Singida regional commissioner, Dr Parseko Kone, has ordered
all public buildings in the region
Workers building a rain water harvesting tank

Iramba. Singida regional commissioner,
Dr Parseko Kone, has ordered all public
buildings in the region to set
infrastructure that will enable them to
harvest water. He said the ongoing rain
water must be harvested and preserved
for future uses.

The RC was speaking on Monday after
inspecting the ongoing renovation at
Iramba District hospital’s buildings. The
renovation is being funded by a non-
governmental organisation called
Sustainable Environment management
Action (SEMA).

He said leaders in various public offices
in the region must ensure residents
understood the importance of harvesting
and preserving water.

“We all understand that Singida has a
big problem of water, therefore we must
set infrastructures so that when it rains,
we can harvest water for future use,” he
said.

He added that public leaders must also
mobilise residents to apply the
technology so that there could be a relief
on water scarcity during dry season.
“We must mobilise ordinary residents
and various institutions to use their
buildings for water harvesting, this will
help us to keep enough water,” said Dr
Kone.

Moreover, the RC asked WaterAid
Tanzania to collaborate with SEMA in
setting infrastructure that could help to
solve water scarcity problems in the
region.

The United States and Britain are

negotiating plans that would allow

UK authorities to issue warrants to

American telecommunication companies demanding data from

suspects in criminal and national

security cases.

A US official confirmed that the US is in talks

with Britain regarding a plan that would allow

British officials to issue wiretap warrants

to American telecommunication companies. Such

documents would give officials access to data

such as archived emails and interceptions of live

communications.

US, UK Discuss Bolstering Information

Sharing on Security Threats

An official said the measure is necessary

to combat organized crime and terror plots

orchestrated at the international level.

“These communications are happening with the

speed of light, and law enforcement agencies

need to keep pace with these communications,”

said one official who spoke with the

Washington Post on condition of anonymity

because he was not authorized to speak publicly

about the negotiations.

The move also would give US authorities access

to similar data stored in the UK.

“Such an agreement would ensure US access

to data stored in the United Kingdom in support

of law enforcement, terrorism, and other

transnational threat investigations and support

our partners’ ability to investigate serious crime,

as well as terrorism and other transnational

threats on a reciprocal basis,” said the official.

The move would not give British officials access

to data on American citizens.

Despite threats by the donor community to suspend aid,

there are indications that the Zanzibar Electoral

Commission (ZEC) will

proceed with the rerun of the presidential election

next month.

Foreign diplomats have criticised the ZEC for nullifying

the October 25 election and announcing a rerun even

though the Vienna Convention

prohibits diplomats from engaging in local politics.

Hanne-Marie Kaarstad, the Norwegian ambassador to

Tanzania, visited the Civic United

Front (CUF) offices in Zanzibar and held talks with

party officials.

The previous week, Ms Kaarstad along with 16

ambassadors and high commissioners issued a joint

statement on the rerun of the Zanzibar elections that

had been judged as credible by observers.

The diplomats said they were concerned about the

nullification by ZEC without having provided

evidence to substantiate the claim that irregularities had

taken place.

“We regret that an election rerun was announced

while dialogue between parties was still

ongoing,” the statement said. “For the benefit of all

Tanzanians, we reaffirm our belief that the

current political impasse in Zanzibar would be best

addressed through a mutually acceptable

and negotiated solution.”

And just two days after Ms Kaarstad’s visit, Minister

for Foreign Affairs Augustine Mahiga

was quoted as saying that the government will now

vet all activities that the diplomatic corps

plans to hold with leaders of political parties, as was

indicated in a circular the minister said was

issued last month.

READ: Tanzania issues tough rules for diplomats’ local

movement Tanzania has previously faced the risk of having

development assistance suspended due to

political situations or scandals.

In 1998, the European Union froze development aid

worth about $10 million to the Isles for three

years, in protest against alleged gross human-rights

violations following the controversial 1995

election in which Salmin Amour (CCM) won the Isles

presidency by a narrow margin.

The board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation has

withheld funding to Tanzania, citing the Zanzibar crisis

as one factor.

Nick Branson, a senior researcher at the London-

based Africa Research Institute, said the

comments made by the ambassadors showed

their commitment to a negotiated solution to the

Zanzibar impasse.

He said other donors may be considering reducing their

grants.

“Where Tanzania could pay a political cost is if travel

advisories are issued by Western nations.

Western nations could advise their citizens against

travelling to Zanzibar, resulting in lost

income for the exchequer and the people of Zanzibar.

This will only compound the economic difficulties facing

the Isles,” Mr Branson said. No resolution

Attempts by the international community to resolve the

matter have been unsuccessful so

far, as former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan,

who led the Commonwealth’s mission, was not taken

seriously as a mediator despite the organisation’s

having helped the CUF and CCM reach an agreement

after the 1995 and 2000 elections.

The government has expressed confidence in measures taken

to address the January 31 assault on a

New Delhi/Dar. The government has

expressed confidence in measures taken

to address the January 31 assault on a

Tanzanian girl student by a mob

following a fatal road accident in the

Indian city of Bangalore.

The confidence was expressed on Friday

by Tanzania’s High Commissioner to

India John Kijazi when addressing

Tanzanian students in the Asian country.

It was reported on Friday that four more

persons have been arrested and two

police officials suspended in connection

with the alleged assault and stripping of

the Tanzanian student.

Inspector Pravin Babu and Constable

Manjunath have been suspended,

Bengalore Police Commissioner

Megharikh said.

With this, nine persons have been

arrested so far since the incident

happened on Sunday night when the 21-

year old student went through the ordeal

in a vigilante justice by an angry mob in

a case of “mistaken identity” after a

woman was mowed down by a car

driven by a Sudanese here. “Babu has

been suspended for dereliction of duty

and Manjunath for not taking action

even though he was present at the spot,”

it was reported.

The five accused were arrested last night,

Megharkh said and added that they have

been booked for assault, unlawful

assembly, arson, rioting and outraging a

woman’s modesty.

Mr Megharikh said police have been

interrogating the suspects and there are

chances of arresting some more people.

However, Mr Kijazi appealed to the

students to respect the local community,

their laws and leaders.

“Follow the laws, live in harmony with

the local people (and) respect the

leadership of the state,” he said.

Accompanied by a team of officials from

the Indian ministry of External Affairs,

Mr Kijazi met Karnataka Home minister

G Parameshwara and police officials in

Bengalore.

“We are impressed with the action

taken,’’ the High Commissioner said

after the meeting.

“We went into the facts of the situation

and are very impressed with the action

of the government.”

He also called for focus on the future of

harmonious coexistence with locals for

Tanzanians and students from other

African nations in Bengalore, as also

other cities of India.

Noting that some confidence-building

measures have been taken to prevent

recurrence of such incidents, he said

some of the officials have been

suspended and action has been initiated

against others.

On Thursday, MPs in Dodoma reacted

strongly to reports of harassment, urging

the government to send a strong protest

note to the Indian government.

The lawmakers also wanted the

government to ask for improvement of

security of Tanzanian students studying

in India.

Foreign Affairs Minister Augustine

Mahiga told the House that the

government, through its embassy in

India, has already written to the Indian

government “to show our concerns over

the incident.”

Nineteen people have been sentenced to death after they

were convicted of killing albinos,

Dodoma. Nineteen people have been

sentenced to death after they were

convicted of killing albinos, Parliament

was told here yesterday.

These are among 133 people who were

arrested and charged with the offence

between 2006 and last year, Home

Affairs deputy minister Hamad Yussuf

Masauni said.

Mr Masauni was responding to a

question from Ms Mgeni Jadi Kadika

(Special Seats — CUF) who wanted to

know the government’s plans for

safeguarding albinos.

Ms Kadika noted in her question that

albinos had been living in great fear as a

result of some people targeting them on

witchcraft-related beliefs.

Mr Masauni said the government had

over the years heightened security for

albinos.

He listed some of the steps taken to

safeguard the marginalised group of

people as including investigating all

attacks against albinos and taking legal

action against the perpetrators.

He said the government had also

established special centres for albinos

which, he said, ensured they lived in

safe hands. “The Police Force has,

through the community policing

initiative, also been providing public

education on effects of the albino killings

and what could be done to safeguard

them,” he explained. The Police Force

had also been conducting special

operations targeting people engaged in

albino killings including traditional

healers.

“The ministry has through the Police

Force, village, ward, district and regional

peace and security committees been

establishing task forces for ensuring

security of the albinos, especially in hard

hit regions and districts,” he said.

Resettlement is a tough beginning as can be evidenced from

some of the flood victims, who have secured surveyed plots in

Mabwepande, Dar es Salaam. 

Dar es Salaam . Mr Juma Ndauka has a

cause to smile. He is one of the

beneficiaries of free surveyed plots

offered by the government.

This is after he and his family were

internally displaced from their house,

which was submerged in floods during

the heavy rain in 2011.

The timely intervention by the

government is in line with the Southern

African Development Community (Sadc)

guidelines that urges member states to

provide all necessary support to those

affected by natural disasters such as

floods and drought.

For example, to promote systemic

regional integration and sustainable

development, Sadc ministers responsible

for disaster risk management directed

the Sadc secretariat to develop a

comprehensive regional disaster risk

reduction strategy, which should include

regional response mechanisms and a

humanitarian assistance framework.

They also agreed to the establishment of

a regional disaster preparedness and

response fund and development of an

integrated early warning system to

ensure effective information

dissemination on hazards faced by the

region.

The government of Tanzania being Mr

aligned with this agreement helped

Ndauka, who resides in Manzese, Dar es

Salaam, to relocate after he was forced

to flee his home in the middle of the

night, following a five-day rainstorm,

which caused his house and that of his

neighbours to be submerged in floods.

He was allocated half an acre of the

surveyed plot by the government on

which he said he would first build a

temporary house for his family before

erecting a permanent house in the

future.

“I believe that my family and I can now

sleep at night and not worry whether it’s

raining cats and dogs outside,” he said.

According to him, it was a nightmare,

when the rainstorm destroyed all family

property, was submerged in water and

they had to vacate their house to save

their lives.

Tanzania expects to relocate more people

to safer grounds to save lives.

The government started the process of

allocating free surveyed plots in 2011 to

at least 1,004 Dar es Salaam victims,

whose houses were flooded.

The exercise has been ongoing and more

people are expected to be allocated

surveyed plots by the government.

However, despite the government’s

effort some people defied the exercise

and continued residing in valleys of

which at the beginning of this year, the

government embarked on an operation

to demolish the houses of those still

residing in flood prone areas.

The exercise started in December 2015

targeting over 8,000 houses built along

Msimbazi Valley and others in

prohibited areas such as open or

reserved spaces and those built without

proper plans.

There was a public outcry from the

residents claiming that former President

Jakaya Kikwete promised that each of

them could get surveyed plots, thus

expressing shock that their houses were

now being pulled down before the

promise was fulfilled.

However, Dar es Salaam Regional

Commissioner Said Meck Sadiki was

quoted saying that the authorities had

not reserved any land for city residents,

whose houses were demolished along

Msimbazi Valley.

He stressed that the plots had been

allocated to flood victims three years ago

in Mabwepande, but did not include

people facing ongoing demolitions.

Tanzania has aligned the Sadc Disaster

Management Agreement that requires

member states to prioritise disaster risk

management programmes with adequate

funding and ensure mainstreaming of

disaster risk reduction in all sectors.

“Following the Sadc agreement, the

government has awarded free surveyed

plots to all people, who owned properties

in the flooded areas and ordered those,

who had leased out not to renew their

contracts,” he said.

He noted that following the Sadc

agreement, the government was

implementing some initiatives related to

disasters, including construction of

drainage systems to prevent floods.

Meanwhile, the government yesterday

said the Controller and Auditor General

(CAG) would conduct a special

investigation on the allocation of plots in

Mabwepande to the flood victims of 2011

in Dar es Salaam to see if there was any

foul play in grabbing plots meant for

resettling those to whom land had been

allocated in Msimbazi River Valley,

particularly those in Jangwani and

Kinondoni Mkwajuni.

Over 70 per cent of members of the

public live on slums of which only 5 per

cent have access to formal drainage

systems.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday led his Nigerian and

Somali counterparts in paying tribute to KDF soldiers who were

killed in Somalia during a memorial service attended by friends

and relatives of the fallen heroes.

The President said Kenyan troops would not withdraw from

their peace-keeping mission in Somalia any time soon despite the

recent attack at a Kenya Defence Forces' camp in El-Adde

which left tens of soldiers dead.

Speaking at an inter-denominational service at Eldoret's Moi

Barracks in honour of the fallen soldiers and survivors, the

President - who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed

Forces - vowed that the fallen soldiers' blood would not be

shed in vain.

"We will make sure every single one of those cowards who

murdered them will be hunted down and brought to justice, for

our soldiers' blood will not be shed in vain," President Kenyatta

said during the solemn service also attended by Presidents

Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of

Somalia and Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto, Cabinet

secretaries and the military top brass, led by the Chief of

Defence Forces, Gen Samson Mwathethe.

Moi Barracks is the home of the ninth Kenya Rifles, where

most of the soldiers killed in the attack came from. The others

were from the Gilgil barracks.

'FAILED COURAGE'

President Kenyatta described calls for Kenyan troops to

withdraw from Somalia as "failed courage" and vowed to

soldier on in the peace-keeping mission with the African Union

Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

"With our other allies in Amisom, we will continue in Somalia to

fulfil our mission.

"Some whose courage has failed them want us to give up the

mission now. They want us to retreat, to leave the field to the

enemy in the hope that the enemy will leave us alone. They

have forgotten one thing, and that is the enemy has made it

clear that he will not leave us alone and that he will follow us

home. And they have forgotten that as good neighbours, we

cannot leave the people of Somalia also to the tender mercies

or murderous terrorists," said Mr Kenyatta.

The President, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide,  Mr. Udengs

Eradiri, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to

investigate oil companies in the Niger Delta for alleged

complicity in bursting of pipelines.

Eradiri, who condemned the incessant explosion of pipelines,

said such development had nothing to do with agitations in

the region.

Eradiri spoke in Yenagoa during the week while receiving

thousands of books donated by the Bayelsa State Chapter of

the Association of Nigeria Authors to the Oronto Douglas

Library and ICT Centre operated by the IYC.

He said, “The Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government

should investigate the oil companies and their contractors in

the recent bombing attacks on oil installations.

“The bombings have nothing to do with the agitation in the

Niger Delta. The oil companies know what is happening. It is

part of the politics they sometimes play to make extra money.”

So, President Muhammadu Buhari should investigate the oil

companies as well as the contractors that they are using to

do all these work.

“There was an issue by an oil company who took a job from

a contractor and gave it to another contractor, and the

aggrieved contractors express themselves using the pipelines

to the detriment of the country, to the detriment of the

environment and that of the Ijaw people.

” So, the Federal Government must investigate these oil

companies. I have said it before that if there is a rupture on

the pipeline, some oil companies pay N7. 5m per rupture, no

matter how little it is. So, if there are 10, it will be N75m. If

you have such a contracting process in a company, the

pipeline will never work well because the contractors want a

swelled bank accounts.

“So, sometimes you see over 100 ruptures, calculate that by

N7.5m. Most of those companies they are using are the same

director or cronies of the directors in those companies. So,

they should stop accusing Niger Delta people of destroying

pipelines because of agitation.”

President John Magufuli yesterday launched a scathing attack

on the Judiciary over its

President John Magufuli

Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli

yesterday launched a scathing attack on

the Judiciary over its performance.

The Head of State said he was not

interfering with the independence of the

Judiciary, adding that he was speaking

out against laziness, bureaucracy and

corruption, which denied ordinary

Tanzanians their basic rights.

President Magufuli was speaking in Dar

es Salaam at an official function to mark

Law Day.

He said he would not remain silent and

look on as corrupt people purged from

his government used the courts as a

backdoor to freedom.

“I have decided that this country will

move ahead, and it will move ahead. The

measures I’m taking are aimed at saving

this country.  I’m not a mad man or a

dictator...there are bizarre things going

on in the government which I cannot

tolerate…I must take action.” Dr

Magufuli said amid hushed silence.

The President had abandoned his

prepared speech and spoke off the cuff,

saying he wanted to speak out his mind

and call a spade a spade.

He accused the Judiciary of not being

supportive in the war against

corruption, adding that many people

facing serious corruption charges walked

free because of poor investigations and

mishandling of cases.

“I’m worried that even the people I’m

firing because of corruption will easily

secure freedom despite watertight

evidence against them,” he told judges,

magistrates, advocates and other guests,

who included Kenya’s Chief Justice, Dr

Willy Mutunga.

President Magufuli said corruption was

impeding development, adding that the

only way out was to deal with corrupt

individuals firmly and in accordance

with the law.

Dr Magufuli directed Chief Justice

Mohammed Chande Othman to take

stern action against underperforming

judges and magistrates,  saying it was

time everybody performed competently

and effectively.

He also directed Mr Justice Othman to

forward to him the names of judges and

magistrates with exemplary records so

that they could be rewarded for their

service.

The Head of State said he respected the

Judiciary, but added that it was his duty

to point out hurdles that were hampering

the fight against corruption in the

country.

He said Tanzania has remained poor

with the vast majority of its people living

in grinding poverty because of a few

corrupt individuals.

The President, who was addressing the

Judiciary for the first time since he was

sworn in, also voiced his concern about

delayed cases.

He said delays had turned the courts into

an escape route for corrupt individuals

who rush to court to block any action

against them.

President Magufuli said he was not

happy with the way the courts were

handling over 400 tax evasion cases that

were currently pending. “The cases

involve evaded tax to the tune of Sh1

trillion...this is what the country has

lost,” the President said.

He said cases were being deliberately

delayed and that some people involved

in serious corruption scandals were

walking free.

“There is a case involving people who

were caught red-handed with

government trophies in 2010, but

investigations are still going on. I

wonder what they are trying to find

out,” he said.

Dr Magufuli vowed not to relent in his

crusade against corruption.

“I have volunteered to selflessly serve

this country, and I will ensure that I use

my time in this world to serve poor

Tanzanians so that even if I die today,

they can rest assured that I served them

with all my heart.”

The President added that the government

would increase funding for the Judiciary

to enable it to operate smoothly, and

promised that the Treasury would

release Sh5 billion in the next five days.

He said he hoped that the funds would

help the Judiciary to clear the backlog of

corruption cases.

President Magufuli also said judiciary

officials who wanted to undertake

further studies should seek loans from

the Higher Education Students’ Loans

Board (HESLB), adding that such studies

should not be paid for by the Judiciary

as is currently the norm.

On the directive that hundreds of billions

of shillings in public funds deposited in

commercial banks be transferred to the

Bank of Tanzania, the President said the

move was aimed at preventing public

officials from manipulating the money

in collusion with banks.

“Right now commercial banks are

holding up to Sh1.2 trillion in public

funds, which must be accounted for,” he

said.

In his remarks earlier, Mr Justice

Othman said the Judiciary was

grappling with many challenges.

“We have had to close primary courts in

a number of areas because there is no

money to run them,” he said.

Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) president

Charles Rwechungura said the law that

established the association was outdated

and does not empower TLS to discipline

its members whenever they go against

their work ethics.

He added that delayed cases were giving

the Judiciary a bad name.

“Ordinary Tanzanians have been

complaining about delayed cases for a

long time,” Mr Rwechungura said.

Dar/Dodoma. Five suspects have been

arrested in India over the assault of

Tanzanian students as MPs in Dodoma

yesterday reacted strongly to reports of

harassment, urging the government to

send a strong protest note to the Indian

government.

The lawmakers also wanted the

government to ask for improvement of

security of Tanzanian students studying

in India.

The incident, which took place on

Sunday in Bangalore City in the State of

Karnataka and which also involved the

assault and stripping naked of a 21-year-

old Tanzanian female student, has

acquired diplomatic dimensions and has

led to reactions from Indian opposition

politicians who have demanded proper

investigations into the matter.

A section of the Indian media quoted

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

as saying that five people have been

arrested and scores of others were being

questioned as of yesterday over the

incident in which a mob pulled the

Tanzanian female student from her car,

set it ablaze and stripped and paraded

her in the streets.

Three Tanzanian male students who

were with the female student were also

attacked, all this after a Sudanese

student had allegedly hit and killed a

woman who was lying on the edges of a

road.

“A case has been registered, five of them

(suspects) have been arrested,” Mr

Siddaramaiah noted.

Tanzania’s Information ministry

yesterday confirmed that it had received

a report indicating that at least four

people had been arrested over the

matter.

In Dodoma, Kigoma Urban MP Zitto

Kabwe (ACT-Wazalendo) demanded a

prompt and precise statement from the

government on the matter so that

Tanzanians understand the truth.

“The government, through the Foreign

Affairs ministry, should brief the

Parliament on what happened,” said Mr

Kabwe when he spoke in a point of

order.

Kasulu Rural MP Augustine Olle (CCM)

who said he studied in Bangalore for

four years, also advised the government

to take the issue seriously because

Tanzanian students in India were being

routinely abused.

“It is very unfortunate that while we

encourage diversity in Tanzania and we

live in peace with people of various

races, the situation is very different in

India where Tanzanians are subjected to

serious abuse,” he said.

Foreign Affairs minister Augustine

Mahiga told the House that the

government, through its embassy in

India, has already written to the Indian

government “to show our concerns over

the incident.”

India envoy in Dar summoned

Later in the day in Dar es Salaam, the

Permanent Secretary in the Foreign

ministry, Mr Ramadhani Mwinyi, told

reporters that he had already summoned

the Indian High Commissioner to

Tanzania Sandeep Arya over the

incident.

Mr Mwinyi noted that in the meeting, he

told the High Commissioner to pass the

message to his government that it must

ensure similar incidents don’t reoccur

and that suspects must be arrested and

prosecuted; that the Tanzanian

government should be given constant

updates on the case and measures taken

to ensure that in future, such incidents

do not happen again.

“We have told the High Commissioner

that we want Tanzanian students in

India to be provided with adequate

security,” Mr Mwinyi noted and added:

“But we have assured him that Tanzania

respects human rights and will continue

enforcing the respect of social diversity

and brotherliness among people of

various races living in the country.” He

added that the Tanzanian High

Commissioner to India John Kijazi, has

been directed to travel to Bangalore to

follow up the issue more closely.

There was also strong reaction from

Indian politicians—according to

international media reports—who

demanded proper investigations into the

issue.

Leaders of the Congress Party including

vice chairman Rahul Gandhi and general

secretary Digvijay Singh demanded

proper investigation into the matter. “I

strongly condemn the incident …police

must act strongly against the culprits.

Rahul Gandhi asks Karnataka govt to

explain and send a report immediately,”

Singh said in a series of tweets,

according to India’s Business Standard .

The Karnataka state is governed by the

Congress Party.

India’s External Affairs minister Sushma

Swaraj also demanded a report over the

incident that she described as

“shameful” and urged for stringent

punishment for the guilty.

“We are deeply pained over the

shameful incident with a Tanzanian girl

in Bengalore. I spoke to the Chief

Minister Karnataka. He informed me

that a criminal case has been registered

and four suspects have been arrested. I

have asked the Chief Minister to ensure

safety and security of all foreign students

and stringent punishment for the guilty,”

Ms Swaraj was quoted by India’s Deccan

Chronicle as saying.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a

Tanzanian student identified by the

name of Christian Benjamin Mutandisi

died in a motorbike accident in

Bangalore. Mr Mwinyi didn’t say when

the student died and noted that burial

arrangements were being made by the

Tanzanian students’ association in India.