Showing posts with label Obama in Tanzania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama in Tanzania. Show all posts

18 Jul 2013



 
Ufisadi ujio wa marais

*Hazina yatumia Shilingi bilioni 8
*‘Wajanja’ watafuna mamilioni
*Vifaa vya Obama vyaokoa jahazi
*Vinyago vyagharimu Sh milioni 30
*Sare, mikoba, vyagharimu mil. 400/-
*Karamu, chupa za kahawa, miavuli mil. 390/-
*Burudani ya muziki yatafuna milioni 195

Na Waandishi Wetu

Mkutano wa Majadiliano ya Kimataifa ya Ushirikiano kwa Manufaa ya Wote (Smart Partnership Dialogue), uliomalizika hivi karibuni jijini Dar es Salaam, umeigharimu Serikali Sh bilioni nane.

Hata hivyo, mamilioni ya fedha hizo yameishia mikononi mwa watumishi kadhaa wa Serikali kupitia zabuni tata walizotoa kwa kampuni mbalimbali.

Baadhi ya vifaa vilivyoorodheshwa kwenye zabuni hizo, ama havikuwasilishwa, au viliwasilishwa shughuli ikiwa imeshamalizika, na sasa vimetunzwa kwenye maghala. Miongoni mwa vifaa hivyo ni shehena kubwa ya bendera za Tanzania ambazo zimetunzwa katika chumba ndani ya Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa.

Wahusika wakuu kwenye ulaji huu ni maofisa kadhaa wa Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa waliokuwa waratibu wa ugeni huo. Katibu wa Bodi ya Zabuni katika Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, Onesmo Suka, ni miongoni mwa maofisa wanaokabiliwa na wakati mgumu kueleza mchanganuo wa zabuni ulivyokwenda.

Uchunguzi uliofanywa na JAMHURI umeonyesha kuwa kiasi hicho cha fedha cha Sh bilioni nane ni mbali kabisa na kile kilichokusanywa kutoka kampuni na mashirika mbalimbali ya umma.

Imebainika kuwa hadi Juni 5, mwaka huu, fedha taslimu zilizokusanywa ni Sh milioni 170 kutoka kampuni saba. Wachangaji wa kiasi hicho na kiwango kikiwa kwenye mabano ni Kampuni ya Simu ya Tigo (Sh milioni 80), PPF (Sh milioni 20), PSPF (Sh milioni 20) na LAPF (Sh milioni 20). Benki Kuu (BoT) ilitoa Sh milioni 10, Barrick Gold (Sh milioni 15) na Benki ya Azania (Sh milioni 5).

Kampuni tatu zilikubali kutoa vifaa. Vodacom iliamua kuchangia masuala ya ICT, Masasi Foods walitoa maji ya kunywa, ilhali Shirika la Hifadhi la Taifa (TANAPA) lilitoa fulana na zawadi ndogo ndogo.

Hadi Juni 5, mwaka huu, kampuni tano zilikuwa zikisubiri uamuzi wa Bodi. Kampuni hizo ni Mac Group, CBA Bank, PBZ Bank, Nokia-Siemens na Shirika la Hifadhi la Taifa (NSSF).

Uchunguzi uliofanywa na JAMHURI umebaini kuwa kampuni nne zilishindwa kuchangia kwa kile kilichoelezwa kwamba ni uwezo wake mdogo kifedha. Kampuni hizo ni TanzaniteOne inayochimba tanzanite Mererani; IBM, Infrotech ba Diamond Trust Bank.

Wafanyabiashara nguli nchini hawakuachwa nyuma kwenye michango hiyo, ingawa taarifa zinasema wapo waliokataa kutoa. Mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Uendeshaji wa Majadiliano ya Kimataifa ya Ushirikiano kwa Manufaa ya Wote, Balozi Ombeni Sefue, aliagiza wafanyabiashara kama Said Bakhresa na Mohamed Dewji wafuatiliwe kwa karibu ili waweze kutoa michango. 

Hata hivyo, aliyekuwa Mkuu wa Sekretarieti ya Smart Partnership Dialogue, Victoria Mwakasege, anasema kwamba baadhi ya wafanyabiashara, wakiwamo kina Dewji, hawakuchangia. Hakutoa sababu za kushindwa kwao. 


Sokomoko la matumizi mabaya ya fedha

Uchunguzi umethibitisha kwamba Katibu Mkuu Kiongozi, Balozi Ombeni Sefue ambaye alikuwa Mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Uendeshaji wa Majadiliano ya Kimataifa ya Ushirikiano kwa Manufaa ya Wote, hakuridhishwa kabisa na namna zabuni zilivyotolewa.

Kwenye kikao cha mwisho, Sefue, kwa maandishi, alisema ingawa yeye ameshiriki katika Kamati ya Uendeshaji, hakubaliani na bajeti pamoja na mchanganuo wa zabuni ulivyokosa uwazi.

Sefue amenukuliwa akisema ni jambo gumu kwake kukubaliana na ununuzi huo kwa vile hapakuwapo mchanganuo wa kuthibitisha namna mamilioni ya fedha yalivyotengwa kuwalipa wazabuni na bei za vifaa vilivyohitajika.

Vyanzo vya uhakika kutoka ndani ya kikao kilichofanyika Juni 17, vinasema Balozi Sefue, aliweka wazi msimamo wake baada ya kuona taratibu za ununuzi zikiwa zimekiukwa, na kwamba baadhi ya vitu vilivyoorodheshwa, vilikuwa ni “vichekesho”.

“Mimi sitaki nihusishwe na jambo hili, waliolifanya wanapaswa wenyewe wabebe msalaba huu, mchanganuo uletwe ili kuonyesha nini kinanunuliwa kwa kiasi gani badala ya utaratibu huu wa kuorodhesha vitu na kuweka gharama,” alinukuliwa aking’aka Balozi Sefue.

Kampuni zilizopata zabuni

Mmoja wa maofisa wa Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa wamesema wazi kwamba fununu za kufanyika kwa mkutano wa Smart Partnership zilipoenea, watu wengi walipigana vikumbo wakitaka wapewe zabuni. 

Kampuni ya Luma International Ltd ilipewa zabuni ya kusambaza vitu mbalimbali vyenye thamani ya Sh milioni 391.1 Baadhi ya vitu hivyo ni vipeperushi, bendera za Tanzania (kubwa na ndogo), suti kwa watu wa protoko, sare kwa watu wa mapokezi, mabegi kwa wageni mashuhuri na wageni wa kawaida, na beji.

Kampuni ya Softel Trading Company Limited ilipewa zabuni ya Sh milioni 392.6 kusambaza picha za mapambo ukumbini, miavuli (1,500), chupa za kahawa (800), vikombe vya kahawa (800), kalamu za zawadi (2,000) na vishikio vya funguo (800).

Kampuni hiyo hiyo ilipewa zabuni nyingine ya Sh milioni 48.25 kwa ajili ya kufanya kazi za usanifu kwa kutumia kompyuta na uchapaji wa mabango madogo madogo.

Kana kwamba haitoshi, kampuni hiyo hiyo ya Softel Trading Company Ltd ilipewa zabuni ya thamani ya Sh milioni 254 kwa ajili ya kutengeneza mabango makubwa 40. Wakati mkutano ukiwa unafanyika Dar es Salaam, iliamuriwa kwamba mabango hayo yasambazwe katika mikoa ya Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Mbeya, Dodoma na Zanzibar.

Kampuni ya Wild Cat Publishing ilishinda zabuni ya Sh 278,409,409,269 kwa ajili ya kuandaa machapisho 1,000 ya mkutano. Yalitakiwa yahusu masuala ya kiasiasa, kiuchumi, fedha, teknolojia, mawasiliano, usafirishaji, kilimo, ujenzi, afya na elimu, utalii, n.k.

Kampuni ya tano iliyoshinda zabuni ni ya Big Mama’s Woodworks ambayo ilipangiwa Sh milioni 29.96 kwa ajili ya kutengeneza zawadi za vinyago 60 yenye urefu wa sentimita 15 na upana wa sentimita 12 kila kimoja. Pia ilitakiwa itengeneze vinyango vinne vyanye urefu wa sentimita 150 na upana wa sentimita 35.

Kwenye masuala ya burudani, kampuni ya Prime Time Promotion ilijipatia zabuni ya Sh milioni 194.7. 

Kwenye orodha ya ugawaji zabuni, kampuni ya True Colour Entertainment Group ilizawadiwa zabuni ya Sh milioni 50 kwa ajili ya kuandaa na kuonyesha jarida. Ingawa haikufafanuliwa, hii yawezekana ndilo lile jarida lililoonyeshwa kwenye Ukumbi Kimataifa wa Mikutano wa Mwalimu Nyerere, siku ya ufunguzi wa Mkutano wa Smart Partnership. Lilihusu wanyamapori na vivutio kadhaa vya utalii vinavyopatikana hapa nchini.

Zabuni ya nane ilitolewa kwa kampuni ya Simply Computers (T) Ltd. Iligharimu Sh milioni 187.478. Ilitakiwa kusambaza kompyuta kubwa mbili, idadi kama hiyo kwa kompyuta za ukubwa wa kati na projekta nne.

Kampuni hiyo hiyo ya Simply ilipata zabuni nyingine yenye thamani ya Sh milioni 210.198 kwa ajili ya kusambaza kompyuta tano za mezani, laptop (5), laptop za sekretarieti na mkutano (14), mobile computing equipment (14), black and white printer (2), colored printer (2), kompyuta za mezani (nyingine 5), colored printer (nyingine 2) na flash disk (32).


Upungufu uliojitokeza

Pamoja na mamilioni hayo kupitishwa kwa ajili ya mkutano huo lakini bado kulikuwa na upungufu mkubwa katika utendaji hususani katika utoaji wa vitambulisho.vitabulisho wa

JAMHURI lilishuhudia baadhi ya wageni wakiwemo mabalozi kutoka katika mbalimbali Askari wa Jeshi la Polisi usalam wa taifa madereva wa Idara mbalimbalia za Serikali wakiendelea kusota kwa ajili ya kupata vitambulisho hivyo .

Kadhia hiyo pia ilimpata Katibu Mkuu Kiongozi, Sefue ambaye alifika katika Ukumbi wa Kalimjee saa nne asubuhi ambapo wafanyakazi wa waliokuwa wakihusika na utoaji wa vitambulisho hawakumjali jambo ambalo liliwasahangaza wengi waliokuwepo hapo. 

Wengi wao walihoji uelewa wa wahudumu hao katika utendaji wao na kama kweli walikuwa hawamjui kiongozi huyo au ilikuwa ni dharau.

Sefue alikaa katika eneo hilo kwa zaidi ya nusu saa na kuondoka katika ukumbi huo huku akiwa hana kitambulisho hadi anaingia ukumbini wa Kimataifa wa Walimu Nyerere. Saa kumi jioni.

Wengine waliofika katika ukumbi huo na kupata kadhia hiyo ni Mhadhiri Mwandamizi wa Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam, Dk. Benson Bana na mwenzake ambaye JAMHURI hailikufanikiwa kupata jina lake

Dk. Bana na mwenzake walifika na kujitambulisha kwa mmoja wahudumu katika ukumbi huo lakini mhudumu huyo baada ya kutekeleza shida yao, alianza kueleza matatizo yaliyoikumba idara hiyo ya vitambulisho.

“Jamani idara hii ina matatizo kwani hatukuwa tumejipanga kila mtu yuko kivyake ndio maana mnaona huduma imesimama kama mnavyoona hakuna majina hapa, mafaili yako tupu na wahusika hawapo kinachotakiwa ni kufika hapa na kuhakikisha jina lako na pia unakwenda kupiga picha pale lakini hadi sasa hatujapata majina je nyinyi mlijiandisha,” anasema mhudumu huyo. 

Hata hivyo kauli hiyo ilimuudhi, Dk. Bana na mwenzake hivyo alimtaka mhudumu huo kutozungumza upungufu wa idara hiyo mbele ya wageni waliofika katika ukumbi huo, kwani kufanya hivyo ni aibu na haukuwa wakati wake kinachotakiwa kutoa vitambulisho. 

Mhudumu huyo ambaye JAMHURI halikufanikiwa kupata jina leke alionekana kukerwa kauli hiyo aliendelea kuzumgumzia upungufu huo pamoja na Dk. Bana mwenzake kunyamaza. Waliondoka katika eneo hilo kwa miadi ya kurudi baadae.


Viongozi ‘warushiana mpira’

Utata kuhusu uhalali wa fedha zilizotumika kununua vitu hivyo, usiri kwenye utoaji zabuni na upungufu mkubwa uliojitokeza kwenye shughuli nzima ya mkutano huo, ni mambo yanayowasumbua sasa viongozi serikalini.

Wakati Katibu Mkuu Kiongozi akijitoa kwenye sakata hilo na kumsukumia Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, John Haule; Haule anasema yeye hahusiki. Badala yake anasema anayepaswa kuulizwa mambo yote yalivyokwenda ni Mkuu wa Sekretarieti ya Smart Partnership Dialogue, Mwakasege.

Kwa upande wake, Mwakasege anaruka kwa kusema Sekretarieti ambayo yeye alikuwa Katibu haikuhusika kwa namna yoyote na masuala ya zabuni. Akasisitiza kwa kusema, “Huyo anasema uniulize mimi (Haule), mwulize yeye. Mimi nilihusika na logistic, sisi tulipeleka mahitaji, kwenye zabuni hatukuhusika kabisa. Kilichofanyika ni sisi kukabidhiwa vitu kulingana na mahitaji. Yeye ndiye mwenye masurufu, ndiye anayejua hesabu zote za wizara.”

CHANZO: Gazeti JAMHURI

5 Jul 2013


HATIMAYE Rais Barack Obama amezuru Tanzania. Ukweli kwamba Obama ana asili ya Afrika unafanya ziara yake katika baadhi ya nchi za bara hilo iwe na mvuto wa kipekee.
Lakini pengine tukiweka kando furaha ya kutembelewa na Rais wa kwanza wa Marekani ambaye ni Mmarekani Mweusi, na ukweli kwamba ni tukio kubwa kutembelewa na kiongozi wa taifa hilo lenye nguvu kubwa kabisa duniani, ni muhimu kuangalia masuala mengine ya maana zaidi kuhusiana na ziara hiyo.
Pengine kabla sijaingia kiundani katika mjadala huu nisimulie mkasa mmoja ulionikumba huko kwenye mtandao wa kijamii wa Twitter. Jumatatu, mara baada ya Obama kuwasili jijini Dar, nilijikuta nikiingia kwenye ‘vita ya maneno’ na mwandishi wa habari mmoja wa Shirika la Utangazaji la Uingereza (BBC) ambaye ni Mtanzania kama mie.
Kilichosababisha vita hiyo ya maneno ni kuchukizwa kwake na tweets zangu ambazo kwa kiasi kikubwa zilielemea kwenye kuangalia masuala mazito zaidi ya ziara hiyo badala ya mashamushamu yaliyoambatana nayo. Kwa mfano, nilijaribu kuamsha udadisi kuhusu namna Mtanzania wa kawaida atakavyonufaika na ziara hiyo.
Kadhalika nili-retweet tweets mbalimbali za watu mbalimbali waliokuwa wakiiangalia ziara ya Obama kwa mtazamo tofauti; hususan katika masuala ya haki za binadamu, rushwa, nk. Hilo halikumpendeza muungwana huyo, na akanishambulia vikali huku akinituhumu kuwa sina uzalendo na ‘ninatumiwa na wazungu’ (japo naye ni mwajiriwa wa shirika la wazungu).
Vyovyote vile; hatimaye niliamua kumpuuza tu kwani licha ya yeye kuwa mwanahabari (ambaye kimsingi angepaswa kuthamini uhuru wangu wa kujieleza), alionekana kama anakandamiza haki yangu ya kikatiba kutoa mawazo alimradi hayamkashifu au kumtusi mtu.
Kituko hicho ni moja tu ya vilivyoambatana na ziara ya Obama. Juzi, siku kiongozi huyo alipowasili Tanzania, angalau magazeti mawili makubwa ya Marekani - The New York Times na USA Today, yalikuwa na habari nzito kuhusu Tanzania.
Magazeti hayo, kwa kutumia waandishi wake waliokuja huko nyumbani kufanya ‘coverage’ ya ziara ya Obama, yaliandika masuala mbalimbali yanayotia walakini taswira ya nchi yetu.
Kwa kutegemea mahojiano waliyofanya na watu wa kada mbalimbali huko nyumbani, magazeti hayo yalizungumzia tukio la kutekwa Dk. Ulimboka, mauaji ya Padre Evaristus Mushi huko Zanzibar, shambulio la bomu huko Arusha, na kauli ya Waziri Mkuu Mizengo Pinda kuruhusu polisi wawapige wananchi ‘wakorofi.’
Tofauti na magazeti hayo makubwa ndani na nje ya Marekani, mengi ya magazeti yetu ya huko nyumbani (ukiondoa gazetihili maridhawa) yalionekana kuelekeza akili zao zote kwenye lojistiki ya ziara ya Obama, hususan kwenye suala la usalama wake.
Habari zilizotanda kwenye magazeti yetu kuhusu ziara hiyo zilielemea zaidi kwenye idadi ya magari katika msafara wa Obama, ndege zilizokuja (na ukubwa wake), wingi wa mashushushu, na mambo mengine kama hayo.
Ndio, Watanzania walistahili kufahamishwa kuhusu namna Rais wa Marekani anavyolindwa, lakini wangependa zaidi kufahamu ziara hiyo ina manufaa gani kwa nchi yao.
Kadhalika, wananchi hao wangeweza kutendewa fadhila kubwa na magazeti yetu laiti yangeiga mfano wa Ney York Times na USA Today kwa kuitumia ziara ya Obama kuijulisha dunia kuhusu masuala mbalimbali yanayotukwaza kimaendeleo, kwa mfano ufisadi, ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu, nk.
Lakini tunaweza kwenda mbele zaidi ya kuwalaumu baadhi ya waandishi wetu wa habari wanaohangaika na sensational stories pasi kujali ukosefu wa manufaa yake kwa umma. Tukumbuke ni majuzi tu, nchi yetu ilipata ugeni mwingine mkubwa kimataifa baada ya kutembelewa na Rais Xi Jinping wa China. Taarifa za serikali zilieleza kuwa katika ziara hiyo mikataba kadhaa ilisainiwa kati ya nchi hizo mbili (China na Tanzania). Hadi leo mikataba hiyo imebaki kuwa siri.
Pengine hali itakuwa tofauti katika ziara hii ya Obama kutokana na ukweli kwamba wenzetu wa China bado wanaendekeza sana usiri, suala la haki za wananchi kupewa au kupashana habari halipewi fursa.
Kwa Marekani, labda tutakachofichwa ni mikataba ya siri ya kiusalama, lakini katika hali ya kawaida tunaweza kufahamishwa maafikiano mengi kati ya nchi hiyo na yetu kufuatia ziara ya Obama.
Lakini tatizo kubwa, na ambalo binafsi linanifanya niione ziara ya Obama kama tukio tu la kufurahiwa lakini linaloweza kutokuwa na maana yoyote, ni ukweli kwamba umasikini wetu hautokani na ukosefu wa misaada kutoka kwa mataifa wafadhili.
Kwa mujibu wa takwimu za hivi karibuni, kwa muda mrefu Tanzania imeshikilia nafasi ya tatu duniani-baada ya Afghanistan na Iraki- kwa kupokea misaada ya kimataifa.
Sana sana umuhimu wa misaada hiyo inaonekana zaidi katika matumizi ya anasa ya watawala wetu-magari na samani za thamani kubwa zaidi ya wanazotumia wafadhili wetu – badala ya nchi yetu kujikwamua katika lindi la umasikini.
Japo ni jambo jema kumsikia Obama akionyesha nia ya kushirikiana na nchi yetu na nyinginezo za Afrika katika kuleta maendeleo, ‘ukweli mchungu’ ni kwamba dhamira hiyo nzuri itakwazwa na majambazi wanaosubiri kwa hamu ‘fedha za Obama’ zidondoke ili nao wazihamishie kwenye akaunti zao huko Uswizi au kisiwa cha Jersey, kama sio kuongeza idadi ya magari na mahekalu yao ya kifahari, na pengine hata idadi ya ‘nyumba ndogo’ zao.
Sitaki kuamini kuwa Obama na Wamarekani wenzie hawafahamu hilo; bali wanaona ni tatizo dogo ukilinganisha na faida watakayopata kwa kufunguliwa milango ya kuvuna raslimali zetu; hususan gesi na mafuta.
Si kwamba Obama hakuwa na taarifa kuhusu hali ya ufisadi, ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu na demokrasia unavyoiathiri nchi yetu na watu wake; bali yayumkinika amezingatia ukweli kwamba “kama wenyewe hawajali kuhusu hatma ya nchi yao na vizazi vijavyo, kwanini mimi nijali?”
Nimalizie makala hii ‘kuwapoza’ wanahabari walioelekeza macho yao kwenye mashamushamu yaliyoambatana na ziara ya Obama badala ya kuangaza kwenye masuala ya msingi zaidi. Huenda wanahabari hao walifanya hivyo kwa kutambua kuwa “Obama atakuja, atatengeneza mazingira kwa Wamarekani kuchuma raslimali zetu, na ataondoka akituacha na umasikini, ufisadi na porojo zetu.”
Wanasema “kwenye ukosefu wa habari ya maana, vioja/mbwembwe au shamrashamra hugeuka habari ya maana.”
Mwisho, asante Rais Obama angalau kwa kututembelea. Hata hivyo, wakati umeondoka huku tukitamani Tanzania yetu iwe taifa la fursa lukuki kama Marekani, sie tunaelekea kubaki ‘taifa lenye fursa lukuki kwa mafisadi.
Na kinachokaribia kulingana na ‘American Dream’ kwa Tanzania yetu ni kiu ya mafisadi kuifilisi nchi yetu kwa ulafi mkubwa na haraka iwezekanavyo.
MUNGU IBARIKI TANZANIA

1 Jul 2013

obama_tanzania

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Vendors carrying trinkets and snacks usually weave in and out of the dense traffic of this bustling East African capital, their hawking adding to the cacophony of horns and chatter that are the soundtrack to everyday life here.
But not today.
An eerie silence and empty streets cleared for security reasons herald the arrival of President Obama on his first visit to this usually overlooked country Monday, a visit that overjoyed locals hope results in change and progress.
"My country is crazy at the moment about Obama's visit and I am, too," said Asteria Benedicto, 32, a student at the Institute of Social Work in Dar es Salaam. "If I get a chance, I will ask him to see to it that there's an equal distribution of resources, fair elections and trustworthy security force in my country."
Tanzania is President Obama's last stop on a week-long trip to Africa – a continent some Africans accuse Obama of neglecting during his presidency. His visit to the East African nation was a surprise choice but one the White House said was made because of its strong and vibrant democracy as well as its importance as a partner on a range of security issues.
While Obama is being feted on this visit — one main artery of the capital, Ocean Road is being renamed Obama Avenue during his visit — some Tanzanians want to use this opportunity to speak out about problems such as poverty and corruption they say plague the country.
"I have been struggling to make a living and facing a lot of challenges," said Sylvester Pius, a 34-year-old farmer who lives in Iringa, a small town 400 miles south of Dar es Salaam.
He says one of the biggest problems is corruption. He recalls how this problem caused tragedy for his family when his wife gave birth to their fourth child in 2011.
"The nurse who was attending her wanted a bribe to help her deliver on time but I didn't have any money," he said. "Several days after delivery, my wife died because she didn't receive this help and bled out. The child survived but the challenge was now how could I manage to raise him?"
But Pius's story is common in a country where the average monthly income is less than $50 and corruption is out of control, according to locals. They say the situation is not inevitable.
"Considering the peace and potential prosperity of Tanzania, there should be a way," said Alfred Kinge, 54, an entrepreneur in Dar es Salaam. "But of course there are the chronic poor in every country. Still, can't something be done?"
Tanzania has undertaken economic reforms in a bid to lift the country out of such stark poverty, and it has made efforts to improve its infrastructure and also develop its tourism sector but analysts say there is still a long way to go.
"Serious problems remain in mining, education and agriculture — all are key to national progress," said Emanuel Sulle, a Tanzanian researcher at the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.
"The failures in most of these sectors are the result of poor reforms in education, constitution and, of course, lack of good governance."
Tanzania has also experienced recent terrorist attacks: On June 15, a bomb that went off at a political rally in Arusha, 500 miles north of Dar es Salaam, organized by the opposition Democracy and Development Party, left three people dead and 60 injured.
The attack followed another bomb a month earlier that killed another three during a Catholic Church service in Arusha as Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla inaugurated the local parish.
It is the first time since Tanzania became independent in 1961 that it has witnessed such attacks and many point fingers at the government and its ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Party of the Revolution or CCM) party, an allegation both the government and the party deny.
Regardless, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
However, Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda has been accused of endorsing the use of violence by police against dissidents and the opposition, and has been criticized by human rights groups such as the country's Legal and Human Rights Center, who say some recent statements by Pinda violate the country's constitutional protections.
"Once you reject obeying (the law) and cause trouble, or fail to respect the laws of the country, you will be beaten, and I say such people should be beaten…we (the government) are tired," said Pinda following the blasts on June 21, in one such statement.
As a result, some Tanzanians are losing hope and trust in the government as it fails to properly investigate and address intimidation and violence.
"Lack of good governance and weak leadership both contribute to poverty we face today even as we (Tanzanians) should be a champion economically in the region," said Deodatus Kazinja, who works in the penal system in Dar es Salaam, adding that Obama should not ignore the human rights abuses being carried out in the country.
Many are hoping that Obama will share his experiences with leaders in the East African country and build even stronger relations with Tanzania to help them tackle their ongoing problems.
"Our relationship with America is a continuation and cementation of our friendship since President Kennedy's period when the father of our nation Julius Nyerere paid a visit to the U.S.," said Salaam Mecky Sadick, governor of Dar es Salaam. "Since then the U.S. has supported us in many areas like education, agriculture and health."
But others say they know Obama is coming for "American interests."
"One thing I would like to note is that there has been a scramble for Tanzania's resources, like gas and gold, and there's an obvious competition between the U.S. and China," said retired teacher Jesca Mbelwa, 65.
"But I want to see Africans benefit from their resources first and second the Americans or the Chinese."

CHANZO: http://goo.gl/srxVl 



Violent Episodes Grow in Tanzania, an African Haven

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DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — As one of the leaders of an acrimonious doctors’ strike in Tanzania, Dr. Stephen Ulimboka was not entirely surprised when a group of armed men appeared, unannounced, at a meeting and arrested him. But when he saw that the car they were forcing him into had no license plates, fear truly hit him.
Ed Betz/Reuters
American and Tanzanian flags lined a street in Dar es Salaam, the capital, on Sunday, ahead of a visit by President Obama.
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A black hood was thrown over his head. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve been doing,” Dr. Ulimboka recalled one of the men saying. “You can start praying to your God because there is no turning back.”
They beat him for hours on that June night last year, first with their fists, then with metal rods. They pulled the toenails from both of his big toes. As he lay on the ground, he heard them discussing the best way to kill him: running him over with the car or giving him a lethal injection. He was unsure if he would live till daybreak.
Tanzania has a reputation abroad as an island of stability in the often-chaotic region of East Africa. The country has been rewarded with praise and money from international donors, including the United States, which last year gave the country more than $480 million.
President Obama arrives here on Monday to a country where human rights groups and the largest opposition party say episodes of intimidation and suppression of political opponents are growing. “The international community believes there is peace in Tanzania,” saidWillibrod Slaa, the secretary general of the opposition party, Chadema. “There is fear, not peace.”
Journalists have been attacked and in at least one instance killed while working. Last July, the government banned an independent weekly newspaper, Mwanahalisi, which had been reporting aggressively on Dr. Ulimboka’s kidnapping, linking the crime to the government. President Jakaya Kikwete denied any connection.
“I don’t feel secure,” said Saed Kubenea, managing editor at Hali Halisi Publishers Ltd., which owns Mwanahalisi. “But I will fight.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit organization based in New York, urged Mr. Obama last week to raise the issue of freedom of the press when he meets with Mr. Kikwete on Monday.
The political violence reached a new, unexpected level last month, when a hand grenade was thrown at a rally organized by Chadema in the northern city of Arusha, killing four people. No suspect has been identified, and the investigation is continuing.
At the party offices here in Dar es Salaam the other day, a fleet of motorcycles used for reaching isolated constituencies in villages accessible only by dirt road sat parked out back. Party officials placed a silver laptop on a table and showed a video from the rally in Arusha.
In the footage, party leaders gave speeches from atop a truck with built-in speakers. Afterward, they descended into the crowd and began collecting donations. A blast sent people scattering. A handful of wounded and dead were frantically gathered and carried to the bed of a pickup truck that took them to receive medical treatment, leaving behind a blacktop slick with blood.
“It is intimidation,” Mr. Slaa said. “The people will be afraid to go to the polling stations, and the active ones will have been eliminated.”
Chadema officials have publicly claimed that the man responsible was either working with, or protected by, the police. They say the party will produce videotape proving their charge, but only after an independent commission has been named to investigate.
Paul A. M. Chagonja, commissioner of police for operations, called the allegations “frivolous” and “unfounded,” and said the party was obligated to furnish law enforcement with any evidence in its possession.
“The core function of the police is to protect the people,” Mr. Chagonja said. “We are not allied with any political party.”
Tanzania, home to Mount Kilimanjaro, is a popular tourist destination for safaris in the Serengeti. The nation has been lauded for its ethnic cohesion, rising above the kind of tribal violence that rocked Kenya after that country’s elections in 2007. Although a church bombing in May, also in Arusha, raised concerns that religious tensions could rise, Tanzania is relatively free of sectarian strife. That is one reason Mr. Obama scheduled a visit here.
Yet the Tanzanian government has essentially remained in the hands of the same party since gaining independence half a century ago. Tanzania held its first multiparty elections in 1995, but the ruling party, Chama cha Mapinduzi, or Party of the Revolution in Swahili, has won the national elections each time since.
Analysts say the very real prospect that voters will choose another party in the next election, in 2015, has rattled some members of the government, particularly those who are afraid that a new party in power could mean aggressive investigations and prosecutions.
“I think there is a rear-guard element in ruling circles who have never accepted this,” said Jenerali Ulimwengu, a prominent Tanzanian journalist. “They haven’t been reined in by the political bosses because they are shaky and unsure.” The result, Mr. Ulimwengu said, “can be quite deadly, as we’ve seen over the past couple of years.”
Abdulrahman Kinana, secretary general of the ruling party, known as C.C.M., said it was prepared to accept a defeat at the ballot box. “We were always ready to transfer power if the people decide,” he said, adding that C.C.M. won the country’s “free and fair elections” by reaching out more effectively to voters. He pointed to the dozen or so daily newspapers available here as evidence of a vibrant local news media.
But the government “needs to tell us what happened to those people who were either killed or attacked,” Mr. Kinana said. “Most of these crimes have not gotten an explanation.”
The men who kidnapped and tortured Dr. Ulimboka took him to a forest, where he was dumped into a hole about three feet deep, his arms and legs bound. He laid as still as possible, hoping the men would believe he was already dead. He waited for about half an hour after they left before struggling to free his legs.
He walked toward the sound of a road, his hands still bound behind his back, the rope biting deeply into his wrists. There, he found help and was taken to a police station and later to a hospital. His kidneys were failing, and he had to be flown to South Africa for treatment.
A year later, most of his injuries have healed, though he said that when he combed his hair, he felt the numb spots where his nerves had been damaged in the savage beatings. He does not fear for himself at a time when people are killed at public gatherings.
“People,” Dr. Ulimboka said, “can just kill you anywhere.”

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