.jpg)
Dr William Mgimwa
BY FRANK AMAN
As the year 2015 quickly approaches, another memorable year full of incredible news and remarkable people comes to an end.
Lots of things have happened in 2014. Some are good, some are bad. In 2014, stories such as the completion of the proposed new constitution, Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Tegeta Escrow saga captured headlines in most media houses in the country.
It was a year which saw a number of notable events, including deaths of public officials, accidents, outbreaks of non-communicable diseases and political instability.
In this Annual Review we explain what has happened in the country from January to December this year.
The year started with the death of a senior public official, the Minister for Finance, Dr William Mgimwa who died on 1 January. Dr Mgimwa, who was MP for Kalenga, died at the Kloof MediClinic in Pretoria at 11.20am local time (12.20pm in Dar es Salaam).
It was a month where the government temporarily closed the Dodoma Morogoro road after floods washed away Magole Bridge at Dumila area in Kilosa District, Morogoro Region, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. The damage was caused by torrential rains which resulted into floods.
It was a time which saw the implementation of the first phase of the 20.9 kilometres Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (DART) with German construction firm Strabag that is building a trunk road from the Kimara terminal to Kivukoni area, Msimbazi Road from Fire to Kariakoo-Gerezani area and part of Kawawa Road from Magomeni to the Morocco junction.
Two homemade bombs exploded on the popular tourist island of Zanzibar. One blast took place at the Anglican Cathedral, a historic building in the heart of the narrow and winding ancient streets of Stone Town, the UNESCO-listed historical centre of the capital of the semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago.
On Feb. 23, another bomb blast occurred at the seafront Mercury Restaurant and Bar, a favorite for tourists.
A bomb exploded near the door of the Evangelistic Assemblies of God Zanzibar (EAGZ) church building in Kijito Upele-Fuoni, Zanzibar.
One person was killed and several others injured in a bombing incident which went off in the Daranjani business district of Stone Tow.
Witnesses said casualties included worshippers who were coming out of evening prayers from a nearby mosque.
Acid attack: Last year unknown attackers hurled acid into the faces of two British teenage girls as they strolled through Stone Town, as Zanzibar’s Muslim majority were preparing to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Pastoralists-farmers clashes: During the same month in the northern regions, insecurity caused by endless land conflicts impacted on the economy of Kiteto district, a situation which has remained unresolved for the whole year.
The recent deadly clashes, in particular led to the suspension of cattle auctions in various villages while commercial farmers, and smallholders alike, were scared to invest in the fertile lands there.
Tanzania marked the 50th anniversary of the union. It was a colourful and pompous event as visiting heads of state, past and current presidents, joined host President Jakaya Kikwete and his compatriots in celebrating 50 years of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar in honoring the founding fathers, the then President of Tanganyika, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, and Zanzibar leader Sheikh Abeid Amaan Karume.
CUHAS president went missing: On June 22, a student government president of the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (Cuhas) at Bugando, Musa Mdede, who went missing since June 17, was found unconscious at Usagara area.
Mdede, who doubles as chairman of the Tanzania Higher Learning Institutions Students’ Organisation (Tahliso), disappeared as he finalized his application for candidacy in a bid to seek re-election. The student government election was scheduled for June 29.
On July 8, eight people were injured in another bomb blast at a restaurant in Arusha region. Police said an improvised explosive device was thrown through the window of the Indian restaurant frequented by tourists and wealthy locals. During the same period a bomb was also thrown into the house of a Muslim cleric.
On July 23, the police announced to have arrested nearly 60 terror suspects throughout the country over two months, including 25 people in Arusha.
It was a time Tanzania was put on the list of 15 African countries at high risk of an Ebola outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned that more than 22 million people across Africa were at risk of infection.
However, the government assured the public of its unwavering commitment to keeping Ebola out after standard thermal scanners to detect Ebola were installed at four major airports--Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro International Airport, Zanzibar and Mwanza.
Zanzibar Attorney General Othman Masoud Othman resigned from the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly, saying he resigned on principle because he thinks it was wrong for the Constituent Assembly to reject “people’s support” for a three-tier union structure presented by the Constitution Review Commission in the second draft.
On October 9, 2014, President Jakaya Kikwete and Zanzibar President Dr Ali Mohamed Shein received the final draft of the proposed Constitution from the Constituent Assembly (CA).
It was a time for celebration and a feeling of victory for members of the Constituent Assembly (MCAs) in Dodoma. Many MCAs, especially those who voted “Yes” for the Draft, must have believed the battle for the new Constitution was now over, but it wasn’t.
The battle, which has divided the nation after major changes were made in the original Draft submitted by Constitution Review Commission (CRC) chaired by Judge (rtd) Joseph Warioba, will now be sorted out “in the streets” in a bid to get the people’s verdict, which will be final.
On October 20, police shot dead a man suspected of carrying out bombings in Arusha, including attacks targeting a church and restaurant.
Yahya Hassan Hella, alias Sensei, was described by police as the "mastermind, brain, co-ordinator and the main performer of terrorist bombings and acid attacks in Arusha. They named Hella as a "most wanted" terror suspect.
The same month, parties allied in the Union for the People’s Constitution (UKAWA) signed a memorandum of understanding to field and support one candidate for the presidency in the 2015 election.
It was a time in which fear and anxiety gripped many parents in Dar es Salaam as suspicions along with proved cases of children kidnappings and killings surfaced. Six-year old girl Glory Meta, a standard one pupil at Msingwa Primary School was found dumped in a bush after being brutally murdered by unknown assailants.
The $122 million (Sh207 billion) Tegeta escrow account saga rocked Parliament on 4 November as legislators from both the opposition and the ruling party demanded a parliamentary probe. The move came after the government failed to submit its report on the matter.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda promised at mid-year that he would submit two reports on investigations concerning the escrow billions carried out by the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) plus the Controller and Auditor General (CAG).
On 29 November a helicopter donated to the government by the Howard G. Buffet Foundation to help in anti-poaching operations crashed killing all four people on board.
The helicopter, Robertson R44 which cost over 800m/- ($500,000) and was handed to the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa) in June, crashed at around 10am at Kipunguni B area, close to Moshi Bar, in Dar es Salaam.
According to traffic report, from January to November a total of 13,466 road accidents were reported, killing 3,437 people and leaving 13,495 injured. One year earlier there were 21,791 road accidents that claimed lives of 3,642 and left 18,813 injured, meaning that there were by comparison more fatalities in accidents this year.
President Jakaya Kikwete declared himself cancer-free after undergoing prostate surgery in the United States in November. He was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago and underwent the surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital on Nov. 8.
On December 9 Tanzania Mainland marked 53 years of independence. This year’s commemoration was President Kikwete’s last as prepares to leave office late next year after serving two terms, in line with the Constitution.
This was the time when Attorney General Frederick Werema resigned, making him the first casualty of a corruption scandal that rocked the government.
MPs last month called accused him of authorizing the fraudulent transfer of about $120m to an energy firm. He denied wrongdoing, but quit because the controversy had ‘disrupted the country's political atmosphere.’
During the Christmas festival, one person died from a handmade bomb blast in Ruvuma which occurred on Thursday at 19.30 hrs, also injuring two police officers.
The incident occurred at Majengo quarters while police officers were on patrol. The victim who died could not be indentified but he is thought to be a taxi driver.
The poaching and trafficking of wildlife reached pandemic levels throughout the country and Africa at large, threatening a growing number of species with outright extinction.
Various reports show that Tanzania has lost two-thirds of its elephant population to poaching since 2006. Collusion between corrupt government officials and criminal syndicates has been identified as the root cause.
Lots of things have happened in 2014. Some are good, some are bad. In 2014, stories such as the completion of the proposed new constitution, Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Tegeta Escrow saga captured headlines in most media houses in the country.
It was a year which saw a number of notable events, including deaths of public officials, accidents, outbreaks of non-communicable diseases and political instability.
In this Annual Review we explain what has happened in the country from January to December this year.
The year started with the death of a senior public official, the Minister for Finance, Dr William Mgimwa who died on 1 January. Dr Mgimwa, who was MP for Kalenga, died at the Kloof MediClinic in Pretoria at 11.20am local time (12.20pm in Dar es Salaam).
It was a month where the government temporarily closed the Dodoma Morogoro road after floods washed away Magole Bridge at Dumila area in Kilosa District, Morogoro Region, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. The damage was caused by torrential rains which resulted into floods.
It was a time which saw the implementation of the first phase of the 20.9 kilometres Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (DART) with German construction firm Strabag that is building a trunk road from the Kimara terminal to Kivukoni area, Msimbazi Road from Fire to Kariakoo-Gerezani area and part of Kawawa Road from Magomeni to the Morocco junction.
Two homemade bombs exploded on the popular tourist island of Zanzibar. One blast took place at the Anglican Cathedral, a historic building in the heart of the narrow and winding ancient streets of Stone Town, the UNESCO-listed historical centre of the capital of the semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago.
On Feb. 23, another bomb blast occurred at the seafront Mercury Restaurant and Bar, a favorite for tourists.
A bomb exploded near the door of the Evangelistic Assemblies of God Zanzibar (EAGZ) church building in Kijito Upele-Fuoni, Zanzibar.
One person was killed and several others injured in a bombing incident which went off in the Daranjani business district of Stone Tow.
Witnesses said casualties included worshippers who were coming out of evening prayers from a nearby mosque.
Acid attack: Last year unknown attackers hurled acid into the faces of two British teenage girls as they strolled through Stone Town, as Zanzibar’s Muslim majority were preparing to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Pastoralists-farmers clashes: During the same month in the northern regions, insecurity caused by endless land conflicts impacted on the economy of Kiteto district, a situation which has remained unresolved for the whole year.
The recent deadly clashes, in particular led to the suspension of cattle auctions in various villages while commercial farmers, and smallholders alike, were scared to invest in the fertile lands there.
Tanzania marked the 50th anniversary of the union. It was a colourful and pompous event as visiting heads of state, past and current presidents, joined host President Jakaya Kikwete and his compatriots in celebrating 50 years of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar in honoring the founding fathers, the then President of Tanganyika, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, and Zanzibar leader Sheikh Abeid Amaan Karume.
CUHAS president went missing: On June 22, a student government president of the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (Cuhas) at Bugando, Musa Mdede, who went missing since June 17, was found unconscious at Usagara area.
Mdede, who doubles as chairman of the Tanzania Higher Learning Institutions Students’ Organisation (Tahliso), disappeared as he finalized his application for candidacy in a bid to seek re-election. The student government election was scheduled for June 29.
On July 8, eight people were injured in another bomb blast at a restaurant in Arusha region. Police said an improvised explosive device was thrown through the window of the Indian restaurant frequented by tourists and wealthy locals. During the same period a bomb was also thrown into the house of a Muslim cleric.
On July 23, the police announced to have arrested nearly 60 terror suspects throughout the country over two months, including 25 people in Arusha.
It was a time Tanzania was put on the list of 15 African countries at high risk of an Ebola outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned that more than 22 million people across Africa were at risk of infection.
However, the government assured the public of its unwavering commitment to keeping Ebola out after standard thermal scanners to detect Ebola were installed at four major airports--Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro International Airport, Zanzibar and Mwanza.
Zanzibar Attorney General Othman Masoud Othman resigned from the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly, saying he resigned on principle because he thinks it was wrong for the Constituent Assembly to reject “people’s support” for a three-tier union structure presented by the Constitution Review Commission in the second draft.
On October 9, 2014, President Jakaya Kikwete and Zanzibar President Dr Ali Mohamed Shein received the final draft of the proposed Constitution from the Constituent Assembly (CA).
It was a time for celebration and a feeling of victory for members of the Constituent Assembly (MCAs) in Dodoma. Many MCAs, especially those who voted “Yes” for the Draft, must have believed the battle for the new Constitution was now over, but it wasn’t.
The battle, which has divided the nation after major changes were made in the original Draft submitted by Constitution Review Commission (CRC) chaired by Judge (rtd) Joseph Warioba, will now be sorted out “in the streets” in a bid to get the people’s verdict, which will be final.
On October 20, police shot dead a man suspected of carrying out bombings in Arusha, including attacks targeting a church and restaurant.
Yahya Hassan Hella, alias Sensei, was described by police as the "mastermind, brain, co-ordinator and the main performer of terrorist bombings and acid attacks in Arusha. They named Hella as a "most wanted" terror suspect.
The same month, parties allied in the Union for the People’s Constitution (UKAWA) signed a memorandum of understanding to field and support one candidate for the presidency in the 2015 election.
It was a time in which fear and anxiety gripped many parents in Dar es Salaam as suspicions along with proved cases of children kidnappings and killings surfaced. Six-year old girl Glory Meta, a standard one pupil at Msingwa Primary School was found dumped in a bush after being brutally murdered by unknown assailants.
The $122 million (Sh207 billion) Tegeta escrow account saga rocked Parliament on 4 November as legislators from both the opposition and the ruling party demanded a parliamentary probe. The move came after the government failed to submit its report on the matter.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda promised at mid-year that he would submit two reports on investigations concerning the escrow billions carried out by the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) plus the Controller and Auditor General (CAG).
On 29 November a helicopter donated to the government by the Howard G. Buffet Foundation to help in anti-poaching operations crashed killing all four people on board.
The helicopter, Robertson R44 which cost over 800m/- ($500,000) and was handed to the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa) in June, crashed at around 10am at Kipunguni B area, close to Moshi Bar, in Dar es Salaam.
According to traffic report, from January to November a total of 13,466 road accidents were reported, killing 3,437 people and leaving 13,495 injured. One year earlier there were 21,791 road accidents that claimed lives of 3,642 and left 18,813 injured, meaning that there were by comparison more fatalities in accidents this year.
President Jakaya Kikwete declared himself cancer-free after undergoing prostate surgery in the United States in November. He was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago and underwent the surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital on Nov. 8.
On December 9 Tanzania Mainland marked 53 years of independence. This year’s commemoration was President Kikwete’s last as prepares to leave office late next year after serving two terms, in line with the Constitution.
This was the time when Attorney General Frederick Werema resigned, making him the first casualty of a corruption scandal that rocked the government.
MPs last month called accused him of authorizing the fraudulent transfer of about $120m to an energy firm. He denied wrongdoing, but quit because the controversy had ‘disrupted the country's political atmosphere.’
During the Christmas festival, one person died from a handmade bomb blast in Ruvuma which occurred on Thursday at 19.30 hrs, also injuring two police officers.
The incident occurred at Majengo quarters while police officers were on patrol. The victim who died could not be indentified but he is thought to be a taxi driver.
The poaching and trafficking of wildlife reached pandemic levels throughout the country and Africa at large, threatening a growing number of species with outright extinction.
Various reports show that Tanzania has lost two-thirds of its elephant population to poaching since 2006. Collusion between corrupt government officials and criminal syndicates has been identified as the root cause.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
No comments :
Post a Comment