inflow of substandard chicks. […]

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Kenya, Tanzania struggle to run shipping lines

Posted on East Africa, Kenya, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Plans to revive national shipping lines in East African ports are facing usual delays over lack of capacity to compete internationally.

Kenya and Tanzania recently formed shipping lines, but are struggling to establish themselves without own vessels. Tanzania’s bid to sell its disused vessels has been a struggle, with few people coming forth to buy, and leaving it with an unwanted burden of storage.

Read: Kenya launches shipyard as it eyes ship building, repairs in Sub-Saharan Africa

As a result of increasing operating costs, Zanzibar Shipping Corporation, Tanzania’s shipping line is auctioning three of its vessels, leaving it with none of its own. Zanzibar Shipping Corporation, in May this year, floated a tender to dispose of three public vessels MV Maendeleo, MT Ukombozi and MV Mapinduzi 1. Those vessels are still unsold.

According to documents, the assets are being disposed of through the international competitive bidding procedures specified in the public procurement and disposal of public assets.

Interested bidders were required to inspect the MV Maendeleo in Mombasa, Kenya, at African Marine Dockyard, while MV Mapinduzi 2 and MT Ukombozi are at Zanzibar port.

This is the second time ZSC is disposing of the three vessels without anyone willing to purchase them due to their neglected state. In 2017, the national shipping corporation floated the same tender in its bid to overhaul the Shipping Company. It found no buyer.

MV Maendeleo, which has a capacity to carry 600 passengers and about 600 metric tonnes of cargo, has been at Mombasa African Marine since 2017 after it was said to be written off due to lack of maintenance and its old state.

Despite the tender closing in June, ZSC is yet to get buyers of the three vessels again. Last year in September, Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi announced his government’s decision overhaul the state-owned shipping company by first and foremost auctioning all its loss-making vessels in what he termed as “time to start afresh”.

Julius Nguhulla, a maritime consultant in Dar es Salaam told The EastAfrican he agrees with the decision by the Zanzibar government to sell the ships because they were unfit. The MV Maendeleo and Ukombozi were built in 1980. Mr Nguhulla Zanzibar Line ran a series of loss-making voyages due to high fuel costs.

In Kenya, the government’s effort to revive the Kenya National Shipping Line isn’t bearing many fruits forcing it to partner with Mediterranean Shipping Corporation to handle key government cargo and operate the second container terminal at the Port of Mombasa.

Two years ago, the Kenyan government unveiled plans to revive KNSL, with hopes that it would have the ability to contribute $3 billion annually to the economy and create 6,000 jobs. However, the process has gone cold over concerns that this may not take off.

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Plans to revive national shipping lines in East African ports are facing usual delays over lack of capacity to compete internationally. Kenya and Tanzania recently formed shipping lines, but are […]

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EAC summit: Uhuru, Samia launch 42km Arusha-Voi road

Posted on East Africa, Kenya, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Presidents Samia Suluhu Hassan and Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday officially opened the 42.4km Arusha Bypass, which is part of the regional Arusha-Holili-Taveta-Voi transit corridor that links Tanzania with Kenya.

Speaking at the launch at the Arusha State House, the leaders hailed the project as a major integration enabler, enhancing the movement of goods and people and boosting trade.

President Kenyatta said it would help ease traffic congestion in Arusha and further help connect East Africa.

“The connection between Arusha and Voi to Mombasa will ease the supply of agricultural produce such as maize, tomatoes and vegetables and will help fight poverty in our countries by improving the lives of the people. Infrastructure is the foundation of our integration,” he said.

“Infrastructure is critical in achieving our common objective of being a common market. That is why my administration in Kenya has been very keen to see the growth of infrastructure across the board,” President Kenyatta had told the EAC Summit on Thursday.

Build railway

President Samia said the bypass connects the northern Tanzanian regions of Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara and Tanga with the region through the Arusha-Holili-Taveta highway.

She said there’s a plan to build a railway in the north to link her country with other EAC states and complement the SGR that links Tanzania with Burundi and DRC.

She also pledged to enhance water and air transport services to ease movement and trade between Tanzania and the region. She challenged East Africans to take advantage of the new infrastructural projects to boost regional trade.

The African Development Bank funded the $217 million project to the tune of $112 million, with Kenya contributing $105 million.

The AfDB hailed it as a means of easing cross-border trade. Transit time through the Holili border post, which was a day, is now two hours.

The ceremony was attended by Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi and Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud of Somalia, Prime Ministers Eduardo Girente of Rwanda and Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde of DR Congo and South Sudan’s Presidential Affairs Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

The launch happened on the sidelines of the East African Community heads of State summit, the first for DRC since becoming a full-fledged member of the regional bloc. Somalia’s President Mohamud is at the summit as a special guest to renew his country’s push to join the EAC.

President Kenyatta is expected to hand over the rotational chairmanship of the EAC to Burundi’s Ndayishimiye. Mr Kenyatta’s term as President also ends in August as Kenyans head to the polls on the 9th.

Common market

The summit was preceded by a high-level retreat on the common market where more than 300 delegates drawn from the partner states, civil society, and the media were in attendance.

The EAC Common Market Protocol provides for six freedoms – free movement of goods,  persons, labour, services and capital, and the right of establishment and residence.

“We are here to take stock of the performance of the Common market, to review and implement recommendations that will enable us to integrate as a region,” said Kenyan Trade minister Betty Maina, chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers.

Ms Maina is also the acting minister for EAC and Regional Development.

The summit is expected to consider a report of the Council on the Common Market Protocol, assent to pending bills from the East African Legislative Assembly, and appoint judges to the East African Court of Justice, among other issues.

Source

Presidents Samia Suluhu Hassan and Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday officially opened the 42.4km Arusha Bypass, which is part of the regional Arusha-Holili-Taveta-Voi transit corridor that links Tanzania with Kenya. Speaking […]

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Tanzania issues alert over nose bleeding illness that killed 3 people

Posted on Health, Tanzaniaby civic_admin

Tanzanian health authorities issued an alert on Wednesday saying three people have died and 13 others admitted to health centres after a strange disease broke out in the country’s southern region of Lindi.

Alfello Sichalwe, the chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health, said in a statement people should not panic as the government was working hard to detect it.

Symptoms of the disease included fever, nosebleeds, headache and body fatigue, said Mr Sichalwe, adding that the deaths and patients were recorded as at Tuesday in Ruangwa district, and their tested samples showed negative for Covid-19, Ebola and Marburg.

He said the Health ministry has formed a team of experts from the Department of Epidemics, the chief government chemist, the Muhimbili University of Health Sciences, the National Medical Research Institute and the Department of Livestock to investigate the disease.

Other measures taken by the government included quarantining patients that are suspected to have been infected by the disease and contact tracing, said the chief medical officer.

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Tanzanian health authorities issued an alert on Wednesday saying three people have died and 13 others admitted to health centres after a strange disease broke out in the country’s southern […]

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