February 2014 ~ MTANZANIA BLOG

Friday, 21 February 2014

UN agro-devt agency urged to give small farmers more support

Helping small holder farmers increase production is one of the ways that can reduce global poverty, especially in developing countries. Net photo The UN agricultural development fund has been asked to focus more on promoting small holder farmers to reduce poverty. The call was made during the 37th session of the Governing Counsel of IFAD in Rome. Fabrizio Saccomanni, the Italian minister for economy and finance, asserted that ensuring small holder family...

Tanzania’s participation in Games hangs in the balance

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With just five months left before the start of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, hopes for Tanzania minting medals at the quadrennial meet are increasingly fading. Tanzania, a country boasting a glorious past, has no single athlete with the marks to compete at the event planned for Glasgow, Scotland from July 23. Despite planning for camps abroad, the likes of Kenya and Ethiopia, who always grab medals at various events, have qualified athletes who have already been honing their skills at different...

Ugandan premier breaks silence over presidency

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Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, who is accused by some NRM members of harbouring presidential ambitions, yesterday said the relevant party organs will be the ones to decide their flag bearer for the 2016 elections. Speaking to journalists at Parliament, Mr Mbabazi first laughed when reporters asked him whether he would heed the calls to take on President Museveni in the 2016 party primaries. In response, he said that within the NRM party: “We have procedures, the constitution and regulations detailing...

Madagascar still awaits new PM

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Antananarivo, Friday. Anxiety has gripped Madagascar over the impending appointment of the new Prime Minister after President Hery Rajaonarimampianina failed to disclose the name as expected. President Rajaonarimampianina had promised to unveil the new premier by Tuesday. “Things depend on the developments in the National Assembly which has been in special session since Tuesday,” he said on Wednesday. Allies of his predecessor Andry Rajoelina, whose party garnered majority seats in Parliament, expected to be given the exclusive...

Mugabe at 90: I still have ideas

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Harare, Friday. “I do not know how I have come to live this long,” Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe said a month ahead of his 90th birthday, which he celebrates on Friday. Africa’s oldest leader, he has outlived most of his younger siblings and most of his political foes. “It is all God’s will,” he said at the burial of his younger sister Bridget who died aged 78. President Mugabe once quipped he would rule his country until he turned 100. After winning a new five-year term last year, after more than three decades in power, he is not...

Report exposes Kenya’s wealthiest political dynasties

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People with political connections control more than 50 per cent of the Kenya’s wealth that is owned by individuals, a new report has shown. Highlighting this as one of the factors that could negatively impact on Kenya economic growth in future, the Wealth in Kenya 2014 report says that a common thread running through almost all the dollar millionaires is their political connections as well as their ownership of large tracts of land. The list of the wealthy political dynasties and billionaire landowners...

Some view Katiba outfit as ok, but others are sceptical

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A reader is hopeful that the constituent assembly will deliver good results because it comprises brilliant individuals, another is worried that, the heavy CCM presence will influence adoption of the two-government system. One contributor is cynical, hoping that the members won’t doze off during sessions. Mbarouk, Tabora I am very optimist that the constituent assembly will deliver good results because most of its members are brilliant and are people with integrity. Furthermore, the members represent various social groups,...

Mother-child HIV infection still high

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Mother to child transmission of HIV in Arusha region remained relatively higher at 4.6 per cent despite viral infection among mothers falling down to 1.4 per cent from 1.6 per cent in 2012, it has emerged. Statistics released Friday indicate only 898 out of 63,224 women who were tested last year were found to be HIV positive. “This accounts for 1.4 per cent of all the infections compared to 1.6 during 2012”, said the regional medical officer Dr. Frida Mokiti said during the launching of Option+ programme...

The Michelle Obama swag in love-struck Dar

23:45 Local news No Comments

Vera Wang is a fashion icon who has dressed royalty and other women in high places, among them Michelle Obama. The designer’s profile rose even more among fashion enthusiasts in Africa, especially after she dressed the first black woman tenant of the White House. What are the chances that brides in wedding-struck Dar es Salaam and US First Lady Michelle Obama could have something in common? If you really want to know, look no further than...

Ambitious plan to connect rural areas

23:44 Local news No Comments

Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL) yesterday signed a Sh9.7 billion ($6.03 million) contract with the Universal Communication Service Access Fund (UCSAF) to supply communication services in rural areas. The project to be completed in eight months will see 202 villages across the country with an estimated 300,000 people benefit. The contract was signed between the Fund’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Ulanga and TTCL acting Chief Executive Officer, Peter Ngota. The fund was made available through...

Council bans Kenyan mineral water brand

23:43 Local news No Comments

Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has barred Tarime traders to immediately stop selling the ‘Farris’mineral water brand bottled and imported from Kenya, claiming the brand doesn’t meet local standards. In a notice issued by the district’s executive director, Mr Venus Mwambengo,the traders were warned agaionst violating the order. The water which has been widely sold in the district was reportedly found to contain impurities. “ The bottled water doesn’t adhere to TBS standards… it has also been tested to...

3 EAC partners for joint power project

23:42 Local news No Comments

The leaders of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda seek to develop a joint power generation project to increase power supply in the region. Presidents Paul Kagame and Uhuru Kenyatta met in Kampala on Thursday at a tripartite summit chaired by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. The meeting was also attended by Burundi’s Vice President Geravis Rufykiri and Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin from South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Tanzanian delegation led by Vice President Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal attended...

Form Four candidates post improved results

23:41 Local news No Comments

The Acting Executive Secretary of National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA), Dr Charles Msonde. The general performance of candidates of the latest Form Four examinations have improved by 15 per cent in 2013 compared to 2012, it has emerged. According to the official results of 2013 Ordinary Level (O-Level) released yesterday by National Examinations Council of Tanzania, a total of 235,227 students which is equal to 58.25 per cent...

Sh15bn to preserve Dar heritage

23:40 Local news No Comments

Head of the European Union delegation to Tanzania, Ambassador Filiberto Sebregondi, exchanges notes with the director of Heritage, Mr Donatius Kamaba, after signing an agreement for the establishment of the Dar es Salaam Centre for Architecture Heritage in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Second left is the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu, who witnessed the event. The European Union (EU) has joined efforts to conserve Dar es Salaam’s rich architectural...

Warioba, Werema differ

23:39 Local news No Comments

Attorney General Frederick Werema Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) chairman Joseph Warioba has warned the Constituent Assembly against overturning key proposals contained in the second draft constitution. Mr Warioba sounded the warning a day after Attorney General Frederick Werema told CA members that they were free to change anything in the draft except the national issue outlined in the Constitution...

Revealed: Warioba team pay package

23:37 Local news No Comments

Jaji Warioba akifafanua jambo. Picha na Maktaba Members of the Judge Joseph Warioba-led Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) were paid Sh250,000 each per day, The Citizen on Saturday can authoritatively reveal. But the amount rose to Sh330,000 each for every day that the 30 commissioners travelled out of Dar es Salaam city, which was considered their work station. Judge Warioba declined to confirm or deny the figures...

Redefining peacekeeping

23:29 No Comments

Pan Butamire As it used to be (and still is, in some places?), peacekeeping could not impress anybody in Rwanda, in my opinion. With it, Rwandans saw the meaning of shame and will never be identified with it. When UN peacekeepers had their stint in Rwanda in the early 1990s, except a wee few courageous individuals who, at their personal initiative, saved lives – some of who lost their own, God bless their souls – they did not give Rwandans any reason for...

Miss Rwanda 2014 to be crowned today

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Outgoing Miss Rwanda Aurore Mutesi MISS RWANDA 2014 will be crowned today in a colourful ceremony at Petit Stade, Remera. The winner will be picked from 15 contestants who made it to the finals after a countrywide pre-selection exercise. Under the theme “My Beauty, My Skills, My Tools for Self-reliance,” the pageant is being organised by the Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC). The event will mark the end of Miss Rwanda, Aurore Mutesi’s ...

Africa must preserve the memory of its tragic past

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Dr Joseph Nsengimana IN RECENT days two different denominations have been used in international forums with regard to the tragedy that befell Rwanda in 1994; the ‘Rwanda Genocide’ and the ‘Genocide Against the Tutsi’ – for the same crime. This is because when the UN recognised what was happening in Rwanda in 1994, they called it the Rwanda Genocide. At the 10th anniversary, when the African Union and the UN designated April 7 as the day of Genocide commemoration,...

Senate okays draft law on refugees, asylum

23:25 No Comments

Refugees in Gihembe camp, Gicumbi District gather at a function to mark the 2012 World Refugee Day. File. The Senate on Friday approved a Bill that will govern refugees and asylum seekers in the country once assented into law. The draft law repeals the 2001 law relating to refugees, which did not spell out ways of dealing with refugees and asylum seekers, especially those who may arrive en masse or those who may arrive on the Rwandan territory while armed. The...

Miss Rwanda 2014: A sneak peek into the boot camp

23:24 No Comments

The girls pose for a photo at the boot camp at La Palisse Hotel. TODAY Miss Rwanda 2014 will be crowned at a colourful event at Petit Stade in Remera. In the build up to the D-day, the girls spent two weeks in a boot camp. Timothy Bamwita visited the camp and captured what transpired. Contestants listen attentively to a motivational speaker. The day began with aerobics and physicals at the gym at 5:45am which went on for...

Ukraine rivals sign deal to end crisis

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Protesters stand on a barricade during an anti-government protest in downtown Kiev. Net photo. KIEV. Ukrainian opposition leaders have signed a deal with the government to end a political crisis that will effectively strip the presidency of many of its powers and free from jail the opposition leader, Yulia Tymoshenko. The pact, which was signed by the president, Viktor Yanukovich, and three main opposition leaders on Friday, paves the way for early elections and a shift in political...

Two government officials killed in Somali presidential palace attack

23:21 No Comments

The car bomb rammed into a concrete barrier in front of the presidential palace. Net photo. MOGADISHU. Somali police said two government officials, Mohamud hersi Abdulle, the permanent secretary of Somali prime minister and Nur Shirbo, a former senior intelligence commander, were killed in Friday’s attack at the presidential palace. Somalia’s Minister for National Security said government forces thwarted an attack against the presidential palace in the...

Rubangura’s family wrangle hearing due next week

23:19 No Comments

Nyarugenge-based Commercial High Court has set next Thursday for the hearing of a property wrangle case involving the family of the late Vedaste Rubangura. The dispute is between Rubangura’s eldest son, Denis Rubangura and Immaculee Kayitesi, the former’s step mother. Denis Rubangura sued Kayitesi and two commercial banks, Cogebanque and former Fina Bank, now GT Bank, accusing the banks of violating his father’s inheritance will by issuing loans to his step mother. “Our father clearly stated how his...

10,000 Congolese refugees moved from border camp

23:19 No Comments

Mugombwa camp is set to accommodate about 10,000 Congolese refugees who had been temporarily hosted at Nkamira since 2012. File. Refugees from Nkamira Transit Centre in the north western district of Rubavu are being transferred to the southern Gisagara District. This was revealed by officials from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (Midmar). The first batch of refugees, according to midmar officials, arrived in the newly-constructed...

Adult literacy drive gives Huye residents a second chance

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Beata Nyirabarushigorora (L), an instructor who has been volunteering for the past four years, poses with fellow trainers. Jean Pierre Bucyensenge Costasie Nyiraminani was born 20 years ago into a humble family in the rural Mbazi sector in Huye District, Southern Province. Like any other child, she dreamt of going to school and couldn’t wait to put on the blue cotton dress. Unfortunately, that time never came as she was kept by her parents at home to...

Emotions as Kwibuka Flame arrives in Nyabihu

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Jean Bosco Ndagijimana (with microphone) is joined by three of the people he helped save during the Genocide. Jean Pierre Bucyensenge. The Kwibuka Flame reached Nyabihu District yesterday amid tears and cheering. The hundreds of residents, who braved the scorching afternoon sun, listened with enthusiasm as speaker after speaker took to the stage to give their testimonies of what they went through during the Genocide. There were tales of survival, heroism, repentance and reconciliation, ...

Senate okays draft law on refugees, asylum

23:16 No Comments

Rwanda, Ghana ink bilateral trade deal

23:15 abroad news No Comments

The Rwandan Private Sector Federation chairman, Benjamin Gasamagera (L), and the president of Ghana Chamber of Commerce, Seth Adjei Baah (C), sign the trade agreement in Accra on Friday. Peterson Tumwebaze. Trade and investments between Rwanda and Ghana could be boosted thanks to a new trade agreement signed between Rwanda’s private sector and Ghana chamber of commerce in Accra. The deal outlines scaling up business investments and joint partnerships...

Sudan welcomes Kwibuka Flame

23:14 No Comments

The Rwandan community in Sudan on Thursday gathered in El-Fasher to welcome the Kwibuka Flame which continues its international tour ahead of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The event is one the official activities that will culminate into the commemoration week, according to a statement signed by the chairman of the Rwandan Diaspora, Sulaiman Kalisa. Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (Unamid), commended...

Tough CA House rules set to tame trouble makers

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Mr Pandu Ameir Kificho. Members of the Constituent Assembly (CA) who will disrespect the chair could be suspended for several days, according to the proposed Standing Orders. Part 9 of the proposals contains a number of sections outlining what members are not supposed to do or say and punishment for those who will not abide by regulations. Habitual offenders could be suspended for up to five days, according to the proposals presented to...

Two testify in EA assembly election case

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Two witnesses for a local politician who unsuccessfully contested for East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) on Wednesday gave evidence before the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) on why the applicant felt the elections were flawed. A senior member of opposition Chadema, Mr Anthony Calist Komu, filed a case against the Attorney General of the Tanzania, contesting the election of the regional MPs from Tanzania on grounds that the elections in the county’s Parliament did not follow the right procedures. The...

You don’t need passport to travel all over East Africa

11:08 No Comments

President Uhuru Kenyatta flanked by Deputy President William Ruto is shown a demonstration of the use of National Identity card for free movement within the East African countries by Immigration officer shortly before departing J.K.I. Airport for an official visit to Uganda. President Kenyatta on Wednesday exited Kenya and entered Uganda using his national identity card as a demonstration that East Africans do not require a passport or visa to travel...

Ugandan premier breaks silence over presidency

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Discuss my exit at your own peril, Mugabe warns

11:06 No Comments

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. He says there is no need to talk about his succession because he is not about to retire. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe who turns 90 on Friday says there is no need to talk about his succession because he is not about to retire. According to extracts of an interview published by the government owned media on Thursday, President Mugabe said he was not happy with the jockeying for his post in his Zanu-PF...

Who are the anti-balaka in scarred CAR?

11:05 No Comments

Anti Balaka fighters at Bangui’s estate PK9, waiting to attack Muslim IDPs convoys passing along the road. Who are the anti-balaka? In Soriano’s words: “We don’t know”. Their leaders’ identity, their chain of command and their political programme are all unknowns, he told a meeting of community representatives in Bangui. At the same meeting, his African Union counterpart, Cameroonian Gen Martin Tumenta (commanding MISCA, the AU mission...

Pundits worried security ‘overkill’ at Bunge House might harm Katiba talks

11:04 No Comments

As Bunge House goes into lockdown mode, pundits warn stringent parliamentary procedures adopted by the Constituent Assembly may actually hinder free and fair dialogue during the ongoing Katiba Summit. The past few days have seen security tightened in and around Parliament House, with strict procedures governing right of access and in many cases, preventing citizens from having direct access to their Katiba representatives. The common Mwananchi is – effectively – barred from Parliament grounds, unless...

Friday, 21 February 2014

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