Monday 31 December 2012

Local, foreign firms agree to upgrade skills of employees

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Miguel Suleyman

The Maswi Drilling Company Limited has signed a contract with a Canadian firm called Scintrex for technical training that would upgrade the company’s services into international standards.

Now operating nationwide, the firm’s technical empowerment drive, aims to fast-track its endeavours to penetrate new markets in Malawi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Burundi.

The company’s finance and administrative manager, Mr Michael Maungo, revealed this yesterday before a press conference held at the New Mwanza Hotel. He said his company has already paid the Canadian firm $10,000 (about Sh15 million) to bring an expert for training its employees in a project slated to start in January 2013.

“The company has recently bought four sets of ultramodern rigging equipment to facilitate its international market takeover,” he said.

He named some of the equipment as Super Rock 1000 and Super Rock 5000 as well as four compressors, all capable of drilling boreholes 50 to 200 metres deep.

Read full story.

Mwanza Firm to Drill Wells On Credit

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By Moses Matthew

MASWI Drilling Company Limited plans to spend 2.5bn/- in 2013 to solve water problems in parts of the country that are hard hit by scarcity of water by introducing a new scheme of drilling boreholes and wells on loan.

The company's Finance and Administrative Manager, Mr Michael Maungo, told reporters yesterday that the scheme of drilling boreholes on credit will be unique in the country.

"I believe that this programme will be new not only in the country but also in neighbouring countries such as Kenya and Uganda," said Mr Maungo. He observed that the company's management is optimistic that they will be able to deliver, noting that they will also be able to create employment through their planned projects for the coming year.

Read full story.

Thursday 27 December 2012

Happy NEW YEAR

From Mwanza Guide 'online, Mwanza

Thursday 6 December 2012

Older airlines scoff at threat of the Fastjet

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Alawi Masare

Established airlines flying domestic routes have said the launch of low-cost airline services by Fastjet is not a threat to their businesses because of the quality of their services and customer loyalty that they have cultivated for over a long period.

The launch of airline services by Fastjet, took the country by storm last week, as the airline transported 900 passengers in eight flights from Dar to Mwanza and Kilimanjaro and back on Thursday, their very first day of operations in Tanzanian skies.

The airline’s management told investors in a statement last week that demand for seats on these routes far outstrips supply and additional flights to these destinations are now being planned.

Read full story.

Friday 2 November 2012

Five charged with murder of RPC

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Frederick Katulanda

Five out of ten people arrested in connection with the killing of the Mwanza Regional Police Commander, Mr Barlow, yesterday appeared at the Mwanza Resident Magistrate’s Court to answer murder charges.

The five, who appeared in a heavily guarded courtroom, were arrested in Dar es Salaam a few days after he was shot at Kitangiri.

Filed as criminal case number 30, all five were charged with murder contrary to Sections 196 and 197 of the penal code (Cap, 16 R.E 2002).

Public prosecutor Castus Ndamgoba told Mwanza Senior Resident Magistrate Angelo Rumisha that on October 13 at Kitangiri – Minazi Mitatu Michael Peter Muganyizi, 36, Chacha Wekena Mwita, 50, Mwita Marwa Magige, 48, Edward Ruseta Buganzi, 22, and Mwara Mwita Boke jointly and together murdered Liberatus Barlow.

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Monday 15 October 2012

Assassination theory after RPC’s killing

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Frederick Katulanda, The Citizen Correspondent

Mwanza Regional Police Commander Liberatus Barlow was assassinated, according to sources familiar with the crime situation in the lakeside region.Mr Barlow was shot dead early yesterday by a gang, which did not take anything from him.

“The circumstances of the killing show that he was eliminated…it was an assassination, which probably had something to do with his relentless and highly effective fight against organised crime in the region and no-nonsense stance on discipline in the Police Force in the region,” said a source who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals.

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Saturday 29 September 2012

CCM Issues Ultimatum to Mwanza RC Over International Airport

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By Mugini Jacob

CHAMA Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in Serengeti District has given Mwanza Regional Commissioner, Engineer Evarist Ndikilo a one week ultimatum to withdraw the statement that the name of Mwanza airport will be changed to Serengeti International Airport.

"We are annoyed by the statement and CCM in Serengeti has given the Mwanza RC one week to withdraw the statement," Serengeti District CCM Chairman, Mr Chandi Marwa said.This week a section of the media reported that the most recent Regional Consultative (RCC) session chaired by Eng. Ndikilo agreed to rename Mwanza airport, Serengeti International Airport in a bid to market the tourism industry in the Lake Zone. RCC is a highly ranking decision making organ at the regional level.

Reports stated that plans by Serengeti District Council to construct an airport in Mugumu town to be called Serengeti International Airport are in advanced stages. Serengeti District CCM committee convened an emergency meeting to condemn the Mwanza RCC idea mid this week."We were forced to condemn the meeting to discuss the reports and we urged the Mwanza RC to stop interfering with Serengeti matters. This is not his region, " Mr Chandi who is now vying for CCM NEC member via Serengeti district said.

Read full story.

Sunday 26 August 2012

Precision Air increases daily flights

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Felix Lazaro

Precision Air has announced it would increase the number of flights it makes daily to Arusha starting today in a bid to meet increasing demand and gain from expanding activities that include linking the northern city to the rest of the East Africa.

According to Precision Air commercial director Patrick Ndekana, there will now be five daily flights to Arusha.

Besides the development, the Airline also announced that it would increase its travel capacity to Mwanza by introducing use of Boeing 737-300 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in a bid to meet increasing demand.

Read full story.

Saturday 4 August 2012

Traders avoid using electronic fiscal devices: survey

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Mlagiri Kopoka

Despite the scorching sun taking its toll on Liberty, the Mwanza City Street is packed with pedestrians and vehicles ranging from light to heavy cargo trucks of different shapes.

Hundreds of traders and porters throng the stores on either sides of the street as if a swarm of bees had raided the city’s consumer goods trade hub.

One does not have to become an economist to perceive that the thriving business on the streets is minting millions of shillings in government revenue daily.

A quick survey around the shops, however, reveals a gross business irregularity. The shops do not use electronic tax register devices as required by the law.

And few of the shops furnished with the devices, the shopkeepers issue hand written receipts to customers in case they demand them.

Yet the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) reports that over 90 per cent of business entities countrywide were registered with the value added tax (VAT) using the electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs) by December.

Read full story.

Lake Victoria travel a most risky venture source

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Paul Mabuga

When Special Seats MP Maria Hewa recalled how she cheated death when MV Ulinzi she was travelling in from Mwanza to Ukerewe sank in Lake Victoria, she really meant it.

Hewa recently narrated the ordeal before the National Assembly in the ‘loathed’ Dodoma Capital.

Reading between the lines, her message, in a nutshell, was: sailing on Tanzania waters is not safe to the poor, in particular.

Members of the sunken vessel crew had to exhaust all their skills to prevent officials en route to the Island for burial of a CCM cadre from drowning.

The government vessel sank in the lake in May 2007 with Hewa and other senior politicians from the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi and government officials on board.

Read full story.

Saturday 9 June 2012

Eye services project benefits Mwanza communities

From In2EastAfrica Staff, Dar es Salaam
By MOSES MATTHEW (Daily News)

Base for Education Dissemination in collaboration with Evidente Foundation of the Netherlands and the Victoria Esperanto Klub have provided eye measurement, treatment and provisional spectacles service to about 1 400 people with eye problems in Nyamagana and Ilemela Districts.

The services were offered at Buzuruga Health Centre in Nyakato ward and Karume Health Centre in Bugogwa ward in Ilemela district, Mwanza Region, where the experts say the exercises cost 63m/-. According to the Base For Education Dissemination (BED) Managing director, Mr Nicas Nibengo, the programme became a reality after the key players shared the costs.

Read full story.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Mwanza Contractors Vow to Improve Performance

From Daily News via allAfrica.com, Dar es Salaam
By Moses Matthew

LOCAL contractors are now looking for better ways to improve working environment and also enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the construction industry.

That is one of the issues that transpired a few days ago, when the local contractors met for a twoday annual consultative meeting in Mwanza city.

It was organized by the Contractors Registration Board and attended by hundreds of local experts. Experts say the construction industry is currently booming and according to the Contractors Registration Board (CRB) statistics released last year, the country's construction sector has in last year alone implemented projects valued at 2.4 trillion shillings, the amount that has automatically contributed to national economical development.

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Saturday 2 June 2012

Over 500 killed yearly on beliefs in witchcraft

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

About 500 people are killed every year in the country for being suspected of practicing witchcraft, a new report has said.The 2011 Human Rights Report prepared by the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) indicates that for the last six years, a total of 3000 people, mostly elderly people, were murdered by fearful neighbours who believed them to be witches.

The report has cited witchcraft killings as among leading factors in violation of the right to life mostly last year. Other leading factors included mob justice, extrajudicial killings and road accidents.Said the LHRC executive director, Dr Hellen Kijo-Bisimba: “Thousands of people lose their lives because they are suspected of engaging in witchcraft.”

The leading regions for it still remained Mwanza and Shinyanga. For instance, 242 people were killed for such reasons in Shinyanga from January 2010 to June 2011.

Road accidents also remained major factors of violation of the right to life as statistics show that the number of people who lost their lives in road accidents rose from 3,582 in 2010 to 3,981 in 2011.

Read full story.

Saturday 26 May 2012

60 pct of Mwanza residents, infected with bilharzia - study

From IPP Media/The Guardian, Dar es Salaam
By The Guardian Reporter

About 60 per cent of schoolchildren and adults in Mwanza region are infected with bilharzia, according to a new study carried out by Score Project under the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR).

The study was carried out in 150 villages surrounding Lake Victoria in Mwanza region,

NIMR acting director for Mwanza Centre Dr Mansuet Temu revealed this yesterday during a meeting with Score Project stakeholders.

He said the study, which started in 2010, was carried out in 37 villages in Magu district, nine villages in Ilemela, seven villages in Nyamagana, four villages in Misungwi, 55 villages in Sengerema and 38 in Geita.

Dr Temu said a total of 27,926 schoolchildren and 5,446 adults were tested and 60 per cent were diagnosed to have been infected with the disease. He said statistics showed that every 10 people tested, six were diagnosed to have been infected with bilharzia.

Read full story.

Thursday 24 May 2012

MV Victoria runs for 20 years without major maintenance

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Joas Kaijage, The Citizen Correspondent

The MV Victoria (photo), which travels on Lake Victoria between Bukoba and Mwanza ports, has not undergone major maintenance for over two decades, The Citizen has learnt.

But Mr Beatus Mghamba, the spokesman of  Marine Services Company, which operates the ship, said the 52-year-old vessel was still in good shape and safe for ferrying passengers and cargo.

Mr Mghamba, who doubles as the ship’s captain and the acting manager of the firm’s Mwanza branch, said in an exclusive interview with The Citizen that the vessel last underwent major maintenance between 1990 and 1991.

He said this preceded similar work on the MV Mwongozo in Lake Nyasa and MV Liemba in Lake Tanganyika in 1992 and 1993, respectively.

Read full story.
Read also: Treat Lake Travel more seriously - From The Citizen Dayly.

Saturday 19 May 2012

Let's nip in the bud this kind of fishing

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam

Reports that fishermen in some parts of regions bordering Lake Victoria are using poison to catch fish are cause for grave concern.It was recently revealed that the consumption of fish caught through the use of chemicals is a major cause of cancer and reproductive complications.

It is a sobering reminder of a problem that has existed for years, but which has yet to be accorded the urgency it deserves by the relevant agencies.It is common knowledge that unscrupulous fishermen around Lake Victoria and even along the coast use pesticides and other harmful chemicals to catch fish, which is sold to unsuspecting consumers.

Read full story.

Monday 14 May 2012

Leased Air Tanzania plane arrives in Dar

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

Leased Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) Boeing 737-500 arrived in Dar es Salaam on Sunday night. Acting ATCL managing director Paul Chizi said at the Julius Nyerere International Airport that operations would resume after a week.

To start with, he said, the plane would be flying on Dar es Salaam-Mwanza-Kilimanjaro routes as plans are being charted for using it for international flights.

The plane, with 108 seats, has been leased from Aero Vista of Dubai, and it was checked in Egypt before it was certified.

“Tanzanians should expect the best services that they have missed for some time. We need their support like it was in the past. We’ll provide timely and affordable services,” he said.

Read full story.

Sunday 15 April 2012

Mwanza Soccer Youngsters to Tour Germany

From Daily News via allAfrica.com, Dar es Salaam
By Nelly Mtema

VULNERABLE children under the Tanzania Street Sports Academy (TSC) in Mwanza are scheduled for a three-week tour of Germany, aimed at sharpening their skills.

The founder of the academy, Muutani Yangwe told reporters on Saturday that the team of 24-youth will make up the tour planned from July 14th to August 5th. They will visit four German cities. "As an academy we want to have the best talented players and we believe proper training, international exposure and trials are vital for their career," he said.

He said they aimed at being among the top academies not only in the country but outside the country and they believe that they can only achieve that if they nurture and sharpen the player's skills to the highest standards. Yangwe said they strive at having their players placed in high class clubs in the continent and the international circles and in so doing, promote the country's sports standards.

Read full story.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

My Easter babysitting job

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Joseph Mtebe, Success Correspondent

This year’s Easter break couldn’t have come at a worse time. Just a few weeks ago, we got the ‘boom’. Now, as you very well know, the furthest the boom can last with most of us is a week. So, this meant, I had to employ ‘unconventional’ tactics to get my bus fare back to Dar.

I tried borrowing here and there in vain. So, this one time I was at Buhongwa attending a funeral, I got a call from my friend, Hussein, from whom I wanted to borrow Sh50,000.

But since I wanted to leave on the following day, I asked Hussein to get a ticket for me in town, which he did.

Unfortunately, he got me a ticket for a bus called ‘Lucky’. This, I only discovered on the morning that I was travelling, at the Nyegezi bus stand.

Buses that ply the Mwanza - Dar route fall into various categories, like stars for hotels. There are the fancy, luxurious ones every student goes for. Those are the five-star buses. But there are also the zero-rated ones. These are those which when you board you just pray all the way that you arrive in Dar in one piece, and not in pieces. Too bad for me, ‘Lucky’ is such a ride.

Read full story.

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Barrick to Open New Mine in Sengerema

From Daily News via allAfrica.com, Dar es Salaam

AFRICAN Barrick Gold (ABG) is set to open another gold mine in Sengerema district, Mwanza region in which the government will have free carried interests in line with the Mining Act of 2010, Energy and Minerals Minister William Ngeleja announced in Dar es Salaam on Thursday.

The free-carried interest (a share that a general partner receives as compensation, despite not contributing any initial funds) will enable us to get dividends and have representation in the board of directors," Mr Ngeleja said. The minister made the remarks during an occasion to unveil the Mining Advisory Board (MAB) in Dar es Salaam on Thursday.

The formation of the ten-member board is in line with the requirements of the Mining Act of 2010. It will be charged with advising the government on all matters related to the mining sector. ABG announced mid this week that gold deposits at the envisaged gold mine, to be dubbed Nyanzaga Project, are in excess of four million ounces.

Read full story.

Sunday 8 April 2012

Mwanza attacks leave two MPs, six other people hurt

From IPP Media/The Guardian, Dar es Salaam
By Sylivester Domasa

Kiwia flown to Dar for further treatment

Chadema legislators Highness Kiwia of Ilemela and Salvatory Machemli for Ukerewe and six other people have been attacked and seriously injured by unknown people at Ibanda village in Ilemela district, Mwanza Region.

Mwanza Regional Police Commander, Liberatus Barlow confirmed the incident saying it occurred after Saturday midnight.

The RPC said MP Kiwia, who was reported as seriously wounded on the head, was flown to Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) yesterday for further treatment while Ukerewe MP Machemli was treated at Sekou Toure hospital.

Read full story.

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Mwanza needs a world-class airport, govt told

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Ray Naluyaga

Tourism stakeholders in Mwanza, Mara, Kagera, Dar es Salaam and Arusha regions want the government to upgrade the Mwanza Airport to an international status in a bid to boost the sector.

Meeting in Mwanza at the weekend, more than 30 stakeholders in the sector agreed that efforts to boost tourism in the country’s most populous region would be futile without an international airport in place. Mr Junaid Kadri of Tourism Development Initiative based in Mwanza said the government’s target to attract one million tourists a year can easily be surpassed if Mwanza would have an international airport.

“Apart from the region being only two hours drive from Serengeti National Park, it is endowed with the unexploited largest Africa’s lake by area,” he said. He said since the lake sits adjacent to Serengeti and Rubondo Island National Parks, opportunities for tourist activities in and around the lake are plentiful. Giving examples, he said Lake Victoria is a biological hotspot, making it home to a number of tropical fish, and is very rich in variety of birdlife.

Read full story.

Sunday 26 February 2012

Hard talk:The fight against malaria could be long and tough

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Evarist Kagaruki

Tanzania has been commended for its endeavours to tackle malaria. The government’s commitment to combating the killer disease has attracted much international attention.

Recently, President Jakaya Kikwete was among a few African leaders who received the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) special excellence award during the 18th AU Summit in Addis Ababa in recognition of their concerted efforts towards eradicating malaria in their respective countries.

ALMA is an alliance of African Heads of State and Government working together to end malaria-related deaths on the continent.

But the fight against the disease is destined to be a long and tough one. There are two serious problems, which could hamper efforts to control malaria if the government won’t take concrete steps to address them. One is about the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets supposed to be distributed to the people all over the country free of charge, and the planned application of DDT spray in homes.

There are allegations that scaremongers have been spreading stupid rumours aimed at fooling people into believing that the mosquito nets and the anti-mosquito spray contain ingredients of chemicals that could cause impotence among men and/or infertility in women!

Read full story.

TFDA: Beware of fake malaria drugs

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Songa wa Songa, The Citizen Correspondent

The Tanzania market is reportedly flooded with perilous counterfeit anti malaria tablets bearing the logo of the Kenya-based Elys Chemical Industries Ltd.

The Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) yesterday issued a public warning against the sham product marketed under the name Eloquine (Quinine Sulphate 300mg USP) and packed in a bottle containing 1,000 tablets each.

TFDA director general Hiiti Sillo, said the bogus medicine stimulates Quinine Sulphate 300mg B.P, a product of Elys Chemical Industries Ltd. While the real product bears a brown label, the facade’s label is in yellow and red colours and bears batch number GE410.

Read full story.

Sunday 29 January 2012

Street Children On the Increase in Mwanza City

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam - via allAfrica.com
By Moses Matthew

Mwanza -  Parents, guardians and other authorities need to take decisive measures to avert unprecedented increase of street children in Mwanza city.

Head of the child, youth development and family preservation department, social workers organization, Mr James Mikenze, told the 'Daily News' on Sunday that recent studies have confirmed that irresponsive types of behaviour among the parents and guardians is one of the major causes of increased number of the street children in respective areas.

"Many children lack skills and knowledge to handle their children, while other children have abandoned their homes and even drop out of schools while their parents keep on watching an ugly situation without taking any decisive actions," says Mr Mikenze.

Read full story.

Saturday 14 January 2012

City plans major facelift

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Sheilla Sezzy, The Citizen Correspondent

The Mwanza City Council has asked for Sh12.4 billion from the ministry of Works for upgrading roads to tarmac level as part of strategies to ease congestion in the city.

It expects to raise Sh1.5 billion from its own sources for rehabilitating roads damaged by recent rains, it has been revealed.

Talking to The Citizen in his office on Wednesday, the Mwanza City director, Mr Wilson Kabwe, said upgrading of ring roads to tarmac level would help in reducing pressure on major roads.

He said Mwanza City has been expanding rapidly, thus the need to improve its roads in order to cope with increasing demands.

“The roads will facilitate movement and put Mwanza strategically as a tourist city. We have the potential of being among major cities in facilitating East Africa’s integration process,” he said.

Read full story.