Raila opens up on close friendship with Magufuli

President John Magufuli and former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga in prayers at Chato Parish church in Geita Region yesterday. Photo: State House

 Former Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga, who spent the weekend as a guest of President John Magufuli in his Chato District, Geita Region home village, yesterday explained the origin of the special friendship between the two leaders.

 

Odinga, accompanied by his wife and daughter, arrived in Magufuli’s home village by helicopter on Saturday as special guests of the president who is on a short holiday.

 

They were welcomed by Magufuli and his wife, becoming the first official visitors to the president’s home village since he assumed office.

 

The apparent close ties between the two have become a source of concern in some Kenyan quarters given that he is the leader of the country’s main opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) party. On Sunday, Magufuli and Odinga together attended a church service in Chato where the former Kenyan premier explained how they became special friends.

 

“Raila said the friendship began way back when President Magufuli was appointed as minister for works and Raila served in the same capacity in Kenya,” State House in Dar es Salaam said in a statement.

 

Magufuli was appointed deputy works minister as a junior member of parliament in 1995. and became a full minister in 2000. Raila, on the other hand, served as Kenya’s minister for roads, public works and housing from 2003 to 2005.

 

 “While serving as ministers of works for their respective countries, Magufuli and Raila exchanged experiences frequently and cooperated in joint construction projects,” the statement said. Odinga urged East African Community (EAC) member states to strengthen regional integration and praised the strong historical bilateral relations between Tanzania and Kenya.

 

During a visit to Nairobi in October 2015, Tanzanian ex-president Jakaya Kikwete sought to allay fears in Kenya’s ruling Jubilee coalition that Magufuli would work closer with the CORD opposition due to his personal friendship with Odinga.

 

More recently, a dispute over the route of a proposed crude oil pipeline from Uganda to the Indian Ocean has been threatening to strain relations between Tanzania and Kenya, which are both keen on the project.

 

Tanzania is the preferred route of the pipeline because it offers the safest and cost-effective option, but Kenya is vigorously pushing to snatch the project from Tanzania.

 

Kenyan president still seeking to snatch Uganda oil pipeline project?

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta

 Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta flew to France yesterday for a state visit “that could also give Kenya an opportunity to bring up the issue of the oil pipeline from Uganda,” Kenyan media reported yesterday.

 

According to the reports, Kenyatta and his French hosts are scheduled to discuss counter-terrorism and radicalisation issues, amongst other development and cooperation-related matters.

 

However, considering the fact that Uganda had earlier indicated interest in passing the pipeline through Kenya before its recent U-turn by choosing a Tanzanian route, Kenyatta and his delegation are expected to engage in a lobbying mission in a bid to keep the project.

 

French oil company Total is amongst three firms involved in the project. Others are Britain’s Tullow Oil and China’s CNOOC. The three players have not mutually agreed on the route, leaving leeway for lobbying both in East Africa and abroad. 

 

The lucrative project has seen two East African Community member countries—Tanzania and Kenya—battle it out in recent weeks to win over Ugandan authorities.

 

Tanzania is selling the operational Tanga port as the best route to pump Ugandan crude oil which is expected to flow to international markets in 2018 while Kenya is campaigning for its yet-to-be-built Lamu port.

 

The Tanga route remains the most cost effective, according to Total E & P Uganda general manager Adewate Fayeni.

 

Fayeni said last week that as far as the company is concerned all the options have been evaluated carefully and the least cost remains the Tanga route.

Traders call on Temeke authorities to re-carpet key road

 Temeke Municipal Council (TMC) has been urged to reconstruct a 1.3km stretch of road connecting Mbosi and Pugu roads, which is in an appalling situation.

 

The route which is used by industries, corporate bodies, traders and motorists has been reconstructed three times at tarmac level but remains in a very dilapidated state for a long time thus limiting a healthy business environment.

 

Preliminary information availed to this paper indicated that the business community in the area, including the large corporate bodies and companies, had okayed plans to complement the authority’s move to repair the road. 

 

There have been prolonged delays in the implementation of the plan which was initially agreed on since 2011.

 

Barua Ramadhan Barua, the chairman of Saza group and a member of a small traders’ union told reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the road became severely damaged during the 2013 downpour.

 

“The road has not been conducive to the people and businesses whether in rainy or dry season. During heavy rains water remains stagnant for as long as two months,” he said.

 

“We don’t sell our goods at all. We are forced to acquire water pumps on lease to flush water at a cost of 20,000/- per day,” he revealed.

 

The city’s largest hardware store is home to about 800 traders most of whom sell and buy house construction materials such as doors, windows, rooftop materials and steel.

 

He went on to claim that the community has made several attempts to communicate the matter to Temeke Municipal but little efforts have been made to address the problem.

 

“We only thank the authority for agreeing to set up water pipes to flush the water pending the reconstruction of the road,” added Issa Said Kwasa, the chairman of Chang’ombe Development Material group. Kwasa was concerned that as long as the road was not maintained business at the area would continue to go down and that families around the area were experiencing waterborne diseases.

 

Ester Sanga, also a businesswoman at the area, noted that customers feared using the road since their vehicles developes tyre punctures due to   the   dilapidated   state   of the road.

 

According to a letter signed by the then acting permanent secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government, Mohamed Pawaga, dated June 30, 2015 and copied to the municipal director and representatives of the business community showed that TMC had sought approval of about 1.2bn/- loan from Bank ABC to finance the reconstruction.

 

Attempts to get the municipal’s comment proved futile but a senior official in the authority who spoke on anonymity said reconstruction of the road was scheduled for July, this year.

 

The officer said all preliminary surveys and feasibility studies have been commissioned.

AfDB okays $228m for Kenya-Tanzania road

The African Development Bank (AfDB)

 The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $228 million loan to Kenya to rehabilitate a strategic road linking Western Kenya and Tanzania.

 

AfDB said in a statement on Friday that the renovation of the 172-kilometre road, linking the towns of Isebania and Ahero, an axis located southeast of Lake Victoria, will facilitate trade between Kenya and Tanzania.

 

“Lower transport costs will ensure that a greater share of the price of exported goods accrues to producers thereby increasing incomes and reducing poverty,” said Amadou Oumarou, AfDB’s Director of the Transport and ICT Department.

 

Oumarou said the strengthening of public transport is also part of the project, with the financing for construction of three bus stations, further facilitating the movement of people in the region.

 

The improvement works, which are to be undertaken from 2016-2019, are expected to reduce to half the travel time and transport costs between Isebania and Ahero.

 

The Isebania-Kisii-Ahero Road forms part of the Sirari Corridor, a major trade and transit route linking Tanzania, Kenya and South Sudan.

 

It serves as the main trade route between Mwanza port (Tanzania), Kisumu port (Kenya), and onward to Juba (South Sudan).

 

AfDB said the project will accelerate the socio-economic development of the regions along the road, benefiting nearly two million people. “The project implementation area is at the crossroads of several road corridors.

 

Once completed, the road will facilitate local and international trade, strengthening regional integration,” the statement said. 

 

It said the road will open up new markets for agri-businesses and the fishing industry.

 

The project also includes funding for several markets along the road.

Shein to deliver speech in Z'bar House of Reps

Zanzibar President Dr Ali Mohamed Shein

 Zanzibar President Dr Ali Mohamed Shein is tomorrow expected to deliver his inaugural speech at the Ninth House of Representatives meeting as majority of Zanzibaris  still remain tense  on the way forward over the existence of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

 

Among issues that Dr Shein is expected to address is the coalition government as the vacancy of the First Vice President remains open after the appointment of Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi as Second Vice President. House of Representatives clerk Yahya Khamis Hamad briefed the press that Dr Shein would address the house on Tuesday.

 

“I have the honour to announce to you that Dr Shein will deliver his inaugural speech since he was re-elected on Tuesday,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, former Zanzibar Law Society President Awadhi Ali Said called on Dr Shein to find the best way of continuing with the GNU so as to avoid another political stalemate in the isles.

 

However, the ZLS former president stressed that the amendment of the 2010 constitution had only considered one opposition party, Civic United Front (CUF), leaving others aside.

 

“They had only looked at the present political situation at that time by considering one party and putting the others aside without realising  that things may change unexpectedly,’’ he said.

 

According to him, the government should change some sections of the constitution that were amended to accomodate small opposition parties by allowing them to join the coalition. 

 

Following the nullification of October 25 General Election in 2015 due to a number of irregularities, Zanzibar conducted re-run polls in March 20 whereby the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairman Jecha Salim Jecha announced incumbent President Ali Mohamed Shein the winner after garnering 91.4 per cent.

 

Despite Dr Shein’s victory, the isles have been left in another political stalemate after none of the opposition camp, beside the main opposition Civic United Front (CUF) which boycotted the election re-run, hardly got the share of votes required by the Isles constitution to form a government of national unity (GNU).

Germany donates aircraft to help in war on poaching

Christof Schenck, CEO of Frankfurt Zoological Society

 The German government has donated an aircraft to Tanzania to reinforce anti-poaching efforts in Selous Game Reserve, located in southern part of the country.

 

Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr  Gerd Müller, handed over a symbolic key of the ‘Husky aircraft’ worth 498,292,000/- to Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Prof Jumanne Maghembe. 

 

According to their joint statement issued yesterday , the aircraft will be deployed by Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) in close cooperation with the Tanzanian Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) for surveillance of wildlife in the Selous Game Reserve and to support the fight against poaching.

 

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony held at Matambwe Airstrip in the game reserve, the German Minister said: “Poaching threatens biodiversity in many of Africa’s remaining wilderness areas and undermines security of nations and the livelihoods of people.”

 

Müller added: “Handing this aircraft over to the Tanzanian authorities and FZS is an important cornerstone of our longstanding support for the Selous Game Reserve and the adjacent communities.”

 

 “For a large area like the Selous Game Reserve, one of the largest uninhabited protected areas of Africa, aerial surveillance is vital,” said Minister Maghembe. He thanked the German government for the support in countering the recent upsurge in poaching. 

 

“This aircraft will also help the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority carrying out wildlife and habitat monitoring in the Selous as one of Tanzania’s biodiversity hotspots of global relevance,” he added.

 

The group visited the Rufiji River in the Selous Game Reserve to discuss the conservation challenges on-site. They also met with representatives of the private sector to explore ways to combine wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism. The German Ambassador Egon Kochanke underlined that “The Selous Game Reserve is not only one of the largest protected areas in Africa but also the centrepiece of the new Tanzania Wildlife Authority.” 

 

The area has been hit very hard by poachers: Between 2009 and 2014, the population of approximately 45,000 elephants at that time has been decimated to approximately 15,000. Today, all of Tanzania is estimated to have about 45,000 elephants, 60percent less than in 2009.

 

“Poaching is a severe threat to biodiversity,” said Christof Schenck, CEO of Frankfurt Zoological Society, “not only because it can lead to local extinctions of targeted species like elephant and rhino, but because their disappearance can harm the ecosystem altogether. Frankfurt Zoological Society is committed to contribute to halting the deterioration of the Selous.”

 

In 1982, the Selous was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the Selous is regarded as a World Heritage Site ‘in danger’. By UNESCO standards, extraction of mineral resources and large-scale land use change are prohibited. “Now is the time to enhance protection of the area to enable wildlife populations to regrow and to restore the secured status of the World Heritage Site,“ says Schenck.

GOVT CALLS FOR PRIVATE SECTOR TO INVEST ON POWER GENARTATION

Ministry of Energy and Minerals Deputy Permanent Secretary (Energy), Dr Juliana Pallangyo

 Private investors have been challenged to invest in power production in an effort to contribute to the country’s economic growth.

 

The remark was made in Dar es Salaam last week  by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals Deputy Permanent Secretary (Energy), Dr Jualiana Pallangyo, in a conference for members of the Southern African Power Pool.

 

The member countries include Bostwana, Mozambique, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Republic of Congo Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The conference is aimed at discussing various challenges facing member countries in power business as well as share experiences. She said that private investors could produce power from various sources   such as waterfalls, wind, biogas and solar.

 

Dr Pallangyo said that investors could invest through the construction of power distribution infrastructure, development of small hydropower projects and use of other sources such as winds. She noted that investors could also establish factories for producing equipment needed for the construction of power infrastructure.

 

Dr Pallangyo said the participation of the private sector in the energy sector has been improving annually, insisting that the government was still working on its plans to empower private investors in power production.

She added that the government had created a favourable environment for investment in the country, including enactment of laws which are used as guidelines such as electricity Act 2008, Energy Policy 2008, which encourage the participation of private sector in the business.

 

Other laws include Energy and Water Utility Regulatory Authority 2001, Rural Energy Agency Act 2005.

 

She, however, said the government had set up strategies to ensure that the country had reliable power by 2025 by 75 per cent of all citizens, especially the rural population.

 

“We expect to produce up to 10,000 megawatts which will help to speed up the country’s economic growth through factories,” she said.

 

Southern African Power Pool; SAPP was formed  in August  1995 during  the Southern Africa Development meeting whereby the members entered in agreement to collaborate in power business.