Hard time for some Gongo La Mboto bomb victims

IT is hard time for Juma Mohammed a resident of Markaz area, Ukonga ward in Ilala district, Dar es Salaam region one of the severely and most affected victims of the Gongo La Mboto bomb blasts whose house was completely destroyed. He is currently living in hardship following the tent on which he temporarily sought for refuge is currently leaking at this time of the occasional rains. The dilapidated tent on which he living in is not in good condition due to physical weathering, a spot check by Guardian on Sunday can reveal. In an interview carried recently he said that, he is not happy as the tent has become old an aspect that he doesn’t have a night rest and his children gets difficulties while doing some studying at night. He has been living in a tent now for 16 months since the bomb blasts incident occurred at Gongo la Mboto Military camp (511 KJ) on 16th of February 2011. According to him, the tent is damaged and water permeates from its roofing thus causing inconveniences while he is asleep with his family at night. He blames the government for not quickening the pace of construction of their houses it earlier promised to build as compensation for the victims, and instead the delays caused by the government makes his family to live uncomfortably. Earlier this week, the government through the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner’s office announced the development step it has taken so far as a promise it had issued of building houses for the Gongo La Mboto bomb blasts victims The RC for Dar es Salaam region, Sadik Mecky Sadik said in Dar es Salaam that, the government is expected to hand over the newly built houses for the victims in June next month. He said when placing the foundation stone for a total of 35 new houses to be built at Msongola village in Ilala district, about 40 kilometers away from the city.

The houses under construction would be finished in June and currently the technicians are putting the final touches on them as a sign of nearing their completion. Some 71 families were left homeless following the blasts that occurred at the KJ 511 military camp on February 16 this year, the incident also claimed lives of about 22 people and many others were injured. The early assessment of the houses which were completely destroyed during the disaster which was done by the government evaluator on compensation on 24 houses were placed in the list of those houses to be reconstructed and later found to be fit for rehabilitation. According to Sadik, the government formed a task force team responsible for he assessment to the claims of 168 and was handed over to the Chief government evaluator so that they might be paid little compensation to their claims. Despite of the government’s efforts to help the bomb victims, an unnonymous victim who was cornered by this writer said that, he was not happy with the area where their houses are being constructed, saying that the located area is so far and not yet developed. Commenting on the RC’s development report about their houses, he refuted his saying noting that the time frame for handing over of their houses is likely to take longer as the government keeps the pace of construction at a much slower speed than what they had expected before, adding that there is a lot to be done on final touches. However, he has also noted that, unless the government should allocate close to their new settlements important social facilities such as dispensaries or health centres, electricity and water supplies to the area, an aspect which he commended would be more pleasing. Responding their claims, the RC has assured them of other social services such as the road infrastructure which would be constructed as soon as possible, and this he said would be ready before they immigrate to their new settlements In order to accomplish this need, the Ilala Municipal Council Director, Gabriel Fuime has assured the victims that his municipal council will place culverts on the road leading to the area, the work which he has promised would be executed between his council workers who will be collaborating by the RC’s office.

Major expansion program for the Kariakoo market still in a dilemma

PLANS by Dar es Salaam based Kariakoo Market Corporation (KCM) of constructing a 30 storey modern shopping centre seems to be faltering despite of the readiness of all the documentation of a master plan of the building. The new structure to be located adjacent to the current main market built in early 1970s, is an extension to the current small market complex which is to be demolished to pave way for the modern multi-storey structure. The project was scheduled to be completed within 18 months since it was first commissioned to a Chinese strategic investor in 2010. Due to this delay, investigations has discovered that, there is a likelihood of the investor who was initially awarded the tender of erecting the modern facility to pull out of the contract if the government would not give a go ahead of the project sooner or later. The KMC General Manager, Florence .M. Seiya, told the Guardian on Sunday in an exclusive interview early this week in Dar es Salaam that, the investor in this project is still waiting for the permission to be granted by the higher authorities. However, he couldn’t disclose who the authorities are, and the name of investor’s company or the costs of the building when required, but maintained that his management has been told to hold on the project until further notice. He is however astonished by the higher authority’s call and their negative attitude about the project and yet everything is on the table including business and site plans as well as architectural drawings which are waiting for the permission from the authorities concerned to start on straight. “We are only waiting for the higher authorities to give us a green light in order to kick off the project whose feasibility study and other details are already handed over to the strategic investor to start working, but to my great dismay I am surprised to see that the authorities have halted the project telling the investor to wait for unknown reasons”, he said.

According to him, the construction of this project seems to have been hijacked by political motives and driven by few who seek for the opportunity to benefit from it, and this is a mindset that retards its development. He has however blamed some few politicians among whom are decision makers who have turned the project as a political agenda and that is why have failed to make a quick decision. In this way, he said an investor might decide to withdraw his contract for lack of inconsistency. The current management of the market came with an idea of extending the market by introducing such a project in order to decongest the area which is impractically impassable due to many traders who flocks everyday to do businesses. Mr Seiya said the new building would have parking facilities capable of accommodating up to 1,000 vehicles at a time. Over the years the Kariakoo market has been overwhelmed by the growing population of petty traders who use the small market adjacent to the main one with some of them trading their goods literally spreading them on the street pavements. The building functions like a vacuum inside the crowded commercialized zone. Official statistics from the market management shows that a four-decade-old market is currently recording over 55,000 wholesale and retail customers daily and 1,558 businesses. The market offers a wide range of items including cereals, household supplies, fruit and vegetables. The whole market has an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, the area proposed for construction covers square meters of 8699.74 which have enjoined two streets of Swahili and Sikukuu. The rest on which the main market stand would be renovated in future, he said. Meanwhile, KMC is also seeking investors to come and develop their proposed market projects in a joint venture agreement. The projects to be built on the outskirts of the city in areas such as at Tabata, Mbezi, Tuangoma and Pugu Kajiungeni. The move according to Seya aims at decongesting the current Kariakoo Market in the city centre. He added that, funny enough, the government has been giving promises without being implementing its objectives. Kariakoo market was designed in 1974 by a locally registered architecture B.J. Amuli. At that time, it was the biggest in East and Central Africa, and is one of the outstanding landmarks of Dar es Salaam city. It grew to become a busy trading hub, with daily business transactions amounting to hundred millions of shillings. The market is owned by the Treasury which has 49 per cent stake in the market, while the rest is owned by the Dar es Salaam City Council (DCC). Its whole management programs are under the Ministry of Local government Authority The building offers three layers of market area and forms the centre of the larger Kariakoo business district area spread out in the neighborhood. It attracts thousands of people every day. The name "Kariakoo" is said to be a corruption of "Carrier Corps," a British army unit in World War (WWI) which provided transport and other support services.

Call for fishermen and peasants to join health insurance fund

THE Community Health Fund (CHF), a subsidiary division of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is campaigning for the fishermen and peasants across the country to join with the newly introduced health insurance fund in order to help them get free medical treatment services A senior official of the CHF which coordinates its activities on behalf of the NHIF in the country made the call last week in Dar es Salaam in an exclusive interview during a training seminar his organization had organized as part of their sensitization program. Health Fund Manager, Joyce Sumbwe, said that, peasants and farmers and many other groups of people who toil for a daily bread are the most marginalized groups who do compose the majority of the people in the informal sector and in view of this, it’s therefore imperative for them to join in order to benefit. She stressed the importance of the membership which could be beneficial to the unprivileged groups such as those working under the informal sectors in the country as most of them are not able to afford huge expenses of the medical treatments in the country. She said CHF was specifically established in an effort to improve heath services delivery to such people under the informal sector in order to get free medical treatment through their program known in Swahili language as ‘TIKA’ meaning ‘TIBA KWA KADI’ which literally means getting medical treatment through special cards.

She said, under TIKA program, CHF has been coordinating with district council’s officials such as counselors throughout the country in order to help sensitize the issue which could be seen to be important to the people as they are closer to them. She said members are families who include mothers and fathers and their children who are below 18 years old. A person who is above that, is considered to be a grown up and hence he or she is counted to be a family member so longer as they might be engaged in one way or another with the income generating activities. She said that TIKA program is specifically for people who are not in the pay rolls just like others who have their salaries deducted directly as contribution to the NHIF, adding that under this system the majority of the peasants and fishermen would benefit in future She noted that one task the CHF has in the country is to see how it stands and defend low income earners and ensure how they could join with this fund which specifically allows families and groups to be members by contributing a certain sum of money to the fund which is between Tsh. 5,000 and Tsh. 20,000 per year and as per family.

Their contribution is determined by their economic gain which depends in an area a contributor might be coming from, and this is necessitated by the negotiations reached upon the two parties on a particular sum of money to be contributed which according to her does not exceed Tsh. 20,000 per year. However, she has called on the media to help in coverage on this grand sensitization campaign in order to ensure that rural residents who form under the informal sector should get required information about CHF services and urge them to register for it. Then firm has prepared an inclusive framework for the people to fully participate in establishing the services and monitoring their implementation with guidance from CHF experts. According to her, the mode of delivery of CHF services requires a beneficiary to register and access the services by presenting the CHF card to a health facility within the district council he or she lives in the country. Statistics made available by NHIF through CHF shows that, since the program started in July 2009, the fund has managed to get 601,400 members out of approximately 7 million families estimated countrywide. These statistics are as up to March 2012. The National Health Insurance Fund was established in 1996 with a view to help government workers get free access to medical treatment by contributing a certain sum of money as contribution to the fund. The fund saw the need to establish a subsidiary sector to work on their behalf specifically to people who works in the informal sector.

SUMATRA alerts Dar city Commuters

THE Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) has alerted Daladala commuters in Dar es Salaam to be watchful with some bus operators who tend to increase the fare beyond the current rates it had announced over two years ago. An official from SUMATRA made the call early this week in Dar es Salaam when contacted by this paper for clarification after it was found that, there are some daladala operators who have been charging higher the amount of fare along their routes, this was discovered in a secret monitoring sting operation. SUMATRA’s Manager for Public Affairs, David Mziray told the Guardian in an exclusive interview that, his organization is asking for a joint concerted effort among the commuters in order to net the culprits whom he described are violating the rules and regulations set. However, he has cautioned that, the operators should not take the decisions this time around as SUMATRA is currently in a process of collecting views from the main key stakeholders of the regional transport industry in order to look at the possibility of increasing daladala fare as per the request sent t them by the Dar based association of bus operators known by its acronym ‘DARCOBOA’.

Preliminary investigations by this paper has discovered that, almost all daladalas which plies between Mbagala Rangi 3 and Kawe charges their passengers Tsh. 600/- instead of the official rate of Tsh. 500/- which was imposed by SUMATRA over two years ago. Investigations carried in other routes plying between Gongo La Mboto and Kariakoo which according to SUMATRA should be Tsh. 300/- but to the great dismay, most daladalas along the route charges between Tsh 350/- and Tsh 400/- which is contrary as per the SUMATRA’s directives. Meanwhile there is a growing tendency of some daladala operators within some city’s designated routes who are fond of disconnecting their routes during night hours mostly as from 21:00 hours onwards. The malpractice which forces commuters to pay twice, is so notorious and it has indeed become impractically inevitable. It has been discovered in various daladala stages at this time scores of passengers who cannot afford twice the fare are left stranded for lack of transport. A spot check carried out throughout last week in some bus stages within the city like Mwenge, Ubungo, Buguruni, and Tazara saw some buses which are not designated for the route alights their passengers pretending to be the end of the journey. Immediately proceeds ahead by connecting with other passengers. This is a normal phenomenon being practiced in these stages during the night hours when all traffic police at such unlikely time are out of their working points. Should their presence play the role to suppress the movement, but none of them has yet shown such a responsibility, says a stranded woman passenger who had a little child on her back. According to Mziray, this is the misbehavior shown by some commuter operators and is a common practice which whoever is caught is taken before the court of law. However, he affirmed that his organization has been taking stern measures to defaulters wherever possible though sometimes is difficult to control all of them. When contacted for comments, bus drivers and conductors who preferred anonymity said that, they have to do this in order to accumulate enough sum of money needed by their employer at the end of day before they stop. However, others cited the regular increase of fuel prices and also the spiraling operational costs.

The killing of two rhinos irks Serengeti MP

A Member of Parliament for Serengeti constituency has described the recent killing of the two rhinos by unknown illegal poachers which occurred in his constituency bordering Serengeti National Park as an act of economic sabotage. Hon. Dr. Kebwe Steven Kebwe told a press conference yesterday in Dar es Salaam that, killers of these animals might have had got an easy access to the national park and managed to reach at the special integrated project zone area within the park known as ‘ MORU’ where the animals had been preserved. However, he has described the incident as a serious reversal of the progress that Tanzania was making to raise the mammal’s population, while citing lack of effective and tight security of the area is the cause behind the malpractice. Hon Kebwe has also urged the government through the ministry of Tourism to add extra security personnel claiming that, the current number of game rangers at the national park of 461 is not enough to carry on their security duties which he says is confined within an area of 14,000 square kilometers that surrounds MORU project zone. According to his preliminary investigations, he has noticed closely there is lack of protection at the area an aspect that the government must increase efforts to guard the rhinos and if possible it should double the number of game rangers who have been stationed for security purposes in the area. In his opinion, the killing of the rhino was “indiscriminate” considering efforts being made by the Tanzanian authorities and other parties to boost the population of the endangered animal by bringing more rhinos to Serengeti, their ancestral home.

But despite of efforts shown by the government, he is amazed to see that no one up to now is being held by the law enforcers to streamline the law on its course in connection with the brutal slaughter of a critically endangered two black rhinos. However, an MP has also cautioned the government to look at the living standard conditions of the game rangers at the national park. He says that, they conduct a miserable and pathetic life due to low salary given to them. He cited lack of proper housing facilities and the workers’ location which is far from their working point, is another exacerbating factor that could likely drive the minds of some of them into loosing trust and do mischief that could harm their employers’ properties. In order to intensify security within the parks’ area, he has suggested the government should undertake effective modern security measures like those used in other national parks found in South Africa though it’s very costly, but is helpful to save the rhino species. One area he suggested is by using small airplanes flying over which could be an easy way of getting rid of culprits who could be viewed from above. This is the second time of the indiscriminate killing of the rhinos to have occurred at Serengeti national park. In 2011, there was a brutal killing of one Rhino nicknamed ‘George’ was one of the five eastern black rhinos brought fom South Africa to Serengeti where they were received by President Jakaya Kikwete. Tanzania faces the danger of being engulfed in illegal hunting activities, which currently threaten the survival of rare wildlife species that are the main magnet of its multi-million dollar tourism industry, according to the recent study report of experts in wildlife studies. The report comes about in the wake of the killing of a black rhino that was relocated in Serengeti National Park from South Africa, officials of the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) have “This is a terrible setback for the project and an alarming incident as it could mean that the poaching wave that currently rocks South Africa is beginning to spill over to Tanzania,” lamented Dr Mark Borner, head of FZS Africa department. This is a joint project undertaken by the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa), Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (Tawiri), South African National Parks (SANParks) and the Grumeti Fund. FZS, which has its East Africa regional head office located within the park, is the facilitating partner in the project. The society provides technical expertise, security preparations, logistics and post-release monitoring of the rhinos.

Mgamba suggests for intensive practicals for media trainers in Universities

AS the exhibitions organized by Commission of Tanzania Universities (TCU) in collaboration with higher learning institutions which started on Wednesday last week in Dar es Salaam, a media professional has thrown a challenge to academicians who are recruited for various academic posts in higher learning institutions in the country. Reflecting his views on Journalism and Mass communication professional categories, he is suggesting that preliminary newsroom practical training was vital to tutorial assistants who are being prepared to become future media trainers under this category at higher learning institutions. He has however, condemned the habit being practiced by most higher learning institutions of recruiting their best performing students who are good in theory and not in practical to become lecturers in future, an aspect that most of their candidates graduates with lower professional skills. The Managing Editor of a weekly tabloid 'the Guardian on Sunday' newspaper which is being published by Tanzania leading IPP Media company, Richard Mgamba has suggested that, before their recruitment such candidates should undergo formal media training immediately on completion of their first degree programs before they are considered for masters and later become lecturers.

Mr. Richard Mgamba showing a left thumb up as a sign of his victory when he received his CNN award in 2008. In this way, according to him the knowledge acquired from newsroom would enable them to practice professional teaching career in the field of journalism and mass communication. They would also be in a position to built their talents and consequently become competent in teaching with enough practical experience they shall have acquired, he said. Mgamba who is a senior journalist with over 18 years work experience was addressing a group of newly recruited media professionals in his office at Mikocheni as part of a training program which he offered to them. He noted that most fresh graduates from higher learning institutions lacks practical skills when recruited into newsroom to practice journalism profession, an aspect that some editors take extra time to teach them writing news stories. “We recruited four graduates recently here but found had no enough skills when assigned to write stories ” he said while insisting that, the long standing problem must be originating right from their tutors or lecturers who fails to groom them to become qualified enough, he said. In order to rectify the situation, Mgamba is therefore asking the authorities from higher learning institutions who works in collaboration with the Tanzania Commission of Universities (TCU) to look at this matter critically otherwise such institutions will continue to produce graduates of lower qualities.

Residents calls for the relocation of the abattoir

FOUL smell accompanied by noise emanating from the Ukonga based abattoir popularly known as 'Mazizini' in Swahili language, have been regularly inconveniencing the lives of residents of Markaz area at Ukonga ward, in Ilala district in Dar es Salaam region who lives close to it, Some interviewed residents have said that, noise of workers at the abattoir which starts at around mid night while people are in deep sleep in their houses has been inconveniencing them. Together with this habit, the bad smell emanating from what is likely to be a rotten flesh have together been disturbing them in their day-to-day's life The persisting situation has caused scores of residents not to tolerate with the situation and instead, they have asked for the immediate relocation of the abattoir which has been existing for over four decades now. The abattoir which is the oldest and the longest serving as a slaughter house for the entire Dar es Salaam residents, is surrounded by residential houses built in recent years and its current location is extremely situated at the centre which according to the environmental management regulations its presence is likely to pose serious heath hazards to the people close to it. In an interview with this paper, residents have pleaded for its relocation to a far remote area as the smell of the rampant filth and scattered rubbish which is left uncollected within its compound are a great menace to their lives in general. Othman Iddi a businessman whose house is closer said that, he is not happy especially during evening hours when the atmosphere is cool, but all of a sudden the air is polluted with stinking smell coming from the direction of the abattoir. Other presidents said, they had long been complaining about the situation and have sent their requests several times whenever they meet with their street chairman and ward secretary, but in vain. Despite of these requests, it seems as if the city council officials have ignored their matter. When contacted for comments, an official of the union owners of the abattoir Mr. Kedmond Chalo, said that, they had long been told by the municipal council's authorities about the relocation of their abattoir, but plans have not yet been worked out almost a decade ago. However, an official from the Ilala Municipal council who preferred anonymity when contacted for comments defended himself as he is not a spokesman of the council. However, he revealed that the council was making preparations for the construction of a modern abattoir to be built at Chanika on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam city.