Monday, December 28, 2015

NEW DAR ES SALAAM MASTER PLAN IN TANZANIA

BY AISIA RWEYEMAMU
27th December 2015
  Plan comes into effect next June
Dar es Salaam
A new Dar es Salaam master plan which has just come off the drawing board and is scheduled to be put into effect in June, next year, is likely to see more than 3.6 million Dar es Salaam residents rendered homeless on the ground of encroaching on industrial or residential areas. 

According to the ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, city residents need to brace themselves for massive evictions come next June when the city master  plan comes into effect because only 20 per cent of the residents live in surveyed areas.

A senior ministry official told The Guardian on Sunday that the new master plan would have a lot of changes compared to the previous one which served from 1979 and 1999.

“The lifeline of a city master plan is only 20 years, so the initial city master plan expired in 1999. During the past 16 years Dar es Salaam has been operating without a settlement plan,” the ministry’s Acting Director of Rural and Town Planning, Prof. John Lupala, told this paper recently.

With an estimated population of 4.5 million people, most of them living in squatter or unplanned areas, many houses built in non-surveyed areas or those which have been lined up for other purposes other than residence, will be deemed to have encroached on the areas and therefore liable to demolition.

Prof. Lupala said that most people bought plots for residence by only involving local government authorities without being aware of the central government’s plans for the relevant areas. 

He elaborated that it had taken the ministry more than two years to prepare the new master plan and it would accommodate all developments and changes made in the city.

“We are in the final stages of completing the new master plan which is expected to be rolled out in June, next year,” he said.

The Rural and Town Planning director said that upon expiry of the Dar es Salaam master plan in 1999, the city council came up with a Strategic Urban Development Plan in 2002, but it was not approved by the ministry to be used as a city master plan.

He noted however that even the old master plan had revealed massive encroachment of residential buildings, industrial and commercial structures on areas not earmarked for those purposes.

Dr Lupala pointed out that there had been construction of homes in swampy areas or those close to rivers and the sea shore, in open spaces and even in industrial areas, saying it was in contravention of the old master plan. 

“All the people who built in areas not meant for human settlement and without the go-ahead from the Lands ministry will be deemed as invaders,” he said.

He also pointed out that a number of surveyed areas in Dar es Salaam had also been invaded and developed without following laid down legal procedures, saying from next year the government would provide a copy of the city master plan to all local government offices for execution to avert encroachment of non-surveyed land.

 “People should build the culture of visiting the ministry of Lands to seek advice on the planned use of the plots of land they intend to purchase before they actually by it,” he warned, adding that most local government officials were not conversant with the new city master plan.

The government is acting tough to ensure the old city master plan is adhered to prior to coming into force of the new one. In some areas of the city, permits to construct homes in open spaces and in swampy areas were issued owing to corruption.

A source in the Lands ministry who preferred anonymity, said, “If you take the area of Tabata in Ilala district, a major part of the area was earmarked as a residential settlement for government employees. 

“Tabata Aroma, until now, is for National Social Security Fund (NSSF) employees while Bima had been earmarked for National Insurance Corporation staff, with Magengeni being reserved for NSSF quarters.

“Tabata Sigara, on the other hand, was earmarked for Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara) and Tanzania Cigarette Company staff, whereas Chang’ombe was reserved for VETA and Tanzania Elimu Supplies staff.”

He said the areas had since been invaded by other people because they were left undeveloped for a long time by the assigned government institutions.

According to him, a place such as Mbezi in Kinondoni district had originally been earmarked for industrial purposes, but now most of the land had fallen into the hands of invaders and turned into a residential area, with posh homes dotting its landscape. 

Last week, many Dar es Salaam residents were left homeless after the ministries of Lands and Environment, in collaboration with Kinondoni Municipal Council, demolished hundreds of homes illegally put up in the floods-prone Msimbazi valley. 

The government has declared a moratorium of the demolitions until next month when the exercise is to resume in the valley stretching from Kinondoni municipality to Pugu, where more than 8,000 houses are set to be demolished.

The exercise will also see structures illegally constructed in open spaces or close to water sources or the sea shore in Mwenge, Kinondoni Biafra and Sinza suburbs pulled down.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
 

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Thursday, November 26, 2015

CLIMATE CHANGE CRUNCH TO DOMINATE COMMONWEALTH SUMMIT IN MALTA

Climate crunch to dominate Commonwealth summit

By Ella Ide | AFP – 30 minutes ago
The 2015 Commonwealth Summit kicks off on Friday to a grand opening ceremony with Queen Elizabeth, followed by intense working sessions where world leaders will grapple with climate change.

As the clock ticks to a UN climate conference in Paris starting Monday, leaders including France's Francois Hollande, Britain's David Cameron and the UN's Ban Ki-moon will try to open the door to a landmark accord for taming greenhouse gases.

"We look towards Paris and an agreement that will determine the survival of our species and all those who share this precious planet with us," Britain's Prince Charles said in a speech in Malta on Thursday, as leaders arrived on the windswept island from four continents.

"We do not have the right to steal our children and grand-children's inheritance. We do have a responsibility to act now... and I'm sure that the Commonwealth will play a critical and leading part in this endeavour," the heir to the throne said.

Born out of the British empire, the Commonwealth of Nations brings together around a quarter of the world's countries and a third of its population. The 24th biennial summit is expected to focus on the issues of extremism and migration as well as the environment.

Prime ministers attending include Canada's new leader, Justin Trudeau, Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif and Pakalitha Mosisili from Lesotho.

The hope is that by finding common ground in Malta -- among countries which differ enormously in terms of culture, size,  and diplomatic muscle -- the COP21 talks in Paris can break through a logjam of connected and highly contentious issues.

Potential stumbling blocks in Paris abound, ranging from financing for climate-vulnerable countries to scrutiny of commitments to curb greenhouse gases and even the legal status of the planned accord.
The last attempt to get a global climate deal -- at the ill-tempered 2009 Copenhagen summit -- foundered upon divisions between rich and poor nations.

- 'Fervent hope' for a deal -
Hollande, as president of the conference's host country, is expected to make an impassioned plea at the Commonwealth summit later Friday, before diplomatic toils continue on the sidelines of a banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth.

The objective in Paris is to forge a post-2020 deal that will prevent global warming from breaching two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

"It is the fervent hope of countless concerned people around the world that global leaders... agree to an ambitious long-term goal for the rapid reduction of carbon emissions," Charles said, adding that the fate facing humankind should the plan fail "utterly beggars belief".

Countries most at risk -- including low-lying small island states and poor nations in Africa, many of whom are Commonwealth members -- have called for capping warming to 1.5 C, saying anything less would result in catastrophic impacts.

The Commonwealth's Business Forum warned it was not just vulnerable nations that would pay the price of inaction, and companies globally would have to react to survive.
- 'Profound consequences' -

One billion more people are expected on the planet by 2025, sparking a 35-percent increase in global food demand and a 50-percent increase in energy demand, while carbon emissions would have to be cut by six percent to stay within 2.0 degrees, it said.

Prince Charles insisted an accord would mean little if the private sector could not be persuaded to get behind the climate change fight.

The sentiment was echoed by Sherard Cowper-Coles, senior adviser to the chairman of HSBC -- one of the companies brought in to explain the potential financial gains to be made from businesses getting into bed with the green economy.

He said Thursday that what companies needed from the Commonwealth talks and the Paris summit was "a signal that governments believe private finance is absolutely essential".

"There are some in the community who believe it should all be done with public money. If you believe that, you are condemning humanity to a very bleak future."
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Sunday, October 11, 2015

MINERS IN TANZANIA WANT MINER'S BANK

BY POLYCARP MACHIRA
11th October 2015, THE  GUARDIAN TANZANIA ON SUNDAY
Minister for Energy and Minerals, George Simbachawene

The government plans to establish a mineral bank that will, among other things, provide financial support to small-scale miners in the country.

Minister for Energy and Minerals, George Simbachawene, told The Guardian yesterday that the bank will aim to support artisanal miners who lack access to bank loans to enable them become large-scale miners.

He said a number of banks operating in the country were unwilling to support mining sector operations.

“The mineral bank will have experts in the mining sector aware of its demands and nature,” he said, adding that the bank will also help miners secure markets because it will know the market for various minerals.

Speaking on the sidelines of granting contracts to small-scale miners who benefited from government loans through the Tanzania Investment Bank [TIB], the minister said the government was committed to helping small-scale miners.

The bank is to be housed in the yet to be built Arusha-based Madini House. 

The building site and plan are already in place, with the construction designed to allow choppers to land on its rooftop to enhance security to mineral traders.

Madini House will also accommodate government agencies including Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA).
Tanzania has approximately four million miners with only 1500 to 1700 of them in the mainstream mining activities, thus the need to have plans to assist the remaining  group.

Establishment of the bank is the government’s response to an earlier appeal from the Federation of Miners Association of Tanzania (FEMATA) for the state to help in the establishment of the bank and construction of the house.

The bank to be established, according t the minister, will also help regulate the prices of precious resources.

FEMATA President John Bina said here that Tanzania should borrow a leaf from countries such as Ghana and China who had such facilities.

Earlier, the miners had asked the government to allow them to have an annual mineral celebration, such a a Mineral Week or Day.

Mid this week, some 111 artisanal miners, through the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Initiative (MSPI) launched last year by the government and the World Bank Group (WBG), received Sh7.2bn support from a local bank, Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB), to support mining-related activities countrywide.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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TANZANIA'S TOP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION PHASE ONE ROOFTOP COLLAPSES !!!

BY ABELA MSIKULA,  THE  GUARDIAN on sunday, TANZANIA, 11/10/2015.
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
Hitch caused by `poor`construction material

Part of the rooftop of Terminal-III building, which is still under construction at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar  es Salaam, crumpled last week, posing a security threat to the workers on site.

It was the first incident of its kind since the two-phased project kicked off in January, last year, but Director General of the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA), Eng. Suleiman Suleiman, described it as “too minor to deserve public attention.”

However, he has reportedly given the contractor, Bam International Construction Company, a two-week ultimatum to release a report over the 6-metre affected area, amid fears that the crash might entirely destroy the 75,000 square-metre terminal structure.

Pending results from a probe team while the non-affected portion has already been inspected by a team of engineers as required by the terms of contract, Engineer Suleiman suspected faulty bolts as the cause of the collapse, noting that the detected hitches would be communicated back to the manufacturers and suppliers.

“Usually, samples from all imported building materials are tested to ensure they are up to required standards. It might be that the failed bolts were not tested since not all materials are taken to the testing site,” he said.

“It is up to the contractors to take appropriate measures against the manufacturers and suppliers of the substandard construction material.

What we need is the handover of a perfectly accomplished project according to the terms of the contract,” said the TAA chief in response to a question as to what would happen if the construction materials were of poor quality.

“That’s why the contractor is paid only after completion of the project and with the approval of construction experts,” he noted, adding that the terms also required the contractor to remain in the country a year after handing over the project.

The Guardian on Sunday had responded to a tip-off by a concerned worker who, like others, feared for his life following the collapse in a situation they alleged was short of social security as they even had no insurance cover.

But it was later established that Bam had adhered to all basic safety standards, including provision of safety gear, and placement of instruction banners across the site.  

“They don’t have to be worried for their safety. The working environment is safe, information well-communicated and the situation closely monitored,” said the TAA boss, while pointing at a temporary Safety Unit building and a stand-by ambulance at the site.

Bam officials declined to comment as they directed the reporter to TAA for any information.

Terminal 3, a 75,000-square-metre complex five times bigger than Terminal-2, will be served by 40 counters, equipped with 18 air bridges and designed to dock gigantic A380 Airbus planes.

Completion of the ambitious project will see JNIA playing the role of Tanzania’s main international gateway as passenger annual turn out will be increased to 6 million. 

The construction of Terminal 3 is done in two phases including the Sh293bn phase one scheduled for completion in 2016 to handle 3.5 million passengers annually, and the Sh225bn phase two scheduled to accommodate 2.5 million travelers on its completion in 2017. 

The project is in place thanks to the Dutch-government guaranteed loan from HSBC Bank through Export Credit Agency and 15 per cent financial involvement from the local CRDB Bank.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
 
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Saturday, October 10, 2015

TANZANIA CHARGES CHINESE 'IVORY QUEEN' FOR SMUGGLING IVORY !!!

Tanzania charges Chinese 'Ivory Queen' smuggling suspect

Reuters
By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala October 9, 2015 10:34 AM
A customs officer arranges confiscated elephant tusks before a news conference at the Port Authority of Thailand in Bangkok
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A customs officer arranges confiscated elephant tusks before a news conference at the Port Authority …
By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - A Tanzanian court has charged a prominent Chinese businesswoman, dubbed the 'Ivory Queen', with running a criminal network responsible for smuggling tusks from more than 350 elephants, court documents seen by Reuters on Friday showed.

Yang Feng Glan, 66, was accused in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, this week of smuggling 706 pieces of ivory between 2000 and 2004 worth 5.44 billion Tanzanian shillings ($2.51 million).

Glan, a Swahili-speaker who has been in the east African nation since the 1970s, is secretary-general of the Tanzania China-Africa Business Council and owns a popular Chinese restaurant in Dar es Salaam, according to police sources.

Reuters was unable to reach the lawyer for Glan who was not allowed to enter a plea until the case resumes.

She is being held at the city's Segerea maximum security prison until an Oct. 12 bail hearing. If convicted, she could face more than 20 years in jail.

In the court documents, prosecutors said Glan "intentionally did organise, manage and finance a criminal racket by collecting, transporting or exporting and selling government trophies" weighing a total of 1.889 tonnes.

The East African nation's elephant population shrank from 110,000 in 2009 to a little over 43,000 in 2014, according to a census released in June, with conservation groups blaming "industrial-scale" poaching.

Demand for ivory from fast-growing Asian economies such as China and Vietnam, where it is turned into jewels and ornaments, has led to a spike in poaching across Africa. Conservation of African big game has also been in the international spotlight in last few months since the killing of famed Zimbabwean lion Cecil by an American dentist.

China, the world's biggest consumer of elephant tusks, announced in February a one-year ban on the import of African ivory carvings, but conservationists say corruption is fuelling poaching in Tanzania.

The Elephant Action League, a U.S.-based conservation group, said it believed Glan to be "the most notorious ivory trafficker brought to task so far".

"It's the news that we all have been waiting for, for years," Elephant Action League founder Andrea Crosta said in a statement.

"Finally, a high profile Chinese trafficker is in jail. Hopefully she can lead us to other major traffickers and corrupt government officials. We must put an end to the time of the untouchables if we want to save the elephant."

($1 = 2,167 Tanzanian shillings)
(Editing by George Obulutsa, Ed Cropley, Anna Willard)
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Thursday, October 8, 2015

SCIENTISTS: MAJOR CORAL BLEACHING CRISIS SPREADS WORLDWIDE !!! [ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS]


Scientists: Major coral bleaching crisis spreads worldwide

Associated Press
By SETH BORENSTEIN , 9/10/2015
This photo provided by the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, taken in December 2014, shows coral before bleaching in American Samoa. The first image was taken when the XL Catlin Seaview Survey responded to a NOAA coral bleaching alert. Devastating bleaching of colorful coral is spreading into a rare worldwide crisis, scientists announced, predicting it will likely get worse. Triggered by global warming and the El Nino, record hot ocean water is causing the fragile coral to go white and often die, threatening picturesque reefs that are hotspots of marine life, experts say. (XL Catlin Seaview Survey via AP)
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The bleaching of colorful coral is spreading into a worldwide, devastating crisis, scientists say, and they predict it will likely get worse.

Triggered by global warming and the El Nino, record hot ocean water is causing fragile coral to go white and often die, threatening picturesque reefs that are hotspots of marine life, experts say.

The spread of sickly white started more than a year ago in Guam, then devastated Hawaii, infected the rest of the tropical Pacific and the Indian oceans and has now infested Florida and the Caribbean. On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and international reef scientists pronounced it a global coral bleaching event, only the third in recorded history.

No place with coral has been spared, though some regions — such as Hawaii — have been hit harder than others, experts said. Excessive heat stresses the living coral, which turns white and then becomes vulnerable to disease.

"We may be looking at losing somewhere in the range of 10 to 20 percent of the coral reefs this year," NOAA coral reef watch coordinator Mark Eakin said. "The bad news for the U.S. is we're getting hit disproportionately just because of the pattern of the warming."

He called bleaching a crisis, especially with worsening global warming forecast for the rest of the century: "If that's not a crisis, what is?"

Eakin said he's especially concerned about Hawaii, which already suffered through bad bleaching in 2014.

"Hawaii is getting hit with the worst coral bleaching they have ever seen, right now," Eakin said. "It's severe. It's extensive. And it's on all the islands."

In one part of northwestern Hawaii, "the reef just completely bleached and all of the coral is dead and covered with scuzzy algae."
View gallery
This photo provided by the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, …
This photo provided by the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, taken in February 2015, shows coral after bleac …
 
Florida started getting hit in August. The middle Florida Keys aren't too bad, but in southeast Florida, bleaching has combined with disease to kill corals, Eakin said. It has also hit Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic and is about to hit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, he said.

Warm water causes bleaching and ocean temperatures are at record high levels, partly because of steady manmade global warming and partly because of the El Nino, which is an occasional warming of the central Pacific that changes weather worldwide, Eakin said. Add to that Hawaii's "blob," a pool of warm water that has stagnated in the northeast Pacific.

The last super El Nino, in 1997-1998, was the first global bleaching event. A smaller El Nino in 2009-2010 was the second.

So far the 1998 bleaching was worse, but that was the second year of an El Nino and we're in the first of two years now, Eakin said.

Oceans worldwide are by far the warmest on record — August 2015 was four-tenths of a degree warmer than in August 1998. Next year, he said, may be as bad as this year or even worse.

NOAA produced forecasts of bleaching that show it as a giant red blob moving across the globe again. And what worries marine ecologist Gregor Hodgson, who heads the group ReefCheck, is the forecast that the blob will hit the Great Barrier Reef in Australia next spring.

The computer model forecasts "this horrendous dramatic" impact on the Great Barrier Reef, Hodgson said. "It's truly terrifying."

This isn't just a problem for divers and fish; coral reefs are crucial globally, Eakin said. Coral reefs protect shorelines, produce tourism dollars and help provide food for 500 million people around the world, he said.

Even though coral reefs are one-tenth of 1 percent of the ocean floor by area, they are home to 25 percent of the world's fish species, Eakin said.

"You kill coral, you destroy reefs, you don't have a place for the fish to live," Eakin said.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

KIM DAVIS RELEASED FROM KENTUCKY JAIL !!!

U.S.

Kim Davis, Released From Kentucky Jail, Won’t Say if She Will Keep Defying Court

By and

Kim Davis Speaks After Release From Jail

Ms. Davis, the Rowan County, Ky., clerk, spoke at a rally after she was ordered freed, saying: “I just want to give God the glory. His people have rallied, and you are a strong people.”
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS on September 8, 2015. Photo by Ty Wright/Getty Images. Watch in Times Video »
GRAYSON, Ky. — After five nights in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk, walked free Tuesday to a roar of cheers from thousands of supporters, but she and her lawyer would not say whether she would continue to defy court orders and try to block the licenses.
Outside the jail here, a planned demonstration by people who, like Ms. Davis, say that same-sex marriage violates their religious beliefs turned buoyant when she was released, the sense of triumph mixed with a dose of presidential politics.
She walked onstage to thunderous applause, the song “Eye of the Tiger” playing on loudspeakers, her hands held aloft by one of her lawyers, Mathew D. Staver, and Mike Huckabee, a Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor. Another Republican presidential contender, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, was also in attendance but largely overshadowed.
Ms. Davis broke down in tears and spoke only briefly, not addressing the issues in her case.
News Clips By REUTERS 00:26
Lawyer Discusses Kim Davis’s Release

Lawyer Discusses Kim Davis’s Release

Mathew D. Staver, the lawyer for the Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, spoke on Tuesday about his client’s release after she was jailed for defying a court’s order that she issue same-sex marriage licenses.
By REUTERS on September 8, 2015. Watch in Times Video »
“I just want to give God the glory,” she told the crowd, some waving white crosses. “His people have rallied, and you are a strong people. Just keep on pressing. Don’t let down. Because he is here.”
But her release came with a stern warning from Judge David L. Bunning of Federal District Court, who on Thursday sent her to jail and directed five of her deputies to issue licenses without her approval. In a two-page order on Tuesday, he wrote that he was setting her free because her office was “fulfilling its obligation to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples,” but that he would respond to any further defiance.
“Defendant Davis shall not interfere in any way, directly or indirectly, with the efforts of her deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples,” he wrote. “If Defendant Davis should interfere in any way with their issuance, that will be considered a violation of this order and appropriate sanctions will be considered.”
Last week, one of Ms. Davis’s lawyers signaled in court that Ms. Davis would not consent to her office’s processing marriage licenses under existing guidelines. On Tuesday, reporters asked repeatedly if she would abide by the latest court order. Ms. Davis remained silent, and Mr. Staver said, “She’s not going to violate her conscience.”
The central issue for Ms. Davis is that the licenses say they are issued by the Rowan County clerk, and she, as the clerk, will not authorize them. If that feature is eliminated, Mr. Staver said, she will not stand in the way of granting licenses. “The court order did not resolve the underlying issue,” he said.
He called once again on Gov. Steven L. Beshear, a Democrat in his final year in office, to change the wording of the licenses. Mr. Beshear has said he does not have that authority and will not intervene in “a matter between her and the courts.”
The demonstration turned buoyant with Ms. Davis’s release. Ty Wright/Getty Images
The Legislature could change the law on marriage licenses to accommodate objections like Ms. Davis’s. But the governor has said he will not call a special legislative session this year, which he said would be a waste of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Mr. Staver says licenses issued by Ms. Davis’s office without her approval are void, possibly signaling another legal fight. The Rowan County attorney and the state attorney general say they are valid.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Ms. Davis said her Apostolic Christian faith prevented her from approving such unions, so her office stopped issuing marriage licenses to any couples, same-sex or opposite-sex.
After Judge Bunning ruled last month that she must issue the licenses, a federal appeals court and then the Supreme Court declined to stay his order, pending her appeal. When she maintained her resistance, he held her in contempt and sent her to jail.
Her argument and incarceration have resonated deeply among Christian conservatives who say they fear an erosion of religious liberty, and transformed an obscure local official in a rural corner of Kentucky into a national symbol of unyielding resistance to same-sex marriage.
Of the two presidential contenders who attended the rally, it was Mr. Huckabee, making his second White House run, who grabbed the political spotlight. Before Ms. Davis appeared, Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Staver took the stage to tell the crowd, in unison, “Kim Davis is free.”

Document: Kim Davis Contempt Order Lifted

When Mr. Cruz, who met with Ms. Davis, exited the Carter County Detention Center, a throng of journalists beckoned him toward their microphones, but an aide to Mr. Huckabee blocked the path of the senator, who appeared incredulous.
Soon after, Ms. Davis emerged, apparently wearing the same clothes she had worn in court Thursday. Mr. Huckabee stuck close by her side, along with Mr. Staver and her husband, Joe, as they approached the reporters and cameras. Ms. Davis remained silent, letting Mr. Staver and Mr. Huckabee do the talking.
Mr. Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, cast the dispute as a matter of religious freedom threatened by overreaching courts, while Mr. Cruz stood to the side, keeping an unusually low profile.
“If you have to put someone in jail, let me go,” Mr. Huckabee told the crowd. “Every one of us will have to decide whether we want to keep this great country or whether we want to surrender and sacrifice it to tyranny.”
Ms. Davis said, “Thank you all so much; I love you all so very much.”
This small town near the West Virginia border, population 4,200, swelled with people arriving for the rally, along with a smaller group supporting same-sex marriage, bringing traffic to a crawl. One entrepreneur offered parking spaces for $20 each.

What’s Next for Kim Davis and Kentucky’s Gay Marriage Standoff

Many demonstrators, few of them expecting that Ms. Davis would be released, brought lawn chairs. On one side, there were signs with Bible verses and one comparing the Supreme Court to the Islamic State, while a man with a megaphone urged people to repent. On the other, people waved signs saying “God Loves!!!! Period!”
Linda Clark, 40, an opponent of same-sex marriage from Olive Hill, Ky., said, “We’re happy for God to raise an army for what the majority of people want.”
A number of other local officials in several states, including two other county clerks in Kentucky, have taken stances similar to that of Ms. Davis. Chris Jobe, the president of the Kentucky County Clerks Association, has said that half of the state’s 120 county clerks said they objected on religious grounds to issuing licenses to same-sex couples, though most of them have not said they would defy the courts.
“It’s time for all God-fearing Americans to take a stand for truth, just like Kim Davis,” Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, said at the rally.
But Ria Mar, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the primary case against Ms. Davis, said in an email that the courts had spoken clearly. “To the extent any other clerks are still refusing to follow the law and treat everyone equally, there is simply no basis for further delay,” she said.
Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign, a major gay rights group, said her main concern was that Ms. Davis and others in her position could start to treat license applications differently. “She might start issuing licenses to opposite-sex couples and making her deputies issue licenses to same-sex couples,” Ms. Warbelow said.
For Republican presidential candidates, Ms. Davis’s situation has become a litmus test of commitment to religious freedom. Those who are relying on the support of social conservatives have ardently backed her cause. Others have expressed respect for her views while saying the law must be heeded
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana have also criticized Ms. Davis’s jailing. Some have suggested finding alternative ways to avoid standoffs in cases where elected officials say they are being required to act against their religious beliefs; Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said Tuesday that Ms. Davis should be moved into a different role so that her religious freedom was protected while government continued to function. Carly Fiorina, a former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, said last week that the rule of law should be paramount and that Ms. Davis might want to consider changing jobs.
Donald J. Trump did his best not to offend evangelical Christians who have been strong supporters of his candidacy. He called it a “sticky situation” and said he saw both sides of the issue, before adding that ultimately, “we are a nation of laws” and that someone in the clerk’s office must issue the licenses.
Correction: September 11, 2015
An article on Wednesday about the release from jail of the Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis, misstated, in some editions, part of the name of the hometown of Linda Clark, a demonstrator outside the county jail where Ms. Davis was housed. It is Olive Hill, Ky., not Olive Hall.
Alan Blinder reported from Grayson, and Richard Pérez-Peña from New York. John Mura contributed reporting from Grayson, and Alan Rappeport from Washington.
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Saturday, October 3, 2015

WAFANYAKAZI WA SEKTA ZA AFYA WATAKA MABADILIKO TANZANIA !!!

* Kutoka Kagera, Katika Mkutano Mkuu wa Mwaka wa Wauguzi (Annual General Meeting).
Leo tarehe 30 Sept. 2015

* MADAKTARI, WAUGUZI, WAFAMASIA NCHINI WAUNGA MKONO RASMI VUGUVUGU LA MABADILIKO NCHINI.

Taarifa Maalumu Kwa wadau wa afya nchini (Wataalamu wa afya na wananchi wote). MUHTASARI:

Ndugu wananchi, na wadau wa afya nchini sisi viongozi wa Jumuiya ya Madaktari, nchini (MAT), Jumuiya ya Wauguzi nchini (TANNA) Jumuiya ya Wafamasia nchini (PST), na Association of Medical Practitioner of Tanzania(AMEPTA) nchini, tumekutana na kujadiliana mambo kadha yanayohusu mstakabali wa maendeleo mahususi ya sekta ya afya Kama wadau wa maendeleo,
AJENDA YETU: Afya kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu.

Tumechukua hatua hii madhubuti Kwa nia njema kabisa tukitambua kuwa sekta ya afya inakabiliwa na changamoto nyingi na zinahitaji hatua ya dhati kuinusuru sekta ya afya kuendelea kutoa huduma isiyokidhi viwango, kwani tunapojadili mstakabali wa afya za watanzania, tunajadili mstakabali wa harakati za taifa letu kujikwamua kutoka hatua hii ya maendeleo tuliofikia kwenda hatua nyingine iliyo bora zaidi, Kwa kadiri ya dira ya maendeleo nchini na duniani kwa ujumla.

* Kwa nini tunachukua hatua hii wakati tuko katika kipindi cha kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu ifikapo tarehe 25/10/2015,

Jibu: Ni kwamba tunatambua mustakabali na msingi wa mabadiliko ya kweli katika sekta ya afya na hata sekta nyingine za umma umo mikononi mwa Wanasiasa tunaoenda kuwachagua kuanzia madiwani, wabunge na raisi. Hivyo tungependa(Wahudumu/Wataalamu wa afya na wananchi wote watambue wanapoamua kuacha kupiga kura, au wanapopiga kura basi wanaamua mstakabali wa afya yao katika kipindi cha miaka mitano(5) ijayo au zaidi.
wote nchini tusifanye makosa, tuamue afya yetu sasa, tuchague kwa makini, tuchague mabadiliko ya kweli.

Aidha, TUNARIDHISHWA NA TUNAUNGA MKONO VUGUVUGU LA MABADILIKO NCHINI Kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu ifikapo tarehe 25/10/2015. "Afya bora Kwa wote inawezekana Tanzania" Tuamue tarehe 25 Octoba. "Tuchague mabadiliko"

Zipo changamoto zinazoikabili sekta ya afya 

1. Uhaba wa dawa na vifaa Tiba:
Hii inatokana na bajeti finyu ya sekta ya afya, hatuna viwanda vikubwa vya kuzalisha dawa nchini vinavyomilikiwa na serikali, Tanzania kuna msambazaji mmoja tu wa dawa nchini, yaani bohari kuu Kwa vituo vyote nchini huku akiwa hana uwezo wa kutosha kumudu kazi hii muhimu sana. Hii hufanya Wagonjwa au wateja wa huduma kulazimika kuandikiwa dawa ili wakajinunulie kwingineko.

Aidha, watalamu wa afya wanalaani na kuwasihi wanasiasa kuacha mara moja kueneza propaganda kuwa wahudumu wa afya wanaiba dawa, hivyo kusababisha upungufu wa dawa nchini, wakati inajulikana wazi upungufu wa dawa unatokana na ufinyu wa bajeti ya serikali katika sekta ya afya na si vinginevyo, aidha, kauli hiyo imewasikitasha na kuwapunguzia heshima na morali wa kazi wahudumu wa afya nchini.

2. Uhaba wa wafanyakazi wataalamu wa afya Kwa asilimia 56%, yaani chini ya nusu ya hitaji: 
 Mfano Kwa mwaka 2014, daktari mmoja alihudumia wagonjwa 20,000(1:20,000) badala ya daktari mmoja kubudumia wagonjwa 5000(1:5000). Matokeo yake mzigo wa kazi unakuwa mkubwa na unadhifu wa kazi unapungua.

3: Mazingira magumu ya kufanya kazi, Miundombinu mibovu,
hadi Leo mwaka 2015 wapo watanzania wanaolala chini hospitalini, na wengine wanaruhusiwa ikiwa hawajapona vizuri ili kupisha nafasi Kwa wagonjwa wengine.
Je, watanzania ni kwanini tusitamani mabadiliko?

Mpango wetu;
Nafasi ya wananchi kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu
Sisi tunatumia fursa hii adhimu kuwakumbusha watanzania wote, kama wadau wa afya na wadau wa maendeleo wajue wanapopiga kura, au wanapoacha kupiga kura basi, wanaamua afya zao, wanaamua hatima ya elimu yao, wanaamua uchumi wao na ustawi wa taifa letu Kwa pamoja. Ni muhimu kila mtanzania aliyejiandikisha ahakikishe anapiga kura, achague mabadiliko ili kusaidia kupata viongozi bora watakaosaidia kutatua kero zetu Kwa pamoja Kama taifa.

Matatizo mengi ndani ya sekta ya afya na hata sekta nyingine zinaweza kupunguzwa au Kwisha kabisa, tukumbuke baada ya uchaguzi huduma Kama afya, Elimu na nyingine nyingi hazitolewi Kwa itikadi ya vyama, tusichague kiongozi kwa mazoea ya chama(chetu), tuangalie je wanaweza kutusaidia Kama taifa?

Tukifanya makosa viongozi wasiofaa wakashinda, basi kulala chini hospitalini kutatuathiri wote, na kutaendelea daima, ilimradi tuko masikini. Ndugu zetu wanafunzi wakitanzania kukaa chini darasani kutawahusu pia, (tuamue sasa).

Tunahitaji viongozi wenye kuthubutu, Wenye dira, Maamuzi magumu, na Nguvu ya kusukuma mbele maendeleo yetu Kama taifa.

Dr. P. Magesa
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Friday, October 2, 2015

UKWELI UKIDHIHIRI UWONGO HUJITENGA

 UKWELI  UKIDHIHIRI  UWONGO  HUJITENGA

 RAIA  MWEMA 
Ahmed Rajab
Toleo la 424
23 Sep 2015
NIMEKUWA nikiyasoma, tena na tena, makala ya Abdulrahman Kinana, Katibu Mkuu wa Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), yaliyochapishwa Septemba 10 kwenye blogi la gazeti la The Hill la huko Washington, Marekani.
Gazeti hilo si la kuchezewa wala kudharauliwa. Tangu liasisiwe 1994 limekuwa ni muhimu na lina uzito katika siasa za Marekani na, kwa kiwango fulani, za ulimwengu kwa jumla. Ni gazeti ambalo wanasiasa wa Marekani na wote wenye kuhusika na siasa lazima walisome. Wakati wa msimu wa Bunge la Marekani (Congress) linapokuwa linakutana gazeti hilo huchapishwa kila siku.
Huchapishwa kwa karatasi na katika mtandao. Ni gazeti linalosomwa na wabunge wa Marekani na linaloandika mambo mengi kuyahusu mabaraza yote mawili ya Bunge la nchi hiyo, yaani Baraza la Wawakilishi (House of Representatives) na Baraza la Senate (Senate). Taarifa nyingi za habari kuhusu Ikulu ya Marekani (White House), Bunge la Marekani na taasisi za kisiasa za Marekani huchapishwa kwanza katika jarida hilo pamoja na habari kutoka ofisi zenye kazi za kuwashawishi wabunge zilizo katika Barabara ya K, jijini Washington.
Hakuna popote duniani penye barabara yenye uzito wa kisiasa kama Barabara ya K ya Jiji la Washington. Huko ndiko kwenye ofisi nyingi zinazoajiriwa kuwapigia debe wanasiasa, sera fulani na hata nchi fulani au viongozi wao kwa lengo la kuwashawishi wabunge wa Marekani.
The Hill linajigamba kwamba ni la aina ya pekee na hakuna anayeweza kulishinda katika kuchapisha habari madhubuti zisizopendelea upande wowote kuhusu namna Bunge la Marekani linavyofanya kazi. Linajigamba pia kwamba habari zote kuu kuhusu siasa za Marekani na biashara za nchi hiyo huanzia gazetini humo.
Gazeti hilo na jukwaa lake la mtandaoni huwaunganisha wanasiasa, wachambuzi wa siasa na taasisi za siasa. Kadhalika gazeti hilo ndilo linaloongoza ajenda ya kisiasa nchini Marekani. Ndilo lenye kuamua nini cha kujadiliwa na lina ushawishi mkubwa juu ya maoni ya wabunge kuhusu masuala mbalimbali.
Kwa hivyo, Kinana alipoamua kuandika makala yake katika gazeti hilo alikuwa anawalenga wabunge wa Marekani na Rais wa Marekani akitambua wazi kwamba makala yake yatamfikia Rais Barack Obama mwenyewe moja kwa moja ayasome au yatamfikia kupitia wasaidizi wake na washauri wake kuhusu mambo ya Afrika.
Makala hayo ya Kinana yanatisha. Tena yanakirihisha na yanaweza hata kukutapisha. Pia ni yenye kusikitisha. Ninasema hivi kwa sababu Kinana amejisahau na amesahau kwamba anaowalenga ni watu wenye uwezo wa kutofautisha baina ya ukweli na uzandiki.
Baada ya kuyasoma makala ya Kinana nilijiuliza: Dhamira yake ilikuwa nini kwa kuandika makala hayo yenye maudhui ya kutisha? Hitimisho langu ni kwamba Kinana hakuwa na nia njema kwa Tanzania, na hasa kwa Zanzibar. Huenda akawa anadhamiria kuuchimba mchakato wa demokrasia nchini Tanzania.
Makala yake yalinikumbusha hotuba aliyoitoa mwaka jana huko Gombani ya Kale, kisiwani Pemba. Hotuba hiyo ilinichochea kuandika makala katika gazeti hili (“Hiki kiburi cha Kinana kina nini?”,Raia Mwema, Toleo la 351).
Niliandika kwamba hotuba yake ya Gombani ya Kale, ilikuwa ya kusikitisha na ilikuwa na matamshi ya namna mbili: “ya uzushi mtupu” na “yaliyoubiruwa ukweli”. Vivyo hivyo, makala yake ya majuzi kwenye blogi ya The Hill.
Mna mengi katika makala hayo yasiyo ya kweli. Kwa ufupi, yanashutumu kwamba wale wasichana wawili wa Kiingereza, Katie Gee na Kirstie Trup, walioshambuliwa kwa kumiminiwa tindikali huko Zanzibar 2013 walishambuliwa na wafuasi wa Jumuiya ya Uamsho na Mihadhara ya Kiislamu (Jumiki), maarufu kwa jina la “Uamsho”; kwamba Uamsho ni “kundi la kigaidi lenye funganisho zinazojulikana na Boko Haram” na kwamba kwa msaada wa polisi wa Uingereza na Shirika la Polisi la Kimataifa, Interpol, “wanachama” wa Uamsho walikamatwa kwa kosa hilo la jinai na hivi sasa wameshtakiwa mahakamani. Kama huo si uzandiki basi ni nini?
Tunaofuatilia siasa za Tanzania tunajuwa kwamba viongozi wa Uamsho wamekamatwa kwa sababu za kisiasa. Wametiwa ndani ili wasiweze kuendelea na kampeni dhidi ya muundo wa sasa wa Muungano na kwamba uchaguzi utapomalizika wataachiwa.
Hii ni mara ya mwanzo ulimwengu kusikia kwamba Jumuiya ya Uamsho ina uhusiano na Boko Haram, kundi la kigaidi lenye chimbuko lake Nigeria. Hii ni shutuma ya kitoto na ni ya uchochezi. Inastahiki kulaaniwa na wote wale wenye kufanya jitihada za kijitu uzima za kupambana na ugaidi wa kimataifa. Vita dhidi ya ugaidi ni mapambano yasiyo na utani, yanayohitaji busara, ukweli na moyo wa dhati kupambana nao.
Hii pia ni mara ya mwanzo ulimwengu kusikia kwamba masheikh wa Uamsho waliokamatwa Zanzibar na kupelekwa Dar es Salaam wanashtakiwa kwa kosa la jinai la mashambulizi dhidi ya wale wasichana wawili wa Kiingereza. Kinana amesahau kusema kwamba masheikh hao, wenye kuheshimiwa na waumini wa dini yao, wameyaambia mahakama jinsi walivyoteswa na hata baadhi yao kulawitiwa wakiwa kizuizini.
Mark Trup, baba wa mmoja wa wasichana hao, ameliambia gazeti la Evening Standard la London wiki iliyopita kwamba maneno ya Kinana ni “upuuzi mtupu” au ameyasema kwa sababu za kisiasa. Salum Msangi, kaimu mkurugenzi wa upelelezi wa makosa ya jinai huko Zanzibar, amekanusha kwamba kuna watu waliokamatwa kwa shambulio hilo.
Hii ni aibu kubwa kwa kiongozi kama Kinana kuambiwa kwamba anasema uongo hasa kwa jambo nyeti kama hili. Na ikiwa anathubutu kudanganya kwa jambo kama hili tunawezaje kumuamini kwa mengine?
Kinana ameendelea kuandika kwamba Jumuiya ya Uamsho ina historia ndefu ya kuwalenga wageni na hata viongozi wa kidini wa Kikristo na wa Kiislamu “wasiounga mkono lengo lao la kuuvunja Muungano wa Tanzania kwa ugaidi na kuigeuza Zanzibar iwe ni dola yenye itikadi kali”.
Kinana ameshutumu kwamba Edward Lowassa, anawaunga mkono magaidi na kwamba ameahidi kuwa akichaguliwa Rais atawaachia huru wale waliokamatwa kwa kufanya shambulio la tindikali. Huku ni kuupindua ukweli kwani Kinana hakueleza yote aliyoyasema Lowassa kwamba watuhumiwa hao, waliopelekwa Tanzania Bara kinyume cha sheria, wataachiwa huru huku kesi yao ikiendelea mahakamani.
Kinana amesahau kwamba katika mfumo wa utawala wa kisheria mtu huwa hana hatia mpaka atapohukumiwa na mahakama kwamba ana hatia. Na huo tujuavyo ndio msimamo wa Lowassa.
Anapolijadili suala hili Kinana anajikanganya. Mara anasema kwamba viongozi wa Uamsho ndio waliofanya shambulio la tindikali, mara anasema kuwa wao “wanashukiwa” kwa shambulio hilo, ilimradi inavyoonyesha ni kwamba hajui anasema nini. Lakini sisi tunajuwa anachotaka kusema.
Anachotaka kusema ni kuutahadharisha ulimwengu, hasa wa nchi za Magharibi na hususan Marekani, usiuvumilie ushindi wa Lowassa, kwamba Lowassa akishinda Tanzania itakuwa medani ya magaidi. Labda anayataka madola hayo yaingilie kati iwapo Lowassa na Ukawa watashinda uchaguzi au labda chama chake cha CCM kinajiandaa kuchukua hatua ovu za kuupindua ushindi huo endapo ukitokea. Labda anayataka madola hayo yakionee huruma chama chake kikichukuwa hatua hiyo.
Baada ya kushindwa kuwatisha wananchi wa Tanzania, Kinana ameona bora awageukie wageni na aanze kuwatisha wao. Na kwa nini basi akaona haja ya kuwatisha? Kwa sababu, na haya ameyaandika yeye mwenyewe, “kuna uwezekano ingawa kwa sasa ni mdogo wa Lowassa na wafuasi wake wa upinzani kushinda” katika uchaguzi na hivyo Tanzania kuwa medani mpya ya magaidi. Hii ni mantiki isiyoingia akilini.
Sitoshangaa nikisikia kwamba makala ya Kinana, yasiyo na kichwa wala miguu, yalipachikwa kwenye gazeti la The Hill kwa msaada wa ofisi ya wapigadebe iliyo Barabara ya K na yenye lengo la kuwashawishi wabunge wa Marekani wauone upinzani wa Tanzania kwa macho mengine na waione Zanzibar kuwa ni nchi yenye kuwafuga magaidi na kwamba magaidi hao watajititimua pale upinzani utapokishinda CCM katika uchaguzi ujao.
Jengine analolisema Kinana ni kwamba Lowassa alikataliwa na wapiga kura alipojaribu kutaka ateuliwe na CCM awe mgombea wake katika uchaguzi wa urais. Ukweli ni kwamba bado hatujui iwapo Lowassa atakubaliwa au atakataliwa na wapiga kura. Tujuavyo ni kwamba alikataliwa na vigogo wa CCM, au hasa na “the system”, lile niliitalo “dubwasha” lenye kuiongoza serikali na CCM. Wapigaji kura, wananchi wa kawaida, bado hawakutoa uamuzi wao. Utakuwa bayana Oktoba 25.
Kinana ametaja shutuma za ufisadi zinazomuandama Lowassa na kwamba alilazimika kujiuzulu uwaziri mkuu kwa sababu ya ufisadi. Kinana amesahau kwamba hadi leo Serikali ya CCM haikumfikisha mahakamani Lowassa na kwa hivyo, mbele ya macho ya sheria Lowassa hana hatia.
Yeye mwenyewe Lowassa amekwishajitetea kwa kusema ya kwamba alijiuzulu uwaziri mkuu kwa sababu ilibidi awajibike kisiasa na alifanya hivyo kuilinda Serikali ya CCM. Zaidi ya mara moja amesema ya kwamba alihusika na sakata la Richmond “kwa maagizo kutoka juu”.
Angekuwa mkweli Kinana angeutaja ufisadi uliozagaa katika ngazi za juu kabisa za Serikali ya Tanzania, pamoja na ule unaohusika na biashara ya kusafirisha kwa magendo pembe za ndovu nje ya nchi. Ni ufisadi huo uliolifanya Shirika la Serikali ya Marekani la Changamoto za Milenia (MCC) likatae Alhamisi iliyopita kuipa Tanzania shilingi zaidi ya trilioni moja (sawa na dola za Marekani milioni 472.8). Fedha hizo zingetumika kugharimia miradi kadhaa katika sekta ya nishati.
Kwa makala yake katika The Hill Kinana hajajitendea haki yeye mwenyewe wala chama chake wala wapigakura wa Tanzania ambao kura zao chama chake kinazisaka. Inanibidi niulize tena swali nililoliuliza katika makala ya toleo la 351 la Raia Mwema: “Kwa nini kiongozi wa hadhi kama ya Kinana akawa haoni taabu usiku kuuita mchana na mchana kuuita usiku?” Uongo mchana kweupe!
Hatutochoka kuuliza: Kinana, kwa nini? Kwani kunani? Chambilecho mshairi wa Kenya Abdilatif Abdalla:
“Kana na kuku kunena, kunenwa k’akutakiwi
Kuna wanakokuona, kunena kwamba si kuwi
Kunena wakikuona, kukuita k’awakawi
Kunena kana kwanuk’a, nikukome kukunena?”*
*Kutoka “SAUTI YA DHIKI”, uk. 23 (1973); uk. 25 (2012)

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