FUNGUKA

Top Tanzanian religious leaders are Friday expected to make a tour of North Mara Gold Mine to assess the mine’s contribution to the surrounding communities and the nation’s economy. Ms Grace Masalakulangwa from the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT) confirmed the tour by the religious leaders to the mine on Wednesday evening. However, she would not go into details about its aim. “It is a national interfaith committee and I have also been invited to join the mine’s visit. The tour has been organised in Dar es Salaam and the delegation will involve CCT, BAKWATA (National Muslim Council of Tanzania) and RC (Roman Catholic ),” a senior religious leader in Mara Region said on Thursday. The management of North Mara Gold Mine has been readying itself to receive the delegation, with a view to furnishing it with detailed reports about the mine’s operations. Sources said the leaders would also be interested in seeing the efforts taken by the mine to prevent environmental damage in th...

The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), in collaboration with the East African Business Council (EABC), will introduce a programme for providing skills to university students that suit their job demands in the East African Community states. Addressing journalists in Dar es Salaam on the second day of the Academia – Private Sector Partnership Forum and Exhibition 2013 which began on Wednesday and ends on Friday in Nairobi, Kenya, IUCEA Executive Secretary, Prof Mayunga Nkunya, said the aim was to develop skills for youths on their innovations so as to enable them employ themselves and be employed by the private sector after their graduation. He said the other objective of the forum was to provide a convergence platform for academia and the private sector through engagement with the public sector for discussing and strategizing on effective mechanisms for promoting academia and private sector partnership in order to sustain the bloc’s socio-economic developme...

Marie Stopes Tanzania (MST) has issued five tri-cycles (Bajaj’s) worth 25m/- as soft loan to five youth who have been dedicated to disseminating family planning service in the outskirts of Dar es Salaam city. over the Bajajis at Tandale Uwanja wa Fisi area in Manzese ward, the MST Director Ms Ulla Muller said the Bajajis will operate in all the three municipalities of Kinondoni, Ilala and Temeke. “The youth will visit local government health clinics as well as people’s homes to deliver the family planning services. All the youth are well trained in family planning issues and will be accompanied by a registered nurse to ensure high quality counselling is offered. She stated that, the drivers will be charging for the service rendered and will be required to re-pay back 1200/- everyday until they complete the loan within a set period of one year. Ms Muller was concerned with available data that indicate that most of girls were not aware of the family planning services as st...

Councillors and other leaders in Makambako Municipality have been challenged to work diligently and utilize resources they are endowed with to speed up the municipal’s progress. The challenge was given by the Director General of Rufiji Basin Development Authority (RUBADA), Mr Aloyce Masanja during a seminar to sensitize the municipal’s leaders on the government’s initiative on Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) yesterday in Njombe Region. “Colleagues, let us workwe cannot achieve progress by blaming each other, each one of us should play his part and reap the benefits,” he said. He also called upon the leaders to earmark areas that are conducive for agriculture investments for the benefit of the municipal and the region. “The authority will make sure that these huge agriculture investments also benefit people here-this is our modal,” he said. He emphasized that leaders at the municipality should work hard to elevate their township to another level. “...

The Weight and Measure Agency (WMA) said in Dar es Salaam that the manual inspection applied for years has amicably stopped and was now inspecting electronically. The electronic system has been reported to record impressive improvement in increasing efficiency and simplifying work as opposed to the previous inspection whereby measurement calculation were done by using calculator. Speaking to reporters, WMA Acting Manager for Information, Education and Information, Ms Irene John said that the old system was too tedious as it was taking us two to three days while the new system was too fast and within half an hour produces the results. “The system will help avoiding human errors because modern equipment like scanners will provide accurate and reliable results and this will create willingness for customers to timely pay for service rendered,” she said. She said oil tankers and trucks building materials for instance used documents prepared manually which subjected them to the...

President Jakaya Kikwete has warned that anyone who will breach the country’s peace and violate its territorial integrity is going to be dealt with squarely by the defence forces. “Our army (TPDF) is ready to defend the country’s borders at any time and under any circumstances,” the president, who is the Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, declared. Mr Kikwete sent out the stern message when addressing the nation from the Kaboya Military Barracks in Muleba District, Kagera Region, during the commemorations of the Heroes’ Day. In marking the day, the president also visited graves of fallen heroes who fought to liberate the country, after forces of aggression of the then Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin invaded Tanzania and annexed some parts of Kagera Region in 1978/79. The aggressive forces were taught a lesson and driven out. Idi Amin, who was then selfstyled as Uganda’s president for life, fled into exile. “You should just sleep soundly at night. Don’t worry and do not listen to...

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a serious problem that limits the ability of men, women, and children to enjoy their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms, a report released by the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) has revealed. The TAMWA Executive Director, Ms Valerie Msoka, said during an occasion to launch the report, that GBV is rooted in gender inequality and gender norms which often serve to reinforce inequalities at different levels. She said that women’s subordinate social, economic and legal status often makes it difficult for them to get help once violence occurs. “Studies on gender in most traditions reveal that women are taught to accept and tolerate all forms of violence due to ignorance and lack of awareness on existing laws,” she said. Ms Msoka said that in Tanzania and globally, GBV takes many forms or types, all of which have a negative impact on individuals and the society, especially women and children. The report also outlines types of ge...

President Jakaya Kikwete has reiterated that construction of an international airport at Omukajunguti area in Misenyi District would start soon. President Kikwete disclosed this soon after his arrival at Bukoba Airport, where he laid a foundation stone on the ongoing expansion of the airport. The project is estimated to cost a total of 21bn/- upon completion. Meanwhile, the Minister for Transport, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, has directed Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) to speed up compensating residents in the village so they can relocate to another area. He gave the directive on Monday when he toured Kajunguti village in Misenyi District. The area has been earmarked for the construction of an international airport to cater for large aircraft to replace Bukoba Airport, which can only handle small aircraft. Dr Mwakyembe called upon the TAA management to speed up the exercise of paying 12bn/- compensation to people who would be affected by construction of the international airpo...

Muleba. President Jakaya Kikwete assured the nation yesterday that the country’s borders are safe and secure from external threats and aggression. Mr Kikwete, who is the commander-in-chief of Tanzania’s armed forces, declared that security agencies were alert and ready to protect the sanctity of the borders. The head of state warned that those who dared violate the borders would face the music. He added: “Sleep soundly and ignore speculation that is rife out there. Our armed forces are able to protect the country and its borders. Anyone who dares invade or provoke us will face dire consequences.” He sounded the warning at Kaboya army cemetery in Muleba district shortly after laying a shield and spear on the heroes’ monument in commemoration of Heroes Day. The ceremonies attended by the Chief of Defence Forces, General Davis Mwamunyange, and Zanzibar’s President Ali Mohammed Shein and Vice President Mohamed Gharib Bilal, were held in remembrance of hundreds of casualties of...

Dar es Salaam. Stakeholders in natural gas and oil want the government to either create an Act or a policy that will guide companies on how they should be contributing towards development of communities surrounding their businesses. Concerned with the current situation whereby it is an individual company that decides how much to offer in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), dealers in natural gas and oil say it is high time the country came up with a law or policy on the same. Speaking at the opening of the two-day oil and gas suppliers conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the dealers said that with a law or policy in place, the amount provided in CSR would surely make meaningful changes to communities surrounding major investment projects. The managing director of Proactive Solutions, Mr Nestory Phoye, told The Citizen yesterday in Dar es Salaam at a two-day Tanzania Oil and Gas Suppliers Conference, that there was a need for the government to take CSR as an important...

Arusha. Tanzania has once again come under fire for visa and work permit restrictions imposed on nationals of other East African Community (EAC) partner states. “The exorbitant work permit and visa fees hinder the free movement of people and labour within the EAC, yet some partner states might have a shortage of skilled manpower to run the investments,” the regional Manufacturers’ Forum was told in Kampala recently. The manufacturers said they were surprised Tanzania still insisted on visa requirement for EAC nationals entering its territory as well as demanding the Yellow Fever vaccination certificate. They said a national of any of the other EAC states -- Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda -- coming to Tanzania for business purposes has to pay $100 (Sh162,000) a fee that other partners do not demand. As for the Yellow Fever vaccination certificate, Tanzanians without it pay $20 (Sh32,400) whereas all others classified as non-Tanzanians and not EAC nationals and hence mus...

Dar es Salaam. Most rape victims are schoolgirls, according to a new Tanzania Media Women Association (Tamwa) report. The report, which was launched in Dar es Salaam yesterday, said the incidence of rape was particularly high in Wete, Pemba as well as southern and southwest Unguja. In Tanzania Mainland, rape was found to be prevalent in Newala, Mtwara Region. The study covered 10 districts countrywide, and the findings show that 341 cases of sexual assault were reported in Zanzibar alone between 2011 and 2013. Of the cases, 104 cases occurred in the Isles’ southern districts. Tamwa Executive Director Valerie Msoka said during the report’s launch that the incidence of rape was highest in Newala among districts surveyed in Tanzania Mainland, adding the majority of victims were young schoolgirls. Last year, 15 cases where reported at the police gender desk in Newala and 14 cases were reported in the first half of this year. The report comes at a ti...

PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete has said that whoever played the Tanzania border security, he saw a wood carver. He said that the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) is established for protecting our borders at any time and at any. Information for media released yesterday by the Directorate of Communication of the President, stated that, President Kikwete, who is also the Commander in Chief, gave the same message yesterday deep in the region, he was talking to people during the celebration of the Day of Remembrance of the Heroes of the TPDF Camp Kaboya, Muleba District, Kagera Region. "Laleni sleep safe, not listen to the words of the street because our military is quite stable to protect our country and its borders. "Anyone who tries to invade our country either provoked me to anger, he saw a wood carver, the country is safe from the host is established to protect our country," said President Kikwete and add. "Our major message today is that we are ready...

The Ideal Democratic Party (PDI) has backed the initiative by a group of young Rwandans that requested members of the Hutu ethnic group to apologise for the role atrocities committed by Genocide perpetrators in the name of their ethnic identity, which led to the massacre of over a million Tutsis. In a statement dated July 21, the party’s political bureau outlined six recommendations to the Rwandan community on this matter. “PDI supports the youth that took the initiative to apologise, because ideal reconciliation redeems people from shame that is associated with what happened in the country, the Genocide that was committed in the name of the Hutus,” reads part of the statement that was signed by the party’s chairman, Sheikh Musa Fazil Harelimana. The party appealed to all those that committed the Genocide to clear their conscience by coming forth and apologise for the crime they committed against the Tutsi. It is the party’s belief that this will strengthen commitment to t...

Warring parties in eastern DR Congo should stop hostilities and give priority to peace talks, Parliamentarians from the Great Lakes Region have said. The lawmakers are meeting in Kigali for a two-day 7th Ordinary Session of the Executive Committee of the Forum of Parliaments for the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR). Yesterday, members of the Committee gave presentations and debated on the security and political situation in ICGLR member countries, with focus on conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic, Sudan and South Sudan. The need to quell the latest bout of clashes in eastern DRC took centre stage at the discussions with a Congolese delegate asking for a minute of silence to pay respect to victims of the violence along with other sufferers of armed conflicts in other ICGLR member states. Most legislators called for talks between the warring par...

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, July 24, 2013  –  Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the Commission, announced today the appointment of two new Heads of Delegation. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton . Chantal Hebberecht has been appointed Head of the EU Delegation to Ethiopia. Currently the Head of Delegation to Kyrgyzstan, she previously worked as Head of Unit for the Peace Facility in the Commission, and has a particular background on food security issues. Michael Ryan has been appointed Head of the EU Delegation to Rwanda. Currently Acting Head of Delegation to Syria, based in Brussels, he was previously Head of the Political Section in the Delegation to Egypt. He has spent much of his career in Delegations in the Middle East. High Representative Catherine Ashton said: “I am delighted to announce the appointm...

Marine accidents in Tanzanian territorial waters have claimed 245 lives between July 2012 and June 2013, while no incidents of piracy were reported during the period, it was said in Dar es Salaam. Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) Director of Maritime Safety and Security, Capt King ChiragiThe Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) Director of Maritime Safety and Security, Capt King Chiragi said during that period 19 accidents involving 625 people were reported. “Out of the 625 people involved in the accidents on Tanzania Search and Rescue Region, 380 people were rescued while 245 died,” he said. Capt Chiragi was also quick to point out that they had not received reports of a single incident of piracy on Tanzania’s territorial waters or environmental threats due to oil spills during that same period. He further said it is the responsibility of boat owners to provide rescue education to their passengers before starting any journey...

The summit opted to adopt the use of DDT as a strategy for eliminating malaria in Africa. Reliable sources said principally the leaders although differed in some aspects of DDT application, agreed to test it while taking maximum health precautions and care. The Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the Ministry of Health ad Social Welfare, Dr Donnan Mmbando, told the ‘Daily News’ before the Abuja meeting that Tanzania would be in the position to state whether it was ready to use the chemical or not. Dr Mmbando, when contacted yesterday, could not categorically state the country’s position. DDT – regarded as a controversial chemical, is now considered as a measure of the last resort in eradicating malaria in the continent and it took sometime before the Abuja meeting chose to agree to adopt it. Ministry’s spokesman, Mr Synchalis Mwamwaja, despite promising to give the country’s position later today, said the country has not kept silent on the problem and was now working har...

The Minister for Transport, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, has directed the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) Management to speed up the exercise of paying 12bn/- compensation to people who would be affected by the construction of an international airport to be constructed at Kajunguti village. Minister for Transport, Harrison Mwakyembe He gave the directive when he toured Kajunguti village, in Misenyi District. The area has been earmarked for the construction of the International Airport to cater for large aircrafts. The new airport will replace the Bukoba Airport which can only handle small aircrafts. Minister Mwakyembe said funds had already been set aside by the government adding that completion of the Kajunguti International Airport would boost trade and tourism among East African (EAC) member states that include Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Mr Mwakyembe also visited Bukoba Airport ahead of President Jakaya Kikwete’s tour. Mr Kikwete was expected to lay a foun...

Uganda Cranes are under greater pressure ahead of their return leg match of the Africa Nations Championship  (CHAN) qualifier against Taifa Stars at Namboole this Saturday. Taifa Stars go into the encounter on the back foot having conceded a 1-0 defeat at home a fortnight ago but can exploit the attacking crisis in the Uganda Cranes’ set-up and overturn the first leg deficit. Cranes coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic reportedly regrouped with the rest of his Cranes team on Tuesday in a gruelling session and expressed his concerns with lack of goals among his strikers. Micho challenged his strikers to put right their application in the final third or risk missing out on next year’s CHAN finals in South Africa. “We need to start scoring. Unfortunately, we don’t have time. All I need to do now is help the players I have to focus and concentrate. The best I can do is teach them good positioning and how to make something out of nothing. How to open spaces and utilize them,” ...

Industry and Trade Minister Abdallah Kigoda has cautioned Tabora regional authorities to handle prospective investors with care and work out measures to stem corruption and red tape that scare off potential investors into the region. The Minister for Trade and Industries, Dr Abdallah Kigoda “Investors hate excessive bureaucracy and time wasting practices because, to them, time is money,” Dr Kigoda said while closing Tabora Regional Investment Forum in Dar es Salaam last weekend. He commended the region for identifying potential investment opportunities, challenging the regional leaders to walk the government talk by reducing the cost of doing business and putting in place favourable investment climate. Tanzania Leaf Tobacco Company’s (TLTC) Group Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs Richard Sinamtwa, in a paper he presented to the forum, said Tabora Region has about 45,000 farmers who produce over 60 million kilogrammes of tobacco annually for processing and value-additi...

The Mkuju River Project, a uranium mining project in Namtumbo District, Ruvuma Region, is expected to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) amounting to US$ 1bn (about 1.6tri/-) over the project’s life. The project is owned by Mantra Tanzania and operated by Uranium One Incorporation. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uranium One, Mr Chris Sattler, told a news conference in Dar es Salaam recently that operations at the project will be subjected to international standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as national and regional laws and regulations. “Just like any other uranium mining project in the world, the Mkuju River Project will be operated in accordance to national and international safety regulations and standards,” Mr Sattler said while taking questions from journalists. If all goes as planned construction of the project should begin in the next dry season and take two years to complete. Before construction can begin, a nine month...

The East African Golf Federation has release fixture for the inaugural African Zone Five Golf Challenge Trophy. The first ever tournament is scheduled to tee off from October 30 to November 1st this year at the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort, Naivasha, Nairobi, Kenya. The fixture availed to the ‘Daily News’ by the Tanzania Golf Union (TGU) Vice-Chairman, Joseph Tango shows that all competing teams are expected to arrive in Nairobi on October 28, while flag raising ceremony will be staged the following day. Teams will battle it out in single match play in day one, while day two morning will witness golfers compete in Foursomes format before switching to Four Ball Better Ball in the afternoon. The fixture further shows that the final day once again will see teams battling it out in single match play before the 2013 winner is unveiled. This is the same format that is used in the annual African Zone Six event which Tanzania used to participate since early 90s before the introduc...

The government and One UN Rwanda have signed a five year agreement aimed at helping the country achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the Economic and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRSII) as well as Vision 2020. The assistance, worth of US$400 million (Rwf264 billion), is a mid-term strategy running until 2018 under the United Nations Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP), through which the organisation seeks to consolidate its support to Rwanda’s development strategies. The initiative, according to Lamin Momodou Manneh, the UN Resident Coordinator, is in response to constant demands for the UN to be more efficient. “We have said it before and we will not be shy to say it again that like any other large organisation encompassing the whole globe, the United Nations is prone to certain internal and external weaknesses and, consequently, it has had its share of fair and unfair criticism,” Manneh said yesterday in Kigali. Positive impact  “But over the years UN has de...

The Men’s volleyball team takes on Egypt in the opening match of the 2014 FIVB Sub-zonal world champinship this evening at Amahoro indoor stadium. The Pool I teams will play a two-legged match to decide the winner according to the Confederation of African Volleyball. The first match is due this evening while the second match will be played tomorrow. Head coach Paul Bitok is looking to use the Egyptian challenge as a platform of assessing the quality of his young troops who are set to surprise the North Africans and even secure a win which will boost their confidence ahead of the Zone V championship due in November. As part of their preparations, Bitok’s team beat APR 3-0 [25-18, 25-10, 24-26, 23-25 and 15-13] in a friendly match on Tuesday. In the other sub-zonal Pool H, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda will be battling for the top three slots which will enable them to join Rwanda and Egypt who have already qualified for the zonal championship. Today, Amahoro indoor stadiu...

Absa Group and Barclays will complete integration of their African businesses by 31 July 2013, following regulatory approvals in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. According to Banking Business Review, the integration, which is a part of its ‘One Bank in Africa’ strategy to strengthen pan-African financial operations, will boost Barclays’ stake in Absa from 55.5% to 62.3%. The integrated entity will operate under the brand name of Barclays Africa Group and serve nearly 14.4 million customers through a network of over 1,300 outlets and more than 10,400 ATMs, employing over 43,000 people across ten nations. As per terms of the transaction, the proposed consolidation will be executed through the acquisition of Barclays Africa by Absa Group for £1.3bn. Absa Group chief executive and Barclays Africa chief executive Maria Ramos said, “It means that we can accelerate Africa’s true global potential by supporting the developm...

China has charged disgraced politician Bo Xilai with bribery, corruption and abuse of power, state media say. Bo Xilai, formerly the Communist Party chief of Chongqing, was expelled from the party after a scandal surrounding the murder of a British businessman. His wife Gu Kailai was jailed in August for the killing of the Briton, Neil Heywood. Mr Bo was charged by prosecutors on Thursday in Jinan in Shandong province, state media said. The Bo Xilai scandal, which exposed corruption claims and infighting at the top of the Communist Party, was one of the biggest to rock China in years. Mr Bo had taken advantage of his office to accept an “extremely large amount” of money and properties, state-run news agency Xinhua said, citing the indictment paper. He is also charged with embezzling public money, Xinhua said. Murder investigation The sending of the formal indictment to a court in the city of Jinan suggests the trial is now imminent, the BBC’s John Sudworth in Shanghai re...

Tunisian opposition member Mohamed Brahmi was shot dead outside his home in the capital on Thursday, a political source and local radio said. Mohamed Brahmi Mr Brahmi, 58, led the nationalist Movement of the People party. It is Tunisia’s second assassination of an opposition party leader this year. In February, prominent secular politician Chokri Belaid was also shot outside his house in Tunis. His murder sparked angry protests and prompted the resignation of PM Hamadi Jebali. “Mohamed Brahmi was shot dead outside his home in Ariana,” state television and the official TAP news agency reported. Gunmen on a motorbike killed Mr Brahmi in front of his wife and daughter on Thursday morning, Movement of the People party officials told local media. It is not known yet who is behind the attack. Mr Brahmi was a member of the National Constituent Assembly, which is drafting a new constitution. He founded the Movement of the People party after the Arab Spring uprising ended the ...

In the aftermath of the Colorado movie theater shooting in the United States, the two leaders, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, who at that time were locked in the most heated campaigns, suspended their campaign evens called on all Americans to came together and show their good heart and love. There was no political signage or euphoria but rather silent reflection. Romney in a statement said “I stand before you today not as a man running for office, but as a father and a grandfather, a husband, an American”. President Obama on his part said, “ there are going to be other days for politics, this, I think is a day of prayer and reflection” The same united front has been evident whenever tragedy strikes in the U.S, be it a hurricane or a tornado, terrorist attack or killing of twenty helpless school children in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Kenya has had its share of tragedies too. But the one on the minds of many Kenyans is the tragic loss of 15 school children from the same coun...

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their son George Alexander Louis, Kensington Palace has said. The Prince of Cambridge – Reuters George had been the bookmakers’ favourite for the first name of the prince, who is third in line to the throne. He will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. They are currently at the duchess’s family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, after spending a night at Kensington Palace. The Duke and Duchess had been expected to pick a traditional royal name for their son, who was born at St Mary’s Hospital in London on Monday at 16:24 BST, weighing 8lbs 6oz. Royal infants usually have historical names which are passed down through the generations. This is a relatively quick announcement of a name compared to previous royal babies. It was seven days before the name of a newborn Prince William was announced in 1982, and there was a wait of a month following the Prince Charles’s birth in 1948. All births in England, Wales and Nor...

  The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) yesterday transferred to Rwanda Genocide suspect Bernard Munyagishari from its custody in Arusha, Tanzania. The former head of the genocidal party MRND in former Gisenyi prefecture, was in pre-trial detention and his transfer is part of the court’s completion strategy. He was the last suspect in the custody of the UN-backed court. Munyagishari’s transfer came after he lost a petition for a stay of his transfer from ICTR to Kigali. He was arrested in May 2011 in DR Congo and charged with conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide, complicity in genocide, as well as murder and rape as crimes against humanity. A seemingly pensive Munyagishari arrived at the Kigali International Airport aboard a commercial RwandAir flight from Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, at around 5p.m, under the custody of ICTR officials. He was then delivered to Rwandan prosecutors, who, in turn, handed him over to designated judicial police officers. The su...

  Bukoba. President Jakaya Kikwete is expected to preside over the commemoration of National Heroes Day that will be marked at the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) barracks at Kaboya, Kagera Region, today. However, President Kitwete, did not deliver an address at Kaitaba Stadium yesterday as earlier scheduled, prompting a large crowd that had gathered to disperse. But President Kikwete inaugurated the Kagera Cooperative Union (KCU 1990) building as scheduled. Contacted for clarification, State House spokesperson Salva Rweyemamu said he was forced to reschedule his public address to July 28 because it was late and most of the people were fasting. “He explained when launching the building that other commitments delayed his arrival and he couldn’t address the masses in the evening because many people were fasting,” he explained. Before his departure to Kaboya today, the Head of State officiated the inauguration of the High Court building in B...

Acting Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander Ally Mlege(center) and other official police, displays guns impounded by police at Kawe Mzimuni in the City at special operation. Dar es Salaam. The suspect of illegally making guns in his house in Dar es Salaam lives near an open field used for military training. The Citizen confirmed that the house from where the suspect was picked up is a stone’s throw away from a training ground for the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF). The field is used by soldiers from Lugalo Barracks. A spot check yesterday revealed that only one house stands between the suspect’s family home and the TPDF training ground, about 200 metres away. It is also a few metres from Kawe Primary School. It is from this abode, in the city’s Kawe suburb, that on July 18 the police seized the suspect and his wife after stumbling on what appeared like a crude gun manufacturing plant. Seven arms of different calibres were found. The couple a...

East African Cooperation minister Samuel Sitta addresses a meeting of the Tanzania Youth Council in Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam. East African Co-operation minister Samuel Sitta said yesterday the government was investigating the embezzlement of Sh8 billion, allegedly by officials entrusted with organising the recent Smart Partnership Dialogue. “Eight billion was pocketed by unscrupulous officials who created ghost companies to benefit from the meeting and now investigations are ongoing,’’ Mr Sitta told journalists yesterday in Dar es Salaam. He spoke during the official opening of a three-day meeting of the Tanzania Youth Council at Rombo Green View Hotel in Sinza. The meeting, attended by 120 youth from 50 districts, was to discuss the new draft constitution and make recommendations. Pressed for more information, Mr Sitta said the investigations would show how the suspected officials colluded to siphon the money. “We are tired of probe teams because each t...