Monetary union achieves legal clearance

Arusha. The draft East African Monetary Union (Eamu) has been cleared for approval and signing by regional leaders yesterday during the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit slated for Kampala on November 30.

• The EAC Sectoral Council on Legal and Judicial Affairs during its meeting on Friday adopted and cleared the legal content of the draft Protocol the Secretariat said in a statement. It recommended that the Summit approve and sign the document.

The Attorneys General, Solicitors General as well as ministers responsible for judicial and constitutional affairs directed the Arusha-based Secretariat to use the draft document to draft the legal instrument establishing the institutions to support the envisaged Monetay Union.

The Sectoral Council noted that whereas Article 2(2) of the Treaty provides that the Customs Union and Common market are transitional and integral parts of the Community, the EAC Treaty also requires the Partner States to establish a Monetary Union pursuant to Article 151 of the Treaty.

The Sectorial Council further noted that the Monetary Union will commence upon ratification and coming into force of the Protocol for all five Partner States.

However, the realisation of the Monetary Union shall be progressive. At least three Partner States can commence a single currency in accordance with the relevant provisions of the protocol.

Addressing the Sectoral Council, the EAC Secretary General, Dr Richard Sezibera, reiterated the critical role of the Sectoral Council in ensuring that policy matters, including all programmes and projects of the Community, were pursued “in strict conformity with the Treaty and relevant legislation”.

The draft of the EA Monetary Union Protocol was adopted by the EAC Council of Ministers, the policy organ of the Community, in the middle of July this year.

The passing of a leading activist

Dar es Salaam. Ndigwako Bertha Akim King’ori (affectionately referred to as Bertha), Tanzanian educator, scholar and women development advocate, has passed away. She died in Kenya on November 4, this year as a result of various ailments, including stroke and diabetes.

She was one of the leading women in her country of birth, scoring firsts as student, teacher and leader – member of the pre-independence legislator (Legico), Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanzania (UWT) executive secretary, and member of the East African University Council.

Born on November 19, 1930 in Tukuyu, Rungwe District, Mbeya, to the late Subila Kabonga and the late Akim Mwakosya, Bertha was everything a woman would want to be. Defying the stigma of sending a girl child to school, Bertha notched up to become a renowned scholar, educator and advocate for women’s involvement in the community in East Africa.

She was one of a few girls from Tukuyu to go to school, progressing to Tabora Girls’ School in Tanzania; and on to Uganda where she attended Gayaza High School and King’s College Budo, before entering as the first Tanganyika woman the prestigious Makerere College in 1954. At Makerere she was awarded a Diploma in Education (Mathematics).

After posting to Loleza Girls’ School in Mbeya, Bertha won the Van Leer and Atlanta Fellowship in 1956, which allowed her to attend any college in United States for further professional development for one academic year. Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, was on her sight. Keen on child studies and the development of African children, she graduated in child psychology and sociology.

On returning to Tanzania, Bertha taught at Mpwapwa and Butimba Teacher Training colleges; and was later appointed Headmistress of Bwiru Girls’ Secondary School in Mwanza.

Meanwhile, in the last days of independence struggle, Bertha could not escape the attention of the outgoing colonial government, as well as that of the successor Uhuru government under Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s Tanganyika African National Union (Tanu).

She was the first African woman nominated as member of the Legislative Council of Tanganyika (Legico) in 1957.

Later, Mwalimu Nyerere appointed her Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanzania (UWT) executive secretary in 1967. Bertha was also appointed member of the East African University Council in 1965.

Above all these responsibilities, Bertha was a loving mother and spouse. She married her college sweetheart, the late Peter Gathura King’ori on November 29, 1958 in Tukuyu.

Bertha and Peter distinguished themselves teaching in schools and colleges in Tanzania and Kenya. They were blessed with five children, two of whom have sadly passed on.

Having moved to Kenya with her family, Bertha and Peter carried on with their teaching career; Bertha has taught at Machakos High School, Kenyatta College and Coast High School. A devout Christian, Bertha also served on the National Christian Council of Kenya (NCCK) and became the first African woman representative in the Anglican Consultative Council in 1973.

Where TZ doctors go for greener pastures

20.7 Percentage of Tanzanian doctors in North America20.7 Percentage of Tanzanian doctors in Uganda39.6 Percentage of Tanzanians medical doctors not practicing clinical medicine

Dar es Salaam.  With the cost of training one doctor pegged at $60,000 (Sh99 million), Tanzania has lost $11.22 million (Sh18.5 billion) as 184 of its graduate doctors left for abroad to search for greener pastures by mid this year.

The majority of the country’s “missing” doctors work in Uganda, Kenya and North America, as health situation in Tanzania continues to worsen because of inadequate number of medical personnel.

 This figure doesn’t include those who are still in Tanzania but not practicing medicine, a new report reveals.

Dubbed Practice Status of Medical Graduates-Tracking Study of Medical Doctors, a report launched yesterday shows that 8.2 per cent of Tanzanian doctors are residing outside the country.

The report is the product of a survey jointly conducted by Sikika, an NGO dealing with health matters and the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT).

Almost half of all tracked doctors outside Tanzania are working within Africa with Uganda holding the largest share of about 20.7 per cent (38 doctors) while North America has at least 38.

Kenya is the third largest destination with 16 Tanzanian doctors followed by South Africa (12 doctors), Botswana (9 doctors) and Namibia (6 doctors). East Africa accounts for 30.5 per cent of all doctors that leave Tanzania for greener pastures.

Europe accounts for 14.7 per cent (27 doctors) while at least 8 doctors from Tanzania are working in the Far East (Japan, China, Korea and Singapore). And then, 35.4 per cent of the tracked Tanzanian doctors who work abroad are in Europe and North America.

While the government spends between $40,000 (Sh66 million) and $60,000 (Sh99 million) to train a single medical doctor, four out of every ten who graduate soon abandon their calling to pursue less exacting or better paying undertakings.

The cost of producing a medical doctor doubles if one goes for training abroad, especially in Europe and the US where medical education is still very expensive.

“The government needs to attract and retain an adequate and qualified health workforce in the country’s hospitals.  There is a need for new systems, rules and regulations to influence doctors in other jobs/careers to devote some time to clinical healthcare delivery in order to reduce the workload of those working full time in hospitals,” Irenei Kiria, executive director of Sikika said at the launch.

According to WHO and MoHSW, Tanzania has a 1:30,000 doctor-to-population ratio. This ratio has not significantly improved in the past five years due to the fast growing population. The WHO recommended ratio is 1:1,000.

Stars, Zambia renew rivalry in Cecafa Cup

Kilimanjaro Stars head coach Kim Poulsen demonstrates a tactic during a recent training session. The Dane has a tough task of replicating what his predecessor Jan Poulsen achieved. PHOTO | FILE

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania mainland’s 2013 Cecafa Cup Group B draw will see them face the same group stage opponents from their 2010 outing.

The Mainland team, Kilimanjaro Stars, has been drawn against Zambia, Burundi and Somalia, the exact draw they were handed under ex-coach Jan Poulsen when the tournament was held in Dar es Salaam.

Will they win it as they did three years ago? That is a million dollar question considering that the current coach, Kim Poulsen, has overhauled the squad, which now comprises a lot of young players.

In the 2010 event, Kili Stars started on a low note after losing 1-0 to Zambia, but bounced back to win all matches. They beat Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 in the final.

The tournament, which will kick off on November 27 in Nairobi, Mombasa and Machakos will see another Tanzanian team, Zanzibar Heroes, pooled in group A alongside host Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

In group C, the defending champions, Uganda Cranes, will have to outdo Rwanda, Sudan and Eritrea if they are to stand a chance to win the title again.

The opening matches according to secretary general of the Council for East and central African Football Associations (Cecafa), Nicholas Musonye, will pit the host nation against Ethiopia’s Walias.

This will be the first time Kenya, losing finalists to Uganda in Kampala last year, will be hosting the tournament since 2009, with the opening matches being played in the capital Nairobi and the eastern town of Machakos.

Meanwhile, Musonye has urged member states to improve their football standards.

The Cecafa tournament is not recognised by the world football governing body Fifa, but Musonye believes the teams can use the tournament to prepare well and play better in Fifa-recognised matches.

“There has been a lot of talk that even with Cecafa being an annual event, its members continue to lag behind in Africa and be lowly ranked,” Musonye said.

Platform

Dar cyclists ready for Tour du Rwanda race glory

Dar es Salaam. The national cycling team was expected to arrive in Kigali yesterday for this year’s Tour du Rwanda cycling race, which starts today.

A total of 15 teams will battle it out for the top prize in the eight-day championship. Tanzania will field five riders in the event.

Laizer Richard, Tanzania’s sole professional rider, is among the cyclists making up the team for the championship, which has attracted the crème of riders from eight countries.

The other cyclists in the team include national champion Hamisi Mkoma and Gerald Konda, who returned home earlier this week from South Africa where they had camped.

This is the second time for local riders to compete in Tour du Rwanda, and team manager Nicola Morganti said yesterday that he was optimistic they will make a mark in the event.

The other countries expected to field cyclists in the event include Eritrea, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Algeria, Gabon and the hosts Rwanda. (The Citizen Reporter)

Ramaiya makes flying start in Dar Cup

Dar es Salaam. Dhyanesh Ramaiya of Khalsa A made a flying start in the men’s singles of Guru Nanak badminton tournament as he beat Shishikunj’s Harsheed Chohan 21-10, 21-9 at Khalsa Sports Club court last night.

Organised by Khalsa Sports Club, the six-day championship has attracted eight Dar es Salaam-based teams. The teams have been put in two groups of four each.

The teams are competing in men’s singles and mixed doubles in the tournament which will reach its climax next weekend.

Besides Khalsa A, the other teams battling it out for the title are Badminton Institute, Khalsa B, Anadil Bhuruan, Kalamandalam, Ramgharia, Lohana and Shishukunj.

Ramaiya, one of the best badminton players in the country at the moment, had little mercy on his opponent in the exciting match.

He has magnificent defence, quick reflexes in the game and deftness of touch that usually put his opponents at bay. After a bright start, Ramaiya faced some anxious moments later as trailed behind at one point before asserting his supremacy to silence his opponent and launch his campaign with a bang. “Chohan is a great player, he played some attacking shots,” said Ramaiya shortly after the game.

“I made a few mistakes here and there, but in the end it was a good win,” he added.

Earlier, Jagroop Singh and Hassanali Haji of Khalsa A defeated Umang Somaini and Dipen Patei of Shishikunj 21-15,21-14 in the men’s doubles.

In yesterday’s other men’s doubles, Khalsa A’s Girish Kumar and Chetan Moddessa beat Mukesh Shah and Harsheed Chohan of Shishikunj 21-93, 21-10.

Tricky dates for Simba, Yanga sides

Dar es Salaam. After days of preparations, the stage is now set for this year’s Uhai Cup U-20 championship, which kicks off today with six matches on the menu at different venues.

The championship designed to identify and nurture budding soccer talent from the grassroots, features youth teams from all 14 Mainland Premier League clubs. It was launched in 2008.

Young Africans launch their campaign against Mbeya City in a Group A at Karume Memorial Stadium. The match starts at 2pm.

It will be followed by another interest-generating encounter between Simba and JKT Oljoro, which starts at 4pm at the same venue.

Kagera Sugar’s U-20 side is at Azam Complex on the outskirts of the city for a Group B match against Mtibwa Sugar. The match kicks off at 2pm.

The day will also see defending champions Azam FC and Coastal Union go head-to-head in a Group A clash at the same venue, while Ruvu Shooting take on Ashanti United in a Group B match at Karume Memorial Stadium.

The match between Azam and Coastal Union starts at 4 pm while the Ruvu Shooting versus Ashanti United showdown is expected to kick off at 10 am.

Rhino Rangers and Tanzania Prisons FC lock horns at Azam complex in a group C.

All matches are expected to be tough but exciting if the youth teams’ performance in curtain-raisers of the first round of this season’s Vodacom Premier League matches is anything to go by.

Three top teams in Group A and B as well as two others from Group C will qualify for the quarter-finals scheduled for November 24 and 25. The semifinals will be held on November 26 and 27.

A number of players featuring for Premier League teams are a product of the tournament organised by Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) and sponsored by Bakhresa Group Company.

The players and teams they feature for in bracket include Christopher Alex, Saleh Malande, Ramadhani Singano, Edward Christopher (Simba), Simon Msuva, Hussein Javu (Young Africans) and Himid Mao (Azam FC).

Union structure debate lingers on

Opposition Chief Whip Tundu Lissu speaks at a meeting. Right is Chadema secretary-general Willibrod Slaa. The opposition party is for a three-tier government structure. PHOTO | FILE

Dar es Salaam. Contentious issues in the structure of the Union still bite on the on-going writing of new Constitution, as the Constituent Assembly meetings approach.

Worries among stakeholders are piling up on whether the new Constitution will make any sense without first addressing the issues concerning the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

Although the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC)’s schedule indicates that the new supreme law will be ready next year, some experts say the problems facing the Union may not occasion a good Constitution.

The structure of the Union and the composition of the Constituent Assembly were some of the issues debated in Dar es Salaam recently at a forum organised by the East Africa Business and Media Training Institute and the forum was televised live by some local TV and radio stations.

Dr Aley Soud Nassor, an academician from Zanzibar, said the country had reached a stage at which it needed the Constitution for at least 50 years, but unfortunately the problems facing the Union have not been addressed.

Dr Nassor explained that a referendum should have been held to give people the opportunity to determine whether they still needed the Union or not. He, however, said three governments were better for the Union.

Opposition Chief Whip in the Parliament, Mr Tundu Lissu, too said three governments were better for the Union. He explained that it was difficult to maintain the current structure of two governments of the Union in a multiparty democracy.

“The two-tier government structure was possible only under a one party and totalitarian system where people were not allowed to question things,” Mr Lissu noted. Mr Lissu also said without addressing the problems facing the Union, the new Constitution would not mean much. Njelu Kasaka, former CCM MP, also said the referendum should have been held to enable people to accept or reject the Union. He said a three-tier government system would be better for Tanzania.

Mr Kasaka explained that differing views on the Union structure between the ruling party and opposition parties were indicative of politicians’ lack of courage to sit together and discuss Union challenges. Mr Saed Kubenea, a seasoned journalist, urged opponents of the three-tier government to stop scaring people about the possibility of having three governments. He said under current circumstances a two-tier government system would not hold water because of some changes that the people of Zanzibar want.

At the forum, most participants expressed their worries, saying the system to elect members of the Constituent Assembly had not represented the grassroots.

The current system through, which MPs automatically become members of the Constituent Assembly is inadequate and will give more powers to politicians to dominate the constitution making process because 76 per cent of the members (438) are politicians.

Participants suggested that to come up with a good Constitution there was a need to address the composition of the Constituent Assembly issue by adding the number of ordinary citizens and reducing the number of politicians to minimise chances of having the new Constitution reflecting the interests of political parties only.

Journalists stand the test of time

Dar es Salaam. Looking at what journalists are going through in the country – intimidation, assaults, torture and killing – it is evident that press freedom in Tanzania is at risk. To say the least, there are overt and covert efforts to trample on press freedom – to silence journalists.

This is what is happening in repressive regimes all over the world. Repressive regimes have a tendency of turning against journalists, who expose inefficiency, poor performance, misappropriation of public funds and corruption scandals in top government offices.

During Jakaya Kikwete’s early months as President, he travelled to various parts of the country expressing his gratitude to voters for his overwhelming victory and telling Tanzanians what his government would implement to facilitate development and bring about decent life for all. His words are still lingering on in our memory!

In one of his early visits, Kikwete made an impressive speech in which he asked his new ministers and their deputies to work closely with journalists to enable people to know what the government was doing. In response to this, the ministers and their deputies too promised to cooperate with journalists in support of the President in his new responsibility as the Head of State. This was a good start and the work has not been completed. It was the only time, they said they were going to cooperate with journalists. I have never heard anyone expressing similar sentiments as they did at the time! Was it done to please the President?

A recent proposed penalty to amend section 37(1)(b) of the Newspapers Act, 1976 was increased from Sh150,000 to Sh5 million or imprisonment for three years or both should a journalist or a media outlet be found guilty of inciting violence and publishing seditious material, an indication that some politicians are no longer cooperating with journalists as the President had intended.

The Attorney General, Mr Stephen Werema, while defending this severe penalty against journalists said he was doing it in the public interest, yet when the Parliament was debating the Public Procurement Bill, 2011 he was against imposing a severe penalty against government officials, who would be implicated in sham deals or purchasing used machines as brand new ones. Members of Parliament proposed a severe punishment against any government officials implicated in such deals. In his own words against the severe penalty, Werema said “the Bill shouldn’t be debated with emotion or arrogance”. He explained that what was important was not so much about the severity of the penalty, but the purpose it served to help an offender reform.

I was taken aback when I heard the same Attorney General supporting the imposition of a severe penalty against journalists, while in 2011 he was against the imposition of a severe penalty against government officials, who would be found guilty of purchasing used things and brand them as new or put up the price for that matter. But this contradiction in terms is not new among politicians. It is interesting to hear how some ministers, deputy ministers and MPs flatter the President for the things they don’t believe and do the opposite. For instance, I don’t think what the President asked them to do in 2006 about working cooperating with journalists to enable the people to know what the government was doing is no longer important in 2013, where the same people want the media to be restricted and journalists be severely punished should they report something that doesn’t please them. How will they work with journalists in such an overly suspicious relationship? Is this what the President intended when he told them to cooperate with journalists? After all, sometimes they would dodge journalists when the latter want certain information to balance their stories and when that happens they will be the same people to blame the journalists for publishing unbalanced stories!

Then, why is it happening at this time if it is not throttling and silencing journalists so that they become subservient? This reminds me of a story of two ancient philosophers, Diogenes and Aristippus. Diogenes was having lentils for supper as Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king, looked on. “If you learnt to be subservient to the king you would not live on such garbage as lentils,” said Aristippus. “If you had learnt to live on lentils you would not have to flatter the king,” replied Diogenes.

It is hard to say which philosophy Tanzanian politicians would subscribe to. On the other hand, what would happen if journalists everywhere stop reporting for a day, a week, a month or a year? The point I want to stress here is that, journalists could be having weaknesses in their reporting and it is good to be angry about it, but we shouldn’t overdo it. We can impose penalties against those violating their professional ethics and the law, yes, but not to the extent of being so unreasonable. As we are in the process of writing the new Constitution, let the new Constitution protect press freedom, including freedom of expression and opinion. In my opinion, too much restriction, as touted by the AG and supporters, won’t build our nation. It will only create more hypocrites and flatterers. What we want is responsible freedom, which is not brought about by severe penalties, but by enlightened or well-informed journalists. But we cannot have enlightened and well-informed journalists in the society, which does not provide quality education and there is moral decadence. There is no miracle for making journalists angels where society itself has moulded them into what they are today. Disrespect for moral values is a societal problem for what the journalists are doing is just a reflection of what society is. To change this, we need to start with our education - it should help transform school children to become responsible citizens. Above all, public leaders should show a good example to all other members of the public and if there is a need to impose any penalty or restriction, let it be reasonable.

CSOs push for inclusive Katiba

 

By Katare Mbashiru,The Citizen

Dar es Salaam.Every Tanzanian is eagerly waiting for the envisaged new Constitution, even as the process of writing the fundamental law is still surrounded by a cloud of uncertainty.

The big question remains whether the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) led by Judge Joseph Warioba will be allowed to prefect the process until the country gets a new charter in April 2016, as promised by the government. The Constitutional Review Act, 2011 directs the powers of the CRC to cease immediately after unveiling the second Draft Constitution.

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have vowed that they will not relent in their fight towards attaining a people-centred Constitution, which will help the country tackle problems affecting the majority of Tanzanians.

A total of 37 CSOs from across the country met at a Dar es Salaam hotel recently to deliberate on how best the country could get a Constitution that would seal all loopholes found in the current charter that has saw democracy and good governance compromised. They came up with various recommendations.

According to Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) executive director Usu Mallya, who spoke on behalf of CSOs, the Constitution Review Act 2011 (Cap 83) should be immediately amended to extend the time of the CRC until the promulgation of the new Constitution.

“The CRC is legitimately bestowed with the powers to ensure the country gets a new Constitution. Therefore, leaving this process half-baked is contrary to the primary goal of the formation of this team.” But asked if the government was contemplating to make requisite amendments to extend the time for the Warioba team, the minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs), William Lukuvi, declined to comment on the matter.

The government has been making a series of meetings with political parties through the Tanzania Centre for Democracy (TCD) to deliberate on important issues that need to be amended in the Constitutional Review Amendment Act, 2013 that was signed by President Jakaya Kikwete on October 10.

The CSOs’ stand was that the Warioba Commission should not be dissolved by 2/3 members of the Constituent Assembly, but that they should come from non-politicians. However, the Constitutional Review Amendment Bill, No 2 was passed yesterday without considering the demands of CSOs.

The CSOs are also not happy with the composition of the Constituent Assembly, which according to the legislation, is expected to be dominated by politicians if amendments are not made.

According to Ms Mallya, the Constituent Assembly should comprise two thirds of stakeholders outside politicians, whereby the remaining should combine legislators from both the Mainland and Zanzibar.

The CSOs also want the Constituent Assembly to be construed on a 50/50-representation from the Mainland and Isles and ensure gender equality. If the Act will not be amended, all Mainland MPs and all Zanzibar House of Representatives will be part of the Constituent Assembly. As per articles 62, 63 and 64 of the current Constitution, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania is also automatically part of the Parliament and he may decide to be part of the Constituent Assembly.

This, according to Tanzania Constitutional Forum (TCF) chairman Deus Kibamba, is unacceptable and it should not be accepted by Tanzanians and that the Act gives legislators and representatives from Zanzibar the discretion that had never been anywhere before in the country’s laws.

CCM likely to hijack crucial, decisive stage

Dar es Salaam. The noble task of establishing the new Constitution is still in progress with only three crucial stages remaining; preparation and presentation of a final report by the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) to the President, formation and convening of the Constituent Assembly and the referendum. These stages are not only crucial, but they are also very important because they are final and decisive factors for the whole process of getting or failing to get the new Constitution.

However, there are signals on both the composition of the Constituent Assembly and its debate thereof that may make the whole institution irrelevant even before it begins its work. In this article I will explain why the exclusion of members of the CRC in the Constituent Assembly will make it irrelevant and undone.

While the CRC has remained with only a month to present its report to the President after the latter has granted the former one more month up to December 15, last week the National Assembly in its ordinary meeting in Dodoma made slight amendments in the Constitutional Review Act, Chapter 83 of the Laws (R.E 2012) and came out with a strong stand that the CRC will not be allowed to be part or even sit around the Constituent Assembly when the latter begins work of debating the Draft Constitution next year.

The decision of the National Assembly to reject the presence of the CRC contrary to what is provided in the Constitutional Review Act, 2011 (R.E 2012) in section 20(4), has finally removed the possibility of the CRC being included in the Constituent Assembly to give clarification which would be required by members of Constituent Assembly during the debate.

This legal act of leaving out the CRC in Constituent Assembly has astonished many stakeholders in constitution making process and the general public with the exception of ruling party-CCM only. From interpretation of section 20(4) of the above mentioned law, no one fore-thought that CRC would be excluded during the debate of Draft constitution in Constituent Assembly, highly taking into account that CRC is one of the major actors in the whole process of making the Constitution and it is the one that made all literary work of the intended Constitution possible.

Section 20(4) provides that: “For the purpose of subsection (3), the chairman and members of the Commission may give clarification which may be required during the debate by the Constituent Assembly”.

Logically, and within the standard interpretation of the law, that above provision justifies the presence of the CRC in the Constituent Assembly in which its chairman and members would be required (if need be) to give clarification during the debate. Nevertheless, the provision does not mean that the presence of the CRC in the Constituent Assembly is not necessary.

The usage of the word “may” is not about whether members of the CRC are to be part of the Constituent Assembly or not, rather it clearly allows the members of the CRC to take part of the Constituent Assembly and also it gives members of the Constituent Assembly freedom to seek clarification from those of the CRC during the debate.

The rationale of this provision is that, during the debate members of the Constituent Assembly may need clarification on any part of the Draft Constitution or the recommendations of the CRC and that the chairman or any member of the CRC would give that clarification and, therefore, make the whole debate smooth and conducive. Thus, amendments of the law to exclude the members of the CRC who we logically assume they know each letter of both the Draft Constitution and its report signals a bad motive of both the government and the ruling party in passing such amendments of the law and that predicts ill-will of CCM and its government in giving Tanzanians a Constitution that can be named as a people -centred Constitution.

To my legal knowledge I do not agree with the amendments of the law that prohibit members of the CRC to take part in the Constituent Assembly as prescribed by section 20(4).

Thus, the amendment of the law itself reveals a motive behind the CCM agenda during the debate in the Constituent Assembly. Now, members of the CRC will not take part in the Constituent Assembly, who will be giving clarifications to the members of the Constituent Assembly in case such need arises? Why is the government and CCM afraid of the presence of members of the CRC in the Constituent Assembly? There must be something fishy here!.

The life of the CRC as per the law was supposed to come to end upon the declaration of the results of the referendum by the National Electoral Commission as per section 37(1) of the law establishing it.

Youth unemployment rate worsens: Survey

Dar es Salaam. By almost any measure, job prospects for young people in Tanzania should be plenty.

Tanzania ranks among the world’s 30 fastest growing economies and spends a higher percentage of its GDP on education than all, but 26 others. In theory, this should correspond to the rapid creation of new jobs and an abundance of well-educated young people to fill them.

But the country is facing a youth unemployment crisis rivalled by few other nations in the world. Last year, Tanzania was home to more unemployed 15 to 24 year-olds per capita than 109 other countries. In a survey by a non-governmental organisation, Restless Development, out of over 1,000 young people across Tanzania, only 14 per cent reported working in a formal, wage-earning job.

“Most of the youth we’re meeting … want to be employed in Dar es Salaam, but the problem is that they don’t have qualifications,” said Nicas Nigumba of Restless Development, which works to help young people find better job opportunities. He said many young women were kept out of school and in the home by tradition, despite their longing for an education and a formal job.

“Often they cannot discuss these things with their parents so they are coming to us,” he explained. The problem is in the numbers: An astonishing 45 per cent of Tanzania’s population is under 15, largely the result of high fertility rates and a decrease in child mortality, according to an April report by the World Bank.

Each year, 900,000 young Tanzanians enter the job market that is generating only 50,000 to 60,000 new jobs. Researchers say the problem originates in the country’s lack of quality education. Last year, 65 per cent of students failed their national examinations required to pass secondary school. What’s more, youth advocates say schools fail to teach requisite skills and intellectual prowess employers are looking for.

“The system of education in Tanzania—teaches people general things, not skills they need for employment,” said Ally Mawanja, the programme coordinator for Restless Development. “We just give them a degree, but it’s hard to use that degree.”

The result is that better-educated young men and women who migrate here from Kenya or other neighbouring countries are filling these skilled jobs.

“There are Kenyans coming to Tanzania and they’re getting jobs that Tanzanians should be getting,” said Nigumba.

Women in Tanzania face a host of additional challenges to finding a job, the foremost of which is their severe under-education in comparison with men. Indeed, Tanzania was placed second to worst out of 68 countries in the 2013 Global Gender Gap Report due to a dramatic discrepancy between boys and girls in educational attainment, among other factors.

The percentage of girls, who attend secondary school is decreasing, down to 45 per cent in 2009 from 48 per cent four years earlier, according to Tanzania’s education ministry.

That the country’s gender divide is as abysmal as its youth unemployment rate is no coincidence: It is largely the result of societal practices that limit girls’ education. Chief among them is the long-standing practice of mandatory pregnancy testing in schools.

Bilal urges TRA to address tax evasion and avoidance

Dar es Salaam. Lack of a friendly tax payment environment in the country is one of the reasons, which makes many traders evade and avoid paying tax, a situation that has negative impacts on widening the tax base.

• Unfriendly relations between Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) officials and taxpayers has seen traders continuously evade paying tax and thus occasioning the government losses of millions of shillings in tax collection.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam recently on the 7th Taxpayers’ Day, the Vice President, Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal, said recent challenges in tax payment needed to be addressed through having adequate public education and creating a friendly environment that encourages voluntary tax payment and compliance.

Tax avoidance and evasion in Tanzania is currently becoming a common phenomenon not only among multinational and local companies, but also among small-scale businesses. The government plans to make amendments on the tax law, but lack of skills and expertise on specialised tax issues remains a big challenge.

“I believe if citizens are well-informed and have a convenient taxpaying environment, without being forced, they will cooperate with TRA officials and pay their tax as required by the law. We have to build a culture of voluntary tax payment among our citizens, and this will also help their businesses grow as well,” said Dr Bilal.

Currently, in Tanzania, it is only people, who are employed in the formal sector, who have been paying tax more than traders because their salaries are easily traceable and they have no way of avoiding or evading tax payment.

“Available statistics show that 44 per cent of the total revenue collected in the country comes from people employed in the formal sector, while all other businesses account only for 56 per cent of which it is only 1.7 million traders,” Dr Bilal pointed out. Taxpayers’ Day in Tanzania was introduced in 2006 and is celebrated every year in which public education on the importance of paying tax to the government is provided and best taxpayers are recognised.

This year, Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL), Tanzania Cigarette Company (TCC) and Vodacom Tanzania scooped the top three best taxpayers’ awards in the country in the first, second and third place respectively. On the other hand, TRA has been undergoing various reforms and improvements to widen the tax base and improve revenue collection for supporting various development programmes.

According to TRA commissioner general Harry Kitilya, TRA has been undertaking various strategic plans to increase tax collection, whereby since the introduction of the new strategies, tax collection has improved from Sh4,049.1 billion in 2008/2009 to Sh7,739.3 billion in 2012/2013, being an improvement by 91 per cent, which counts for an improvement of 20 per cent every year.

“TRA’s vision is to increase revenue of GDP ratio by 20 per cent by 2017/2018 under three themes of improving convenience, compliance and continued improvement that changes with time,” said Mr Kitilya.

He explained that TRA was focusing on effective utilisation of science and technology to increase efficiency and reduce workload TRA officials have when working directly with taxpayers as well as creating a good environment for doing business in the country.

“We anticipate that the present tax collection gap in the country will decline from 3.7 per cent to one per cent by 2017/2018, while the tax collection ratio will decline from 2.7 per cent and 1.6 per cent in the same period,” he noted, stressing that the current TRA target was to collect Sh18.8 trillion in 2017/2018. The commissioner-general admitted that in achieving tax collection targets in the country, it was important to have employees, who adhered to the code of conduct to curb current corruption complaints by taxpayers about corruption among some TRA officials.

Water project short of Sh220bn

Villagers queue for water in Handeni in Tanzania.PHOTO | FILE

Dar es Salaam.The government is short of $135 million (Sh216 billion) needed to supply water by 74 per cent in rural areas by 2015.

Speaking at a water sector development forum yesterday, the minister for Water, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, said the total amount needed to implement all water projects had amounted to $457 million (Sh731.2 billion), out of which the government had committed $322 million(Sh515.2 billion).

“The deficit of $135 million is a challenge to implement the projects in order to attain the set targets by 2015. But development partners have pledged to assist us,” said Prof Maghembe after opening the meeting.

Speaking at the forum, World Bank country director Philippe Dongier, said despite the financing gap there were still a number of challenges facing the water sector, including lack of proper co-ordination with other related sector such as agriculture, environment and natural resources management, financial management and projects sustainability in rural areas.

Mr Dongier said there was a need to ensure the water sector was properly co-ordinated with other sectors to ensure water resources benefit the majority of Tanzanians for domestic, industrial use and supply of energy.

According to the latest report by the Water Sector Development Programme released at the forum to stakeholders, the MDG target for water supply coverage in rural areas was supposed to increase by at least 1.5 per cent annually since the year 2000 (the millennium summit year), which implies that it was supposed to increase from 51 per cent in 2000 to 55.9 per cent in 2003 up to 66.4 per cent in 2010 so as to attain 74 per cent in 2015, but data analysis by the government has shown that coverage had reached 57 per cent in 2012.

“This means that in order to meet the MDG target by 2015 more efforts are needed to cover the remaining 17 per cent of people without access to water services.

Under the 2013/14 water budget the government had earmarked Sh379.4 billion for development expenditure for the sector, and out of which Sh138.26 billion were expected to come from foreign sources and Sh241.17 billion from domestic sources.

Women leaders react to poor gender balance ranking

Chairperson of Women Footprints Initiative Ms Vida Nassari (second left) shows the Vice President’s wife, Aisha Bilali (left), and  Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda’s, wife Tunu Pinda (second right), clothing materials at an exhibition during a workshop on women economic emancipation-Tanzania Women Dialogue in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO | MICHAEL MATEMANGA

Dar es Salaam. A cross section of women leaders have expressed optimism that ongoing government programmes empower women across the country, citing as a challenge, the newly released Gender Gap report which indicates that Tanzania is behind in gender equality.

Two ministers and a top banking executive are among interviewees who told The Citizen on Sunday that Women in Tanzania should not lose hope following the report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) that painted a declining performance on the gender performance indicators such as Economic Participation, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment.

According to the Gender Gap 2013, opportunities for Tanzanian women to improve their welfare have dwindled, with the country backpedaling on all the gender growth measurements, including in economic participation that has dropped from position one in 2006 to 70 last year among 113 surveyed countries. That record placed the country as the least in empowering its women in East Africa.

In separate telephone interviews, the women leaders noted the nation could quickly pick up it fall in ranking should ongoing empowerment plans and others in the pipeline be brought to fruition.

Lands and Housing minister Prof Anna Tibaijuka said the result was largely because Tanzania’s economy is in transition. While women are the main producers (farmers), the sector does not compensate their efforts well, she said, leading to unproductive rural-urban migration. “Women don’t get enough opportunities in the cities to engage in formal economic activities,” the minister added. “They don’t get better jobs and chances of landing a soft loan are slim due to collateral demands, in the end, they choose to remain housewives.”

According to Prof Tibaijuka, women are doing well in politics because it is a platform that is still not very competitive. There has been affirmative action to boost their numbers. Deputy minister for Community Development, Gender and Children Ummy Mwalimu, said the government was keen to reverse the trend.

“The government has created a lot of opportunities to make sure that women do participate in economic activities,” she said.

“The proposed draft constitution has, for example, mentioned the right of women to own land and that will open new opportunities.” She notes, though, that more effort should be put into reaching those living in rural areas.

Ms Margreth Chacha, Executive Director of Tanzania Women’s Bank, argues that Tanzania needs to reform fast as more countries are overtaking it in the ranking.

“During the ‘Elimu ya Ujamaa na Kujitegemea’ era of Mwalimu Nyerere, women participated in projects such as ‘Vyama vya Ushirika’ and ‘Harambee’ but changes thereafter did not give them an opportunity for full participation.”

The banker said, though, that there were positive signs that things may change. “A lot of campaigns to empower women are going on,” Ms Chacha said. “I’m sure the index in the coming years will improve, with more women forming groups to get out of the hole.”

Her institution is working with the government to find out how to set aside funds for loans for women at low interest rates. The current rate is 19 per cent. But she warns that if the government continues to recognise traditional laws, women will continue to be undermined even with the new constitution.

Plea for govt to tighten public security

A Catholic priest sprinkles holy water on the coffin bearing the body of Constitutional Review Commission member Sengondo Mvungi during prayers for him at the Karimjee grounds in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO|SALIM SHAO

Dar es Salaam. Political leaders made a solemn appeal to the government yesterday to tighten public security situation in the country, in the wake of the escalation of criminal incidents in which high-profile personalities and ordinary wananchi are killed, maimed and acutely traumatised.

That was one of the highlights of sentiments made at a special mass at the Karimjeefor slain renowned intellectual, human rights activist smd politician ,

Dr Sengondo Mvungi, 61. Dr Mvungi died in South Africa’s Millpark hospital on Tuesday where he was flown for specialized treatment after being critically injured after a group of gangsters raided his residence at Kibamba home on the outskirt of the city.

Besides eulogies in which the intellect, patriotism, and yearning for beneficial constitutional and other reforms that defined the deceased were pronounced, speaker after speaker, expressed concern over the high crime rate, which they asked the government to take firm action to curb, because, in addition to robbing the nation of precious souls, also held wananchi captive to constant suspence, as virtually everyone felt that he or she could be the next target of heartless bandits who had no qualms about killing and maiming fellow human beings.

Dr Mvungi, who had been a journalist during his prime, was lately a member of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bagamoyo (UB), and, as a politician, had taken a shot at the presidency during the 2005 election.

Mourners who had assembled at the Karimjee grounds braved a downpour that started about three minutes before the car that carried the body of the deceased arrived at the venue for the mass and payment of last respects.

Mr James Mbatia, the visibly upset national chairman of NCCR-Mageuzi, of which Dr Mvungi was a prominent member, asked the audience to reflect on the climate of suspense remarked: “The family of Dr Mvungi is wondering why their father had to die that way. We are asking the government to ensure us peace, stability and protection for our lives,” adding: “We know every soul shall taste death but the family of Dr Mvungi is asking why it should be that way,

Mr Mbatia noted that the murder of Dr Mvungi was a continuation of the brutal murder of prominent legal practitioners, citing professor Jwani Mwaikusa and Michael Wambari as examples. “These were also brutally eliminated. Security for our nation and her people should be given first priority; instead of complaining we should fulfil our responsibilities,” he said.

He said there was a need for critical reflection on who was tasked with ensuring public safety, in the light of statistics that showed that nearly 90 per cent of Tanzanians believed that it was the police force, while only 11 per cent felt every citizen had a part to play.

Vice President Dr Mohammed Ghalib Bilal led political and religious leaders, former president Benjamin Mkapa, ministers and MPs to pay last respect to the lawyer who touched the lives of many.

Grief-stricken mourners started arriving at Karimjee grounds as early as 8am and huddled in small groups, recalling Dr Mvungi’s multi-faceted illustrious career.

As the funeral car approached the grounds, yells of anguish rang out from the huge crowd and tears of sorrow flowed freely.

Wananchi: Govt should not have stopped crackdown on poachers

The elephant - one of the most endangered animals in the world – continues to be hunted for its tusks, used as an ornament, or in its powder form, in potions and lotions in parts of Africa and Asia. PHOTO | FILE

Some people have commended the government for suspending the anti-poaching drive it called ‘Operation Tokomeza Ujangili’ because some of those involved were mishandling it, including harassment of innocent people, and seizing the properties of others. There are others, though, who fear that poaching will be intensified. In their own words:

Mbaruk, Tabora

Because of its sensitivity and diverse effects on our wildlife, the government is not right to suspend the anti-poaching operation; on the contrary, the government was supposed to play double roles.

First is to deal with dishonest and greedy servants who ruined the operation through harassing innocent people and illegally acquiring properties for their personal benefits.

And secondly, due to the intensity of poaching and threat posed to the tourism industry, the operations could go on to save our wild animals from extinction.

Suspension of the operation has given room to poachers to commit more crimes.

The operation should also focus on eliminating the network of crimes which include poachers, elephant tusk smugglers and some irresponsible and dishonest servants who cooperate with the culprits.

Anonymous via SMS

This was absolutely wrong, as we are on the brink of wiping out our elephants.

The government should discipline the officers at the top level and villagers on the ground, or else we will have no elephants by the year 2020.

Juma Mtasa, Dar es Salaam

It is right to suspend the operation because it was being mishandled. Many innocent lives and properties have been lost, and it looks like the operation benefited some individuals in the government.

s Kigali planning to pull out of EA Community?

President Jakaya Kikwete.PHOTO|FILE

Dar es Salaam. A few days after President Jakaya Kikwete stated Tanzania’s stand about the East African Community, one of its members, Rwanda is set to join the Economic Community of Central African States (Eccas).

A Rwandan newspaper, New Times, quoted the country’s foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo as saying during a visit to the Republic of Congo: “My Republic of Congo counterpart Basile Ikouebe and I informed our teams that Rwanda will soon be welcomed back in the Community of Central African States.”

Reached for comment, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe said he had not received official information over the decision although he admitted to have read it somewhere.

“I have read it somewhere…..but for the time being I am not in a position to say anything over the decision,” Mr Membe said.

Rwanda will be rejoining six years after it pulled out of the regional bloc, when the country ended its membership of Eccas in 2007 after joining the East African Community (EAC), a five-member bloc. Other partner states in EAC include Burundi (also a member of Eccas), Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Then, Kigali justified the action, saying it was trying to avoid overlapping memberships in several regional community groupings. Eccas is a regional community of 10 central African states, namely; Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tome & Principe.

The paper also quoted Rwanda’s ambassador to DRC, Amandin Rugira, saying that Kigali had applied for readmission to Eccas and chances were “very high” that it would be welcomed back during the bloc’s next Heads of State summit. The summit is scheduled to take place early next year in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad.

In his speech on Thursday in Parliament, President Kikwete said Tanzania will never quit the East African Community and will do everything in its powers to ensure it survives and becomes prosperous despite efforts by Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda to sideline it.

He told a full House: “We’re in the EAC to stay. We have come from so far. We have sacrificed too much to give up now. We will do everything in our power to make sure the EAC survives and achieves its ultimate goal of political federation.”

Half through in latest primary school exams

National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA) acting Executive Secretary, Dr Charles Msonde briefs journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday on results of this year’s Standard Seven national examination results. PHOTO | emmanuel herman
 ar es Salaam. Half of the pupils who sat this year’s primary school examinations have passed, and will presumably proceed to secondary school, according to results announced yesterday.

The results, released by the National Examinations Council (Necta), show a significant improvement in student performance, being a 19.89 per cent improvement from 30.72 per cent last year.

Necta Acting Executive Secretary Dr Charles Msonde said 427, 606 out of 844,938 candidates who sat the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) scored above 100 out of the 250 mark set by the examinations coordination body.

This means that 50.61 per cent candidates scored well above the 100 mark and will be selected to join public secondary schools.

Of the 427,606 candidates who scored 100 and above marks, 208,227 (46.68 per cent) are females while 219,379 (55.01 per cent) are males.

Going by the Necta statistics, the 427, 606 students who passed got between grade A and C while the rest of the 417, 332 pupils scrambled for grade D and E.

Some 867,983 pupils were registered to sit the exams which for the second time were written on Optical Mark Reader (OMR), an electronic system rolled out by Necta to speed up the marking process and ensure accuracy.

Dr Msonde said 23,045 (2.66 per cent) of the registered candidates did not sit the final examinations owing to various reasons, including diseases and truancy.

Some 13, 264 (3.22 per cent of all candidates) males did not sit the examination while girls made up 2.15 per cent, about 9,781 of the candidates.

The council also nullified results of 13 pupils who cheated. Last year, results of 293 candidates were nullified on similar grounds.

Dr Msonde attributed the fall in the cheating rate to the use of computerized system in marking examinations.

The government introduced OMR last year with a view of cutting down costs associated with managing national examinations, and increasing accuracy and efficiency in the marking of examinations in the country.

State mining firm wagers on floundering Tulawaka mine

Mining operations at the then-ABG-owned Tulawaka Gold Mine in Biharamulo, Kagera. Yesterday, African Barrick formally handed over the troubled asset to a mining investment company owned by the Tanzanian government. PHOTO | AFRICAN BARRICK GOLD

Dar es Salaam. The State Mining Corporation (Stamico) has acquired Tulawaka Gold Mine from African Barrick Gold (ABG) in a $4.5 million (about Sh7.2 billion) deal closed yesterday in Dar es Salaam.

Under the pact, Stamico is required to make an initial payment of $3.5 million to ABG and the remaining balance nine months after commencing operations.

In the unprecedented development in the country’s mining history, Stamico will also own and manage the fund set up to rehabilitate Tulawaka.

The establishment of the rehabilitation fund is part of the plan to close the mine that became operational in 2005.

Speaking at the function to close the deal, Mr Deo Mwanyika, the vice president of African Barrick Gold, said the mine had been sold because the remaining assets could only be viably managed by a medium scale company

“Our feasibility studies showed that gold deposits at Tulawaka were still available but in a minimal amount which could be unprofitable for a big company like ABG to continue with its operations,” said Mr Mwanyika.

Under the agreement, Stamico will continue using all the existing facilities and infrastructure to operate the mine.

In March 2013, Tulawaka Gold Mine, which is in Kagera Region, ceased mining operations after its gold reserves became economically inviable to extract and refine for a big mining concern.

The mine is 100 per cent owned by Tulawaka Joint Venture in which ABG has a stake of 70 per cent and the remaining 30 per cent is owned by MDN Mines.

Mr Mwanyika said after the closure of the mine in the second quarter of this year, many local and international companies showed interest in acquiring it.

However, the government recommended that Stamico be approached for a possible takeover.

Its director general Gray Mwakalukwa, said the mine would require a work force of 450 people, and to start with, all its former workers will be recruited.