Development of the central corridor route to the sea

From The Independent, Kampala, Uganda


Uganda depends for over 90% of its seaborne (import/export) traffic transport on the Northern Corridor that is through the Port of Mombasa. Less than 1% of her seaborne traffic volumes are through the Port of Dar es Salaam. This over dependency on the Northern Corridor makes the Country’s trade vulnerable to the socio-economic environment in Kenya, the route monopoly and the transport logistic limitations. The Government policy is therefore to strengthen the use of Central Corridor as a second route to the sea and mitigate such undesirable effects to the economy.

The Central Corridor Route comprises: The Rail/Marine/Rail: Kampala - Port Bell/Mwanza - Dar es Salaam Route 1229 km. Rail/Marine/Road: Kampala -Port Bell - Mwanza/Dar es Salaam route 1503 km.
All Road Kampala: Mutukula - Bukoba - Isaka - Dodoma - Dar es Salaam 2012 km. New Rail/Marine/rail - Kampala - Port Bell - Musoma - Arusha - Tanga.
New Road/Rail/Marine/Rail or Road Kampala - New Park - Mwanza - Dar es Salaam 1235 km to be developed.

The most feasible alternative route to Dar es Salaam is therefore via Lake Victoria to Mwanza connecting by rail or road to Dar es Salaam.

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Wirral woman's life-saving mission to Tanzania

From Wirral Globe, Birkenhead, UK

THE FORMER deputy headteacher of Wirral Girls' Grammar School is on a mercy mission in Tanzania.

Jenny Schwarz (picture) joined an international group of 24 Rotarians is helping to renovate a hospital on a remote island in Lake Victoria.

"I never imagined that I would experience such a magical moment, witnessing the birth of a baby to a complete stranger".

"I would treasure the memory and keep the image of her contented face alongside that of her baby in my mind for ever," says Jenny Schwarz, former deputy head, of Wirral Girls’ Grammar School.

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Rotarians send aid to Tanzania

From Craven Herald, Craven, UK

Settle Rotarian Sandy Tod is part of a team of 24 Rotarians and non-Rotarians, including doctors, engineers and education specialists, who have travelled at their own expense to the island of Ukerewe in Tanzania.

Group members - including two Rotarians from Sweden - are refurbishing the island’s hospital and installing surplus medical equipment from the UK worth a quarter of a million pounds.

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Papers now teaching aids

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Jane Kajoki, Mwanza

Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV, has trained 36 primary school teachers from Mkolani, Buhongwa and Sangabuye wards in Mwanza City in using newspapers as a teaching aid.

SNV communication official, Ayeta Anne Wangusa, said the objective of the training was to inculcate the reading culture in pupils for them to become conversant and inquisitive about local and foreign affairs.

Empirical evidence has indicated that the use of newspapers for teaching pupils boosted the pupils intellectually as well as their reading culture, confidence and vocabulary, she said.

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Bringing albino-killers to justice

From Maclean's Magazine, Toronto, Canada
By Katie Engelhart

In the past two years, 53 albinos have been killed in Tanzania. No one has been brought to justice for committing these murders. Until now.

Last Wednesday, a Tanzanian court sentenced three men to death for killing a 14-year-old albino boy, Matatizo Dunia from Shinyanga, in brutal fashion - they kidnapped him, then cut his body into pieces. An equally barbaric case is also garnering national attention: Mariam Emmanuel, a five-year-old girl, was butchered by a group of machete-wielding men in Mwanza.

The culprits divided the girl’s body up among themselves and drank her blood while her siblings watched. Murdered albinos are usually sold at high prices to witch doctors, who grind up the body parts and brew them into potions that they believe carry magic powers.

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Fund dishes out Sh6bn in Aids support

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By The Citizen Reporter

The Rapid Funding Envelope (RFE) has announced the release of Sh6.3 billion to fund HIV/Aids activities by civil society organizations in Tanzania. The 30 grant awards will be implemented in collaboration with the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (Tacaids) and the Zanzibar AIDS Commission.

According to a statement issued by the RFE office, the 30 grants awarded will target activities for combating the spread of the HIV epidemic in the population.

It said the grants will support activities focusing on prevention, advocacy and IEC, care and support, impact mitigation as well as institutional strengthening.

The grants were selected through a competitive process responding to a call for proposals issued in the media from May 11-13 this year.

Regions that will benefit from the grants have been named as: Morogoro, Zanzibar, Mara, Mbeya, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, Tabora, Tanga, Dodoma, Iringa, Pwani, Kagera, Kigoma, Mtwara, Rukwa, Manyara and Mwanza.

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Kikwete: No rift in CCM

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By The Citizen Reporter

President Jakaya Kikwete has played down reports of wide rifts within the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi which he heads as its national chairman.

Addressing Mara CCM regional leaders in Musoma on Monday evening, President Kikwete said what was happening in the party was wrangling pitting two camps made by different Members of Parliament.

In the event held at regional commissioner's residence, President Kikwete said, however, that he was not happy with the MP's camps.

"There is no rift in CCM. Let me ask you, are you divided in Mara? Is there a rift in Mwanza? Or are there divisions in Tanga? Or have you heard that there are divisions in Singida? What is seen as division is portrayed by newspapers only and within Parliament," said President Kikwete.

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Police arrest SAUT employee over robbery

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Patty Magubira, Mwanza

An accountant with Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) is among two suspected armed robbers in police hands allegedly for hijacking a bus and robbing two passengers of Sh24.6 million.

Mwanza regional police commander Jamal Rwambow said last weekend two other robbers escaped on a motorcycle immediately after the carjacking incident that took place at dawn at Kalebezo village in Sengerema District in the region last Thursday.

He said the law enforcers had also impounded a shotgun used in the incident, but the two armed robbers at large had escaped with a machine gun and the stolen money.

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Revealed: JK’s health in detail

From ThisDay, Dar es Salaam

PRESIDENT Kikwete is in ”excellent” health and has no history of AIDS, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, or any other illness, his personal physician elaborated yesterday.

The state of the president’s health has hitherto traditionally been a closely-guarded secret in Tanzania. But in an unprecedented move, State House yesterday laid bare a comprehensive statement on Kikwete’s entire medical history and current status.

Addressing a news conference at the State House premises in Dar es Salaam, Dr Peter Mfisi - one of two personal physicians assigned to the president on round-the-clock basis - said he had been obliged to breach normal doctor-patient confidentiality at the request of the president himself, to allay spreading public speculation and fears on the actual state of Kikwetes health.

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Eight killed in accident

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Patty Magubira, Mwanza

Eight people died and three others were seriously injured in a road accident at Buharahara village in Geita on Thursday. Mwanza regional police commander, Jamal Rwambow, said the fatal accident happened when two passenger-laden cars collided head-on along Geita-Mwanza road.

"It's a grisly accident that was actually not supposed to happen," Mr Rwambow said, adding that the spot contained no dangerous features as it was a flat tarmac road.

Blaming the accident on reckless driving and overspeeding, Mr Rwambow called on passengers to report drivers, who drive recklessly.

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Doctors explain President's health

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Samuel Kamndaya

The State House yesterday allayed fears on President Jakaya Kikwete's health status, saying a thorough medical examination on him has proved beyond any doubt that he does not have any serious ailment.

"He is in an excellent condition... Dr Mohamed Janabi and I are in no way worried about his health... we're happy with his health status," President Kikwete's personal physician, Dr Peter Mfisi, told the press at the State House yesterday.

The press conference came just a few days after the President was forced to temporarily suspend his speech when addressing thousands of African Inland Church of Tanzania (AICT) believers in Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza during celebrations to mark 100 years of the church in Tanzania.

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Power supply set to increase

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Paul Dotto, Kidatu

The deputy minister for Energy and Minerals, Mr Adam Malima, announced yesterday that during the next 18 months, some 240MW of power will be added on the national grid.

He told reporters at Kihansi hydroelectric power generation station that plans were underway to purchase two turbines that would add at least 160MW.

One of the turbine, with capacity to produce100MW will be installed in Dar es Salaam, while the second 60MW turbine will be installed in Mwanza, to cater for lake zone regions.

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Hope as Bugando hospital performs maiden open hearth surgery

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By The Citizen Reporter

The Weil Bugando Medical Centre (WBMC) in Mwanza successfully conducted its first open heart surgery three weeks ago and the patient has already been sent home.

Professor William Mahalu who led a team of three doctors and five nurses to conduct the five-hour operation, identified the patient as a young man of about 21 years old. He developed the condition about five years ago, he said.

However, Prof Mahalu declined further details saying he was bound by ethics to protect the confidentiality of the patient. Prof Mahalu, elder brother of Ambassador Costa Mahalu, graduated from Makerere University in 1969.

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Fatigue 'to blame over JK collapse'

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Patty Magubira, Mwanza

President Jakaya Kikwete collapsed yesterday after delivering a speech during the African Inland Church of Tanzania (AICT) centenary anniversary at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza.

He, however, recovered swiftly and continued to preside at the well-attended function. Both President Kikwete and State House later attributed the collapse to fatigue.

Midway through his speech, President Kikwete asked thousands of AICT followers converged at the stadium to allow him to speak while seated, saying he felt exhausted.

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Picture: President Jakaya Kikwete is welcomed to CCM Kirumba Stadium by Bishop Daniel Nungwana of the African Inland Church Tanzania.

Rains Cause Havoc Around Mwanza Streets..!

In about 30 minutes continually rains are pouring around Mwanza.

Due to poor sewerage system to some areas, it has turn to be flood all around the major street of Mwanza city.

People, cars, trucks, bicycles, wheelbarows etc are in trouble to connect from one side of the street to the other. We do know yet if they will stop soon, but we encourage for the ones about to go out, please take gears that will support you that you don't end up wet and cut with sharp edges and all manner of things collect by running water.

VODACOM MISS TANZANIA 2009

Miriam Gerald (20 yrs) from Mwanza on Friday 2nd October 2009 at Mlimani City Conference Centre in Dar es Salaam has captures the attention of judges, Tanzanians, and fund as she was announced "Miss Vodacom Tanzania 2009" contester no 3 out of 29 from around Tanzania Marked Mwanza again to the beauty pageant and retained the title for the second time in history of this competition in the Country.

Bumper entry for Rock City half marathon

From ThisDay, Dar es Salaam

A BUMPER entry of runners has been recorded for the Rock City Marathon set for Sunday in Mwanza.

Event coordinator Phillipo Simon told reporters here yesterday that the 21-kilometre race has attracted over 700 runners while over 5,000 participants have enrolled for a 5km fun race.

"We have also received a good response for the 3km corporate classic race as well as the 2km event for people with physical disabilities" he said. He said the winners in the men’s and women’s half marathon will each get 1m/-, the runners-up will take home 500,000/- while the third placed winners will receive 300,000/- each.

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