
4 Oct 2009

1 Oct 2009
1.10.09
Evarist Chahali
BLOGGING
2 comments
Most bloggers crave for a high number of visitors. But how “high” is enough? Tens of visitors a day? Hundreds a week? Thousands a month? Or a million at all time? A couple of months ago, I was one of those who were so obsessed with such numbers. First thing I would do when opening my page is looking at my blog’s stat counter, and rarely did I find any encouragement from the figures I saw. I would frequently Google for “how to drive huge traffic to your blog”, and most likely install one app or another that claims to do wonders to any aspiring blogger who is craving for more visitors to their blogs. However, the changes were hardly noticeable.
1.10.09
Evarist Chahali
SIASA ZETU
No comments
30 Sept 2009

The voluntary sector remains a foreign-oriented phenomenon in many parts of Africa. In Tanzania, for example, many of the established voluntary organisations are Western-oriented with exception of rare presence of local players like the Vodacom Foundation.
27 Sept 2009
Accidents do happen! However, some accidents are avoidable especially if someone somewhere would have taken their responsibility seriously. For ages, thousands of innocent Tanzanian lives have been lost in fire, marine (e.g. MV Bukoba), rail and road accidents. It’s fair to say that most if these accidents could have been avoided had those entrusted with passenger safety been up to their tasks. Sadly, in most cases it’s the poor who end up paying the ultimate price. Occasionally, a driver would be nabbed and sent to prison while vehicle inspectors and traffic police who allowed a car that caused accident to be on road despite its mechanical failures are left untouched and unpunished. Of course, punishing them could not bring back the dead but at least it could have served as a lesson to careless drivers and their greedy vehicle proprietors.
A couple of months ago, several people lost their lives in a series of bomb explosions at a Dar suburb of Mbagala. No one knows exactly why the bombs exploded in the first place as we usually believe that bombs are in safe hands in when stored in an Army armoury. The causes of the explosions have been left to speculation since the incident report has been deeply buried in Dr Hussein Mwinyi’s filing cabinets. It should be remembered that the investigation which lead to the publication of the report must have cost a huge amount of taxpayers’ money. As if adding salt to the wound ,we are made to face another loss of public funds after, and nobody seems to care!
Dr Mwinyi pledged that he would resign should the report cite negligence on TPDF as one source of the blasts. He couldn’t be more serious. How could a report prepared by his subordinates implicate him? That’s not in the old Tanzania you and I know! As I said earlier, a resignation of the minister, or the CDF, or the officer in charge of the armoury couldn’t bring back the lives of those who died in the explosions. However, it could have served one purpose that is always ignored when human errors, mistakes or negligence play a vital role in the occurrence of an accident.
The two families who lost their beloved ones in the recent blast will be compensated. Dr Mwinyi and his deputy, Dr William Nchimbi, will very likely promise another mchakato to investigate the causes of the blast, as if they have already made the first report known to the public. What a misuse of doctorates of philosophy! One would have expected excellent performances in a ministry headed by two PhD holders. And as Tanzanians are so good at letting things go, sooner than later the Mbagala tragedies would be forgotten...until another explosion happens, which is still likely.
Expecting pressure from our opposition parties would be fooling ourselves as we all know that whatever they say on behalf of the disadvantaged would most likely be portrayed by the ruling party and its government as sheer political opportunism. Expectedly, some money-making non-governmental body identifying itself as championing for human rights would call for an inquiry, not because it believes that’s the right thing to do but rather to please its funders that it is actually advocating for human rights in our country. That’s the bitter reality about the kind of civil society we have in Tanzania. It’s not only weak in its traditional role as “the public realm of organised social activity located between the state and the private household” but it has also become a breeding ground for ufisadi and mafisadi.
It’s high time Tanzanians wherever they are to understand that we have a very gloomy future if we continue to accept everything as our destiny. Poor leadership is not our fate because we had an election in 2005, and yet we put back into power the same old party that has proved a complete failure after decades of ruling-and wrecking- our country. We have another election next year but there is every indication that the same blunder would be repeated.
We don’t have to settle for less like Simba and Yanga who are busy recruiting “international players” only to remain spectators in regional tournaments. We deserve more than what CCM has been promising to offer us during election campaigns only to come back five years later asking for more time to “finish where they left” as if they had started delivering anything out of their promises in the first place.
Mbagala resident have every reason to demand more than compensations from the people they entrusted with the task of ensuring their safety. Afterall, the little they would get as compensation would not only be incapable of bringing back the innocent lives of their beloved ones taken so prematurely due to negligence by Dr Mwinyi and his bunch of irresponsible officials but would also not be sufficient to prevent father tragedies in the future.

17 Sept 2009

HEBU SOMA HII,KISHA TAFAKARI:
Makamba amfuata Spika Sitta Urambo, ampigia magoti
*ASEMA HANA UGOMVI NAYE, ASEMA ALIKUWA MLEZI WA NDOA ZA WANAYE
Na John Dotto, Tabora
KATIKA kile kilichoelezwa kwamba, ni kujisafisha mbele ya Spika wa Bunge, Samuel Sitta, CCM imesema ipo pamoja naye katika kutekeleza majukumu yake kama Spika wa Bunge la Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania.
Kauli hiyo ilitolewa jana na Katibu Mkuu wa CCM, Yusufu Makamba; ikiwa ni siku chache baada ya Mwenyekiti wa CCM, Rais Jakaya Kikwete kuondoa utata uliotokana na maazimio ya Halmashauri Kuu ya chama hicho ulioonyesha kuwa wabunge wanaopiga kelele dhidi ya ufisadi, wanakichafua chama na serikali yake.
Akizungumza na viongozi wa CCM wilaya ya Urambo kwenye mkutano wa ndani uliohudhuriwa na Spika Sitta, Makamba, alitumia muda mwingi kumsifia Sitta kwamba ni mtu muelewa, asiyetetereka na wala kuyumbishwa na mtu yeyote na kwamba anachokifanya ni utekelezaji wa ilani ya uchaguzi ya chama hicho.
Makamba aliwaambia wanaCCM hao kwamba, hana chuki na Sitta, kwani hata alipokuwa Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Dar es Salaam alimkaribisha katika ndoa za wanawe na akapewa nafasi ya kuzungumza kama baba mlezi, heshima ambayo alisema hataisahau katika maisha yake.
Alisema wana CCM wanatakiwa kupuuza maneno ya watu wanaodai chama kina mgogoro na Spika, kwasababu hakuna kitu kama hicho na yote anayoyatekeleza kwenye Bunge ni kwa niaba ya chama chake.
Hata hivyo, baada ya kikao cha NEC, Makamba alikuwa mstari wa mbele kudai kuwa kikao kile kina uwezo wa kumuhoji mbunge yoyote hata Sitta kama anakwenda tofauti na chama.
Makamba alinukuliwa akisema NEC ni mama na akina Spika ni watoto hivyo ina mamlaka ya kuhoji mienendo yao.
Mara baada ya kikao cha NEC, Sitta alifanya ziara mkoani Tabora na kulalamika kwamba, CCM makao makuu wamewakataza viongozi wa chama hicho mkoani kumpokea.
Hatua ya Makamba kwenda Urambo kuhutubia na Sitta, inatafsiriwa kama njia ya kuweka mambo sawa na kufuta makovu ya huko nyuma baina yake na Spika.
Kwa upande wake, Sitta alimshukuru Makamba kwa kutembelea jimboni kwake na mkoa wa Tabora kwa ujumla.
Katika mkutano wa hadhara uliofanyika baada ya kikao cha ndani kumalizika, Makamba aliwahakikishia wananchi wa Urambo kwamba CCM kipo pamoja na mbunge wao Sitta, ndiyo maana wanatekeleza ahadi zote ikiwemo ujenzi wa barabara ya Urambo Kaliua mpaka Tabora Mjini.
Akizungumzia suala la ufisadi, Makamba alisema kuwa wanaCCM wote kuanzia ngazi ya matawi wanapaswa kuungana na wabunge wanaopiga vita ufisadi, kwani vita dhidi ya rushwa ni ya wanaCCM wote.
Alisema anakerwa na watu wanaosema CCM ni chama cha mafisadi kwani ufisadi wa mtu mmoja si wa CCM na akatoa mfano kuwa dhambi ya Mkatoliki mmoja si dhambi ya Askofu Kilaini wala kanisa lote.
Makamba alimaliza ziara yake jana mkoani Tabora na juzi alipokuwa akizungumza na viongozi wa CCM wakiwemo makatibu wote wa wilaya za Tabora kwenye ukumbi wa mikutano wa CCM mkoa, aliwalaumu viongozi hao kukaa kimya wakati wapinzani wanakishambulia chama hicho kwa kukipakazia maneno machafu.
Aliwataka waamke na kukipigania chama na kuacha kukaa kimya na kusubiri makao makuu ama Makamba kujibu mashambulizi.
Baada ya kikao cha Nec kilichofanyika Dodoma mwezi uliopita, Makamba na Katibu wa Itikadi na Uenezi wa CCM, John Chilligati kwa nyakati tofauti walisema CCM imeunda kamati ya watu watatu, inayoongozwa na Rais Mstaafu, Ali Hassan Mwinyi kuwachunguza wabunge wenye tabia ya kuishambulia serikali nje ya vikao vya chama.
Habari za ndani ya kikao hicho ambazo baadaye zilivuja kwa vyombo vya habari, zilieleza kuwa Nec ilimweka kitimoto Spika Sitta kwa madai kuwa anaruhusu mijadala inayokichafua chama na serikali, huku baadhi ya wajumbe wakishinikiza anyang'anywe kadi ya CCM kwa madai kuwa anawapa uhuru bungeni watu wanaoishambulia serikali kwa ufisadi.
Hata hivyo, mwanzoni mwa wiki hii baada ya hotuba ya Rais, Chilligati alisema chama hicho hakina ugomvi wala uadui na wabunge wake wanaoongoza vita dhidi ya mafisadi nchini.
Kabla ya hapo, Mwenyekiti wa Mkoa wa Dar es Salaam, John Guninita ambaye alisemekana kumwandama Spika Sitta katika kikao cha NEC na akamwita faru aliyejeruhiwa anayetakiwa kumalizwa kabla hajasababisha madhara zaidi, naye alibadili msimamo na kuwaunga mkono wapiganaji wa ufisadi pamoja na Spika Sitta kwamba, wanatekeleza ilani ya CCM, hivyo wanastahili kuungwa mkono.
Mabadiliko haya ya siasa ndani ya chama hiki tawala na mfululizo wa matukio ya aina hiyo likiwemo la Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Mbeya, John Mwakipesile ambaye amekaririwa katika vyombo vya habari akisema hana ugomvi na Mbunge wa Kyela, Dk Harrison Mwakyembe, anayesemekana kuwa ni hasimu wake kisiasa.
CHANZO: Mwananchi
13 Sept 2009


8 Sept 2009

Kikwete, ambaye alizungumza na taifa kwa mara ya mwisho Juni 11 alipozungumza na wazee wa mkoani Dodoma, atafanya mazungumzo hayo ya dakika 90 kwa njia ya televisheni kuanzia saa 2:30 usiku wakati atakapopokea simu na kusikiliza maswali, ushauri, maoni na kujibu moja kwa moja.
Taarifa iliyotolewa na Kurugenzi ya Mawasiliano ya Rais inaeleza kuwa katika staili hiyo ya aina yake, Rais Kikwete pia atapokea ushauri kwa njia ya ujumbe mfupi wa simu (sms) kutoka kwa watazamaji na ujumbe wa barua pepe, ikiwa ni mpango wa kusikiliza matarajio ya wananchi katika jitihada zao za kuboresha maisha yao kwa kujiletea maendeleo.
"Rais atatumia aina mpya ya kuwasiliana na wananchi kwa kusikiliza hoja zao, kwa kujibu maswali yao, kusikiliza ushauri wao na kupata maoni juu ya mambo yanayohusu mustakabali wa nchi yetu, serikali yetu na maendeleo yetu," inaeleza taarifa hiyo.
"Mazungumzo hayo yatakachukua muda wa dakika 90 kuanzia saa mbili unusu usiku (saa 2:30 usiku) hadi saa nne kamili usiku."
Kwa mujibu wa taarifa hiyo, chini ya mpango huo rais atazungumza moja kwa moja kupitia vituo vya redio na televisheni vya Shirika la Utangazaji (TBC) na vyombo vingine vya utangazaji nchini.
Kurugenzi hiyo ya Mawasiliano Ikulu, ilifafanua kwamba "mbali na TBC, televisheni nyingine za ITV, TVZ, Mlimani TV, Tumaini TV na Channel Ten zinatarajiwa kuonyesha mazungumzo hayo".
Taarifa ya kurugenzi hiyo imevitaja vituo vitakavyotangaza moja kwa moja mazungumzo hayo kuwa ni TBC-Taifa, Sauti ya Tanzania Zanzibar (STZ), Radio Mlimani, Radio Clouds, Radio Tumaini, na Radio Uhuru.
Ikulu pia imetaja namba zitakazotumika kwa ajili ya maswali, maoni, hoja, ushauri utakaotolewa moja kwa moja kupitia TBC. Namba hizo ni +255-22-2772448, +255-22-2772452 na +255-22-2772454.
Pia kwa watakaotaka kutuma ujumbe mfupi wa simu watatakiwa kutuma kwenda namba 0788-500019, 0714-591589 na 0764-807683, huku wale watakaotaka kutumia barua pepe watatuma kwenda anuani ya [email protected].
Hii ni mara ya kwanza kwa Rais Kikwete kutumia aina hiyo ya mazungumzo na wananchi baada ya viongozi wengine waliomtangulia kutumia hotuba za mwisho wa mwezi kwa kupitia redio na televisheni na pia mikutano na wazee au na waandishi wa habari.
Kikwete anaanza utaratibu huo akionekana kufuata nyayo za aliyekuwa Rais wa Philippines, hayati Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, ambaye amekuwa alikuwa na utaratibu wa kuruhusu wananchi kupiga simu na kuuliza maswali.
Lakini Rais wa Uganda, Yoweri Museveni ana utaratibu tofauti. Kiongozi huyo wa muda mrefu wa Uganda ana kawaida ya kuingilia mijadala inayoendeshwa moja kwa moja na vituo vya redio na kujibu tuhuma dhidi ya serikali yake au kutoa ufafanuzi.
Rais wa Marekani, Barack Obama husikiliza maoni, ushauri na kujibu maswali ya wananchi kupitia barua pepe.
Utaratibu huo mpya utamfanya rais apokee maswali ya aina tofauti na kumuwezesha kujua kero hasa za wananchi tofauti na vilio vya wanasiasa, hali ambayo itafanya muda wa dakika 90 kuwa mfupi kuweza kukidhi utashi.
Katika hotuba yake ya Juni 11, Rais Kikwete alizungumzia athari za mtikisiko wa uchumi na kutangaza mpango mkubwa wa kutenga Sh1.7 trilioni kwa ajili ya kunusuru uchumi.