Kuwepo na mapenzi ya dhati kati ya wanandoa hufanya mambo mengi kuwa rahisi na mepesi bila kujalisha ni kipindi cha furaha au majonzi; sababu inakuwa upo na mtu ambaye anakufanyia unafuu wa mhusika kuamini kuwa kila kitu hatimaye kitakuwa sawa mradi huyo mpenzi wako yupo karibu na wewe anakupenda na mnashirikiana vilivyo kwa kujaliana kwa misingi ya ‘Chake changu, changu chake’. 

Mapenzi na kufanya mapenzi baina ya wawili wapendanao hasa kama wameoana ni moja ya chachu ya ndoa ambayo husaidia kushikilia na kuimarisha ndoa hiyo endapo ikatumika vizuri na kwa wote kufurahia hasa kwa wale ambao hushirikiana katika kila kitu.

Siri ya kufurahia tendo la ndoa ni wanandoa wote kuridhika na utendaji wa mwenza wao hasa wakati wa tukio, kwa kujituma, kuwa mbunifu, kutaka na kufurahia tendo hilo. Ingawa ni kweli kwa nadra inaweza tokea mwenzako akawa na hamu na wewe usiwe nayo (ikitokea mara chache sana – hili linaeleweka, na linaweza kukubalika ila si kwa kuzoea na ikawa utamaduni; iwe kwa mwanaume ama mwanamke) .

Izingatiwe kuwa, kufurahia tendo la ndoa haiji kirahisi rahisi… Mazingira ya kufurahia tendo hili muhimu ni lazima yajengwe na yaimarishwe mara kwa mara. Maana ni wazi kuwa uhai wa kila ambalo linatakiwa kuishi ni lazima litunzwe kwa umakini na kujali. Hivyo kufurahia tendo la ndoa pia hupaswa kuimarishwa kwa nilivyotaja hapo awali – Kupenda, kujituma, utundu, maarifa na Ubunifu. Na haya yote huwa rahisi sana ikiwa mwanandoa wako wampenda ama kumkubali, na kubwa kuliko ikiwa na yeye pia hujituma, ‘ni mtundu’ na ana maarifa pia.

Hivi vitu (Kujituma, utundu, maarifa na ubunifu) haviji hivi hivi pia… Na ndio kwa misingi hiyo wanandoa hushauriwa kuzungumzia tendo la ndoa, kama haridhiki katika tendo, kitu kipi hupendi, kitu gani unapenda, wapi unapenda kuguswa, vipi unapenda kukunwa, na ni kitu gani ambacho kinakupandisha mzuka – huku wewe mwenzie ukiwa mtundu katika kuhakikisha unavumbua maeneo mengine ambayo hata yeye hakujua kuwa anaweza pata raha hiyo ambayo anaipata kwa wakati huo (TAHADHARI – Yapaswa kuwa na mipaka pia).

Mnaweza msiwe kila mmoja si mtaalam kwa mwenzie mnapoanza mahusiano yenu ya mapenzi, ila inapaswa na ni jukumu la kila mmoja kuhakikisha ufundi huo unaongezeka kadri siku zinavyozidi kwenda kwa mwenza wake huyo na si kupungua. Izingatiwe pia kuwa, Kufanya mapenzi si lazima ukafanya kama vile ambavyo picha za ngono huonyesha ili kujua mnafurahia, msingi ni kutafuta rhyme ambayo huwafanya wote mfurahie tendo hilo la ndoa na kuwafanya kuwa na kiu juu ya mwenza wako pale unapokuwa umemkosa.

Ndoa si kufanya tu Mapenzi ni zaidi ya hapo, ila mwisho wa siku kufanya Mapenzi ni muhimu mno kwa ustawi wa ndoa kati ya wanandoa. Ni suala ambalo kiharaka haraka linaweza chukuliwa kwa wepesi, ila mwisho wa siku lina faida sana.

FAIDA YA TENDO LA NDOA KWA WANANDOA

Linajenga ukaribu zaidi kwa wanandoa

Tokana na majukumu ya kifamilia ambayo yanaenda yakikua kwa kasi na kufanya baadhi ya wanandoa kutokuwa na wakati wa kuwa karibu zaidi kunakuwa na muda mchache kwa baadhi kubadilishana mawazo. Wanandoa wengine wamefaulu kwa kuhakikisha kila siku/au mara kadhaa kwa juma kujulishana habari zao wanapokuwa hawapo pamoja. Tendo la ndoa linaweza tumika kama wakati muafaka wa kila mmoja kutiririka na kuongea mambo mbalimbali na hata kupanga mipango yenu ya kimaisha. Hilo hutokea pale mnapokuwa mnataka kujianda, nusu fainali au baada ya mchezo kuisha tegemeana na mtiririko wenu upo vipi.

Kumwelewa Mwenzi wako

Tendo la ndoa lina lugha yake… Tendo hili haliishi tu katika kufurahia na kufika kileleni bali pia linasaidia kumwelewa na kumsoma mwenzi wako. Ndio maana ni vema sana kumjulia mwenza wako kitabia na mwenendo kwa kuhusisha tendo hilo. Ikiwa wenza mna tabia ya kushirikiana na kuhusishana katika masuala ya kila siku ni rahisi kutambua kuwa mwenza wako siku hiyo kachoka, kachukizwa (iwe na wewe ama mtu mwingine), ana mawazo, ana wasiwasi, hana raha n.k.

Haijalishi kuwa mwenza wako yupo katika hali ipi wengi hujitahidi hilo lisiwe kikwazo kwa tendo la ndoa (hasa wanaume) – Hivyo ni rahisi kumjulia tokana na namna mnavyokuwa faragha kujua kuna jambo ama la. Ni wazi wakati mwingine kunaweza kuwa na jambo na mwenzi wako asikuhusishe, kupitia tendo la ndoa unaweza pata viashiria.

Inasaidia wanandoa kupata Watoto

Watoto wana raha yake katika ndoa, na wana nafasi kubwa sana katika kuweza kuimarisha ndoa, kuleta furaha katika familia, kuwajenga na kuwa komaza kama wazazi na pia kuwaunganisha zaidi wanandoa kama mwili mmoja. Si wote wamejaaliwa kupata watoto (my heart goes out to them) – ila ukweli ni kuwa mara nyingi hiki ni kipengele muhimu katika ndoa ambacho wanandoa wenyewe na jamii hutarajia kuwa muhimu kufanikisha ili ndoa ionekane kuwa ina mafanikio. Niongeze kuwa tumepishana kutafsiri mafanikio ni nini katika ndoa, ila wengi huwa na msimamo wa kuwa watoto ni muhimu katika ndoa.

Kutatua ugomvi/mgogoro kati ya wenza

Ugomvi haukwepeki hata kama mwapendana vipi (ingawa frequency ya ugomvi hupishana kati ya wanandoa). Tendo la ndoa linazungumza mambo mengi sana…. Kitendo cha kukutana kimwili na mwenza wako kwa namna moja wapo inakuwa ni akili na mwili wako kukubali kuwa umejitoa kwa mwenzi wako kwa wakati huo. Kuna makabila ambayo hata uwe umegombana vipi na mke/mume wako, ikitokea tu ukalala naye na kufanya tendo la ndoa haijalishi kosa lilikuwa ni lipi inachukuliwa limesamehewa na yapaswa kusahau na kusonga mbele.

Kupunguza uchovu/Msongo wa mawazo

Ndoa ni moja ya njia kwa baadhi kuweza kupunguza uchovu alio nao na kwa wengine hata msongo wa mawazo. Tendo likifanywa vema na kwa ustadi, huweza kumwondolea mwenzi wako uchovu au msongo wa mawazo kwa kiwango kikubwa. Unafuu huo utegemea lakini, wengine inakuwa tu unafuu wakati wa tendo hilo na hali wengine hupata nafuu ya muda mrefu.  Hivyo ikiwa mwenzi wako yupo katika hali hiyo katika kutafuta namna ya kuhakikisha anapata unafuu, unaweza tumia tendo la ndoa kama silaha ya kumrudisha mwenzi wako katika hali nzuri.

Linajenga heshima ndani ya ndoa (hasa kwa wanaume)

Hili linawezekana pande zote (mke na mume) mmelipa umuhimu wa pekee tendo la ndoa hadi mkiwa faragha wote hufurahia tendo hili hadi kuna wakati mwajihisi mpo mwili mmoja kama si ndani ya ngozi moja. Tunarudi palepale, kuwa ni muhimu ukampenda mtu wako, ukapenda hilo tendo, mengine yanafuata mkiwa faraghani.

Linatumika kupata unachotaka/Kulaghai (hasa kwa wanawake)

Hili linategemea unalifanya kwa namna ipi… Ukilifanya kana kwamba ni hongo ya lazima na kuwa wamaanisha hutokubali kuwa faragha bila kutimiziwa kitu Fulani – Hapo inakuwa ni tatizo na ndio ulaghai wenyewe. Ila lifanywapo kwa upendo, utani wa kimapenzi, kwa kutoa maneno matamu na kubembembeleza, husaidia kuongeza ashiki kwa wapenzi (inaweza isiwe kwa wote) na huku pia ukifanikiwa kupata kile ambacho unataka mwenzio akiwa katika mood nzuri.

Wapendwa nakaribisha mawazo, michango, maswali, na maoni toka kwenu.

Wiki mbili zilizopita mkutano usio wa kawaida wa wakuu wa nchi wa Umoja wa Afrika ulifanyika huko Addis Ababa, ukifuatia mkutano kama huo uliofanyika mwezi Julai kwa lengo la kupitia uhusiano kati ya nchi za Afrika na Mahakama ya kimataifa ya makosa ya Jinai ICC. Wakuu wa nchi za Afrika walifikia uamuzi wa kupitia upya uhusiano kati ya nchi za Afrika na ICC, kutokana na kutoridhishwa na mwenendo wa mahakama hiyo, unaoonesha hali ya kuwalenga waafrika kwa mtindo unaofanana na “ubaguzi wa rangi”.

Ni kweli waafrika tunaonewa?

Kati ya watu 30 walioshitakiwa au wanaotafutwa na mahakama hiyo wote ni waafrika. Kwa hiyo hakuna mjadala kuwa jamaa hao wanaonewa. Lakini swali linakuja, katika dunia hii yenye matukio ya vita, vurugu, mauaji ni waafrika tu ndio wanaofanya uhalifu unaostahili kufikishwa kwenye mahakama hiyo. Jibu ni wazi kabisa kuwa hapana. Kuna watu wengine wengi wasio waafrika wanastahili kufikishwa kwenye mahakama hiyo kutokana na kufanya makosa kama waliyofanya waafrika wanaotakiwa kufikishwa kwenye mahakama hiyo. Tena kuna wengine wamefanya makosa makubwa zaidi, lakini wao bado wanaendelea kuwa huru na hakuna hata dalili ya kuwafikisha mahakamani.

Mkataba wa Rome uliopitishwa ili kuanzishwa kwa mahakama hiyo, umeainisha makosa kadhaa yanayoweza kufanya mtu afikishwe kwenye mahakama hiyo. Makosa hayo ni pamoja mauaji ya kidini, kikabila au kundi fulani la watu kwa lengo la kuliangamiza (genocide), uhalifu dhidi ya ubinadamu kama vile mauaji, ubakaji, na utesaji wakati wa vita (crimes against humanity), uhalifu wa kivita kama vile kuteketeza miji, mauaji ya kikatili (war crimes), na uvamizi wa nchi nyingine (aggression). Ukiangalia majina ya watu waliopo kwenye orodha ya watu wanaotafutwa, waliokamatwa, waliofikishwa mahakamani na waliokufa wakiwa na mashtaka kwenye mahakama hiyo kwa makosa hayo (Joseph Kony, Okoth Odhiambo, Omar Al Bashir, Muammar al Gadaffi, Laurent Gbagbo, Charles Taylor, Jean Pierre Bemba, Jean Bosco Ntanganda nk), unaona wazi ni kweli baadhi yao kwa namna moja au nyingine wanastahili kufikishwa mahakamani kujibu tuhuma.

Lakini vilevile tukiangalia matukio ya mauaji ya kikatili yaliyotokea na yanayoendelea kutokea nchini Iraq ambayo yamesababisha vifo vya watu wengi na kwa ukatili zaidi kuliko hata yale yanayotokea katika nchi za Afrika, na tukiangalia yale yanayoendelea kutokea sasa nchini Syria, au tukiangalia yale yaliyotokea Israel na Palestina, unaweza kuona yana alama nyingi za matukio yanayoangukia kwenye kundi la makosa yaliyoanishwa kwenye mkataba wa Rome. Lakini hakuna mtu kutoka katika nchi hizo, au hata wa kutoka nchi nyingine aliyehusika na makosa katika nchi hizo anayetafutwa na mahakama hiyo. Kwa hiyo inaonekana kuwa matendo hayo yanakuwa ni makosa kama yakifanywa na waafrika, si makosa kama yakifanywa na watu wengine wasiokuwa waafrika.

Sababu nyingine inayofanya viongozi wa nchi za Afrika wakose imani na mahakama hiyo, ni kuona kuwa nchi kubwa kama Marekani, mpaka sasa hazitaki kujiunga na mahakama hiyo, kwa kuwa hazitaki kuona watu wake wanafikishwa kwenye mahakama hiyo. Marekani inang’ang’ania kuwafikisha wamarekani waliokutwa na makosa nchini Iraq na Afghanistan kwenye mahakama zake za ndani, na siyo kwenye mahakama ya kimataifa ya makosa ya jinai. Hii inawafanya viongozi wa nchi za Afrika wajisikie kuwa mahakama hiyo imeundwa kwa ajili ya kuwahukumu waafrika, na sio kwa ajili ya watu wengine wanaofanya makosa kama hayo. Kwa hiyo, malalamiko yanayotolewa na Umoja wa Afrika dhidi ya mahakama hiyo, si ya kupuuza hata kidogo, yana msingi. Kama mahakama hiyo itaendelea kuonesha sura ya kuwa “mahakama ya Ulaya kwa ajili ya waafrika” basi inaweza kupoteza kabisa imani ndogo iliyobaki kwa waafrika wote, na kurudisha matatizo ambayo kwa sasa yanaonekana kuanza kupungua kutokana na kuwepo kwa mahakama hiyo.

Kujitoa ICC ni uamuzi wa busara?

Ingawa ajenda ya kujitoa kwa nchi za Afrika kwenye ICC ilijadiliwa zaidi kwenye mkutano usio kawaida wa Umoja wa Afrika, lakini mkutano huo ulimalizika bila kufikia uamuzi wa namna hiyo. Kwa ujumla kuwepo kwa mahakama hiyo ni jambo zuri, maana inasaidia kuwafanya baadhi wa watu barani Afrika wasisahau kuwa ile zama ya kuwa viongozi wanaotawala kwa mkono wa chuma bila kuogopa uwezekano wa kufikishwa mahakamani, ile zama ya kuua, kutesa na kunyanyasa watu kwa lengo la kuendelea kukaa madarakani, haipo tena au inakaribia kwisha. Kuna dalili zinazoonesha kuwa kwa sasa si rahisi kutafuta uongozi au kung’ang’ania kuwa madarakani kwa njia za kihalifu bila kuchukuliwa hatua, kama ilivyokuwa kabla ya kuanzishwa kwa mahakama hiyo.

Tukiangalia kwa undani tunaweza kuona kuwa waafrika wanaopinga mahakama hiyo ni wale walioko madarakani, hasa wale ambao wanajua kuwa mwenendo wao wa uongozi una mwelekeo wa kufikishwa ICC. Wahanga wa vitendo vya ukatili wa wanasiasa na viongozi wanaweza kuwa na maoni tofauti kabisa na yale ya viongozi wa nchi za umoja wa Afrika. Msemaji wa Mahakama ya kimataifa ya makosa ya jinai Bw Fadi El Abdallah alipoitetea mahakama hiyo alisema kati ya kesi nane zilizoko kwenye mahakama hiyo zinazohusu nchi za Afrika, nne ziliwasilishwa na nchi za Afrika zenyewe, hazikushinikizwa na nchi za Ulaya. Na aliyekuwa waziri mkuu wa Kenya Bw Raila Odinga aliwahi kusema, ni vizuri tuache ukweli ujieleze kwa kuwa hakuna nchi ya Afrika iliyoshurutishwa kujiunga na mahakama hiyo, na wala kusaini mkataba wa Rome.

Pamoja na kuwa baadhi yetu tunafurahia kitendo cha viongozi wa nchi za Umoja wa Afrika kuonesha umoja katika msimamo dhidi ya kinachoonekana wazi kuwa ni udhalilishaji na uonevu dhidi ya waafrika, tunapofurahia tusisahau historia tuliyoachiwa na OAU. Jumuiya hiyo ambayo kabla ya kubadilishwa ilikuwa ikitajwa kuwa ni “klabu ya madikteta” kwa kiasi kikubwa ilikipazia sauti kipengele cha kutawala nchi zao bila kuingiliwa na nchi za nje. Baadhi ya waliokuwa marais wakati wa OAU walikuwa maarufu kwa jina la “strong man”, waliweza kuwapiga, kuwatesa, kuwaua na hata kuwafanyia wananchi wao udhalimu wa kila aina kama walivyopenda, kwa kuwa walijua wataweza kutawala hadi watakapokufa na hakuna anayeweza kuwachukulia hatua hata wakifanya lolote baya. Mkutano wa Umoja wa Afrika (AU) uliojadili uhusiano kati ya nchi za Afrika na Mahakama ya ICC, kwa kiasi fulani unafanya baadhi tuone hatari ya kurudi kwa zama za Udikteta.

Uwanja wa ICC uko wapi?

Kila mtu anafahamu kuwa kwenye vurugu za uchaguzi wa mwaka 2007 nchini Kenya watu zaidi ya 1000 waliuawa. Hakuna asiyefahamu kuwa kwenye uchaguzi wa Cote d’Ivoire watu wengi waliuawa. Na tunafahamu kuwa kwenye nchi nyingi za Afrika bado utaratibu wa sheria ni dhaifu na uko tofauti sana na ule wa nchi kama Marekani au za Ulaya, ambako hata mkuu wa nchi anaweza kufikishwa mahakamani. Hoja ya kusema viongozi wa nchi za Afrika wafikishwe mahakamani katika nchi zao, ni hoja ya kutia shaka sana, ni sawa na kupeleka “kesi ya nyani kwa ngedere”. Kutokana na hali hii, kinadharia, Mahakama ya kimataifa ya makosa ya jinai inaweza kufanya kazi kama sehemu ya nyongeza ya utaratibu wa sheria za ndani za nchi za Afrika, na kusaidia kutenda haki ambayo si rahisi kutendeka kutumia mahakama za ndani. Lakini kivitendo, utendaji wa kazi wa mahakama hiyo unakabiliwa na migongano kadhaa.

Moja ya migongano hiyo ni iliyotajwa hapo juu kwamba, mahakama hiyo ikiwa chombo cha kutenda haki inalaumiwa kwa kutofanya kazi kwa haki. Mgongano wa pili ni kwamba mahakama hiyo inajaribu kuwafungulia mashtaka viongozi wa Afrika ambao wamechaguliwa na wananchi. Mgongano mwingine ni kwamba mahakama hiyo inatakiwa kufanya uchunguzi na kukusanya ushahidi katika nchi zinazotawaliwa na wanaoshitakiwa. Migongano hiyo inafanya juhudi za mahakama hiyo, ambayo haina ufanisi mkubwa katika historia yake, za kutaka kujithibitisha na kuonesha umuhimu wake zisiwe na maana sana.

Mwakilishi wa China kwenye Umoja wa Mataifa aliwahi kusema nchi inatakiwa kuwa na jukumu la msingi katika kuwaadhibu wahalifu na kutenda haki, na mahakama ya kimataifa ya makosa ya jinai inasaidia kazi hiyo lakini haiwezi kufunika jukumu la nchi katika suala hilo. Tafsiri ya alichosema mwakilishi huyo ni kuwa mahakama hiyo kwanza inatakiwa kuheshimu nchi za Afrika na utaratibu wa sheria wa nchi hizo, na hali halisi ya sasa ya nchi husika, ikiwemo wakati na namna ya kutenda haki.

Kama una vidonda vya tumbo, matibabu yako yatategemea sababu ya vidonda vya tumbo. Kama ni bakteria H.pylori, dawa za kuua na kuondoa bakteria hutumiwa.

Kama ni Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflamantory Drugs 'NSAIDS' mfano Aspirin & Ibuprofen utapaswa kutumia Proton Pump Inhibitor 'PPI' mfano Omeprazole & Esomeprazole.

Ingawa matibabu ya siku hizi husisitiza kuchanganya dawa za kuua bakteria na Proton Pump Inihibitors 'PPI'.

Mambo yafuatayo yatakusaidia kuishi vizuri ukiwa na 'Vidonda Vya Tumbo':-

=> Acha kutumia kahawa na chai, kwa maana vitu hivi huongeza kiwango cha asidi kinachotengenezwa na tumbo lako. Unaweza tumia chai ya mitishamba 'Herbal tea' kama mbadala.

=> Kunywa maziwa na ule vitokanavyo na maziwa kama maziwa mgando 'Yoghurt', jibini 'Cheese'. Maziwa hufikiriwa kufunika utumbo na kupunguza athari za asidi ya tumboni.

=> Jitahidi kupunguza uzito kama uzito umezidi na hauendani na kimo chako.

=> Kula walau kidogo mara kwa mara. Hii itasaidia kupunguza athari za asidi inayotengenezwa na tumbo.

=> Acha au kunywa vileo siku maalumu tu kwa maana unywaji wa pombe mara kwa mara hutonesha kwenye vidonda vya tumbo vinavyotaka kupona.

=> Epuka matumizi ya viungo vya vyakula kwa maana hufanya hali kuwa mbaya zaidi.

=> Acha kuvuta sigara/tumbaku/bangi. Uvutaji wa sigara utakuweka kwenye hatari zaidi ya kuanza vidonda vipya na kuzuia vidonda vingine visipone.

Wiki hii raia watatu wa China walikamatwa kwenye nyumba moja katika eneo la Mikocheni mjini Dar es Salaam, wakiwa na vipande 706 vya pembe za ndovu. Tukio hili limetokea siku chache baada ya mchina mwingine kukamatwa katika uwanja wa ndege akijaribu kusafirisha vipande 41 vya pembe za ndovu.

Kukamatwa kwa watu hao kumeibua tena mjadala kuhusu tatizo la ujangili linalozikabili nchi za Afrika Mashariki, hasa kwa wakati huu ambapo serikali ya Tanzania imetangaza kuwa italivalia njuga tatizo la ujangili na biashara ya pembe za ndovu. Kila mara tukio la usafirishaji wa pembe za ndovu linapotajwa maneno Asia, husuan China na Wachina pia yanatajwa.

Kwa watu wanaofuatilia tatizo la ujangili na biashara ya pembe za ndovu, iwe ni Tanzania au katika eneo zima la Afrika Mashariki, tukio hili si jambo jipya na si kubwa kuliko yaliyowahi kutokea huko nyuma. Mwezi Oktoba mwaka jana mamlaka za Hong Kong zilikamata vipande 1,209 vya pembe za ndovu kwenye bandari ya mji huo ndani ya kontena lililotoka bandari ya Dar es Salaam. Mwezi Julai mwaka 2006 vipande 350 vya pembe za ndovu vilikamatwa kisiwani Taiwan vikiwa njiani kutoka Tanzania kwenda mjini Manila, nchini Philippines. Nchini Tanzania na Kenya kumekuwa na matukio ya mara kwa mara ya kukamatwa kwa watu kutoka nchi za Asia wakijaribu kusafirisha pembe za ndovu.

Kwa sasa watanzania wengi wana hasira kubwa kutokana na hisia kuwa serikali haifanyi juhudi za kutosha kupambana na tatizo hilo. Hisia hizo zinatokana na ukweli kwamba, matukio haya yanatokea mara kwa mara na ukubwa wake unazidi kuongezeka, na kila mara vyombo vya habari vinaripoti, lakini hakuna lolote kubwa la maana linalofanywa ili kuzuia matukio kama hayo kutokea tena, zaidi ya serikali kutoa kauli kali. Majirani wa wachina waliokamatwa, walisema kuwa wachina hao ni wafanyabiashara wa ndimu na vitunguu, na kuzua maswali ni kwanini serikali ya Tanzania inawaruhusu “wawekezaji” kwenye maeneo kama hayo.

Muhimu zaidi ni kama msemo wa Kiingereza unavyosema “it takes two to tango”, watanzania tunatakiwa kuwa wakweli kama tunataka kupambana na ujangili. Tukiangalia kwa undani tukio hili, tutajiuliza maswali haya: je, inakuwaje mchina ana uwezo wa kusafirisha pembe za ndovu kutoka Manyara, Morogoro na Rukwa na kufika Dar es salaam bila kusaidiwa? Inakuwaje meli ipakie makontena ya pembe za ndovu kwenye bandari yetu bila idara husika kujua? Tukiangalia suala hili kwa mtindo wa kusema “aliyeshikwa na ngozi ndiye aliyekula nyama”, basi tutatakuwa hatujitendei haki na matukio kama haya yataendelea kutokea. Wakati tunatafakari hili, si vibaya kama tukiiuliza serikali yetu ilifanya nini kushughulikia matukio yaliyopita, nani alikamatwa na nani alichukiliwa hatua gani. Kama hakuna majibu ya maana, basi huenda tutakuwa tunamwadhibu aliyeshikwa na ngozi na anayekula nyama ataendelea kupeta.

The CHADEMA ping-pong between the leadership and the three members who have been stripped of their leadership posts is certain to test the party’s resilience as a robust political party ahead of the 2015 mother-of-all-elections.

Last week, Chadema’s central committee meeting at Blue Pearl Hotel, Ubungo Plaza, stripped of their leadership posts the Kigoma North Member of Parliament, Kabwe Zitto (Deputy Secretary General), a University of Dar es Salaam don, Mr Kitila Mkumbo (central committee member) and the Mr Samson Mwigamba (Arusha Region Chairman).

Since the issuance of the ruling, heated debate on the issue has dominated discussions in Tanzania both within and without the opposition political party.

It is also indisputable that the debate has given the ruling party, CCM and its government, a respite on numerous problems presently facing the country that include, among others, endless power outages, a tug-of-war between businessmen and the government over TRA (Tanzania Revenue Authority) authorized electrobnic accounting machine and increased crime.

And as the public await, in bated breath, the expiry of the 14 day deadline during which the three men are expected to defend themselves on why they should not be relieved of their party membership.

One thing is crystal clear, both the accused and the leadership would be on trial over the conduct and handling of the issue, come the end of the two weeks!

The three men were accused by the party leadership of being engaged in secret plans to overthrow the party’s top leadership.

The leadership’s evidence revolves around a document prepared by Dr Mkumbo which was apparently fished out of a laptop found in possession of Mr Mwigamba.

Dr Mkumbo who was visibly surprised to discover that the document had ended up in the hands of the leadership (as it was not yet public), however, admitted working on it (document), but said Mr Kabwe was not involved, in any way, in the preparation of the document.

Dr Mkumbo’s assertion on Kabwe’s innocence was corroborated by the latter who had just arrived from South Sudan where he had, as chairman of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC), led other members on a working visit.

Some of the pertinent issues raised in the document (but which had until then not yet been made public) is poor leadership, lack of accountability, transparency and strategy.

For instance, in the realm of transparency, the document noted that the party’s financial matters were a closed book to all leaders and members except for three people, the party Chairman, Secretary General and the Accountant.

Zitto and Dr Mkumbo have already made it clear, through a well-attended press conference they addressed in Dar es Salaam last week, that they will remain loyal Chadema members, that they are not going to leave the party.

Many political observers had expected the trio to take pot shots at the leadership in their quest to defend themselves.

But to the surprise of many, they did not and the kind of ‘soft defence’ they put up has earned them sympathy not only within the party, but also without,  and it’s that kind of strategy that is likely to make it difficult for the leadership to come up with yet another draconian measure against the trio.

In a nutshell, the trio’s mastery act during that press conference may have forced the leadership back to the drawing board, and it would not be surprising if they came up with a more conciliatory approach after the trio’s defence at the end of the two weeks!

However, if the leadership comes up with a more draconian measure that include, relieving the trio of their party membership, then they will have to consider what those opposed to them and that includes the ruling and opposition parties, see in Chadema.

• That what is going on in the opposition party was long expected, that the objective is to protect the founders of the party that revolve around a family.
• That the main objective of the party is to prepare and prop up northern leadership, hence the need to weed out potential leaders from other parts in the country.
• And more outrageously, that the party is anti-muslim, hence its decision to lock out, in this case, Zitto!

Much as the foregoing arguments may, to a great extent, be considered as baseless.

But to the politically uninitiated who unfortunately form the majority of the electorate, it makes a lot of sense, hence the danger of pursuing such draconian measures against the trio! 

 The Chadema leadership has not made a point of responding to some of the issues raised in the document, in particular, the question of accountability and transparency.

The two issues ought to be tackled by Chadema if the party which has helped, quite considerably, in challenging successive governments in toeing the line in the two issues wants to continue to remain relevant to Tanzanian politics!

Whatever sins that the trio may have committed, if they are any, the Chadema leadership ought to take comfort in that they now know the trio and can therefore continue to tolerate them.

Indeed, that greatest Chinese leader and the founder of the Peoples Republic of China, Chairman Mao Tse Tung once said: ‘There are better ways of treating an erring comrade…you don’t treat a comrade like an enemy.’

And that is exactly how the Chinese government later got its reformist leader Deng Xiaoping (pronounced in English as Ting shao ping) who was purged during the Cultural Revolution (but not kicked out of the Communist party) in 1960s but later emerged to lead the country to its market economy.

Some Chadema leaders have been heard to say even if the trio are expelled from the party today, the party will not be shaken.

They say the party was not shaken when Walid Kaborou decamped for the ruling party, CCM, and even when they suspended Chacha Wangwe the party had remained as robust as ever!

And that is where Chadema are wrong. They ought to bear in mind that their party’s stature then was quite different with what it is now, especially after it sliced off 20 percent of the votes cast during the 2010 presidential election that saw CCM’s presidential candidate and incumbent President, Dr Jakaya Kikwete earning 60 percent from over 80 percent in 2005!

Chadema’s growth in its political stature as the official opposition in the august House forces it to be more responsible in handling in its crisis although this does not mean that it should handle its erring members with the proverbial kids’ gloves!  

Katika siku za hivi karibuni hali ya wasiwasi imeibuka kuhusu uimara na mshikamano wa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki. Tanzania na Burundi, nchi mbili kati ya nchi tano wanachama wa jumuiya hiyo, zimetoa malalamiko kuwa zinatengwa na nchi wenzake wanachama wa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki Kenya, Uganda na Rwanda, hasa baada ya marais wa Kenya, Uganda na Rwanda kukutana mara mbili kwenye mikutano iliyobeba jina la jumuiya.

Wa kwanza ni ule wa Entebbe tarehe 24 na 25 Juni, ambapo marais Uhuru Kenyatta, Yoweri Museveni na Paul Kagame mbali na mambo mengine walifikia makubaliano ya kujenga reli ya kisasa kutoka Mombasa Kenya, kupitia Kampala Uganda hadi Kigali Rwanda. Mwingine ni ule wa tarehe 28 Agosti marais hao watatu walikutana mjini Mombasa nchini Kenya kuendelea na ufuatiliaji wa yale waliyokubaliana mjini Entebbe. Hali hii imeleta maswali kuhusu uimara wa jumuiya ya Afrika, mshikamano kati ya nchi wanachama, mwelekeo wa jumuiya hiyo, na hata kuonesha dosari zilizopo ndani ya jumuiya hiyo zinazotakiwa kushughulikiwa.

Rais wa Rwanda, Paul Kagame (kushoto) akitembea pamoja na Rais wa Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza (katikati) na Rais wa Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete (kulia) Walipowasili kwenye Mkutano wa 14 wa EAC wa Viongozi wa Mataifa ya Ushirikiano huo jijini Nairobi, Novemba 30, 2012

Ili tufahamu vizuri undani wa kinachotokea sasa, ni vizuri tukiangalia hali halisi ya kiuchumi katika nchi za jumuiya hiyo, na tuelewe ni kwanini mikutano kadhaa imefanyika bila Tanzania na Burundi kualikwa. Kwanza ni vema tukitambua wazi kuwa, kwa sasa Kenya ni nchi yenye uchumi imara zaidi kati ya nchi wanachama wa jumuiya ya Afrika na uchumi wake wa soko umekomaa zaidi kuliko ule wa Tanzania. Kukomaa kwa mfumo wa soko kunahitaji milango ya jumuiya iwe wazi zaidi, ili uchumi inufaike na fursa zinazotokana na matunda ya soko la jumuiya. Kwa Kenya mikutano mwili iliyofanyika bila kuwahusisha marais wa Tanzania na Burundi, kimsingi inalenga hilo. Bila shaka Uganda na Rwanda pia zinajua kuwa zitanufaika, kwa hiyo kimsingi nazo pia zina maslahi ya kiuchumi.

Lakini tukiangalia kwa upande wa Tanzania, ambayo uchumi wake unachukua nafasi ya pili katika jumuiya ambao kwa kiasi fulani unaanza kuonekana kutishia nafasi ya ule wa Kenya, hatua ya Kenya kuamua kwa ghafla kujenga reli kutoka Mombasa kupitia Kampala hadi Kigali, ni jaribio la kujihami kutokana na ushindani utakaoletwa na bandari ya kisasa inayojengwa Bagamoyo. Sio siri kuwa, kama bandari ya Bagamoyo ikikamilika na kuendeshwa kitaalamu bila “uswahili” kama ilivyo kwa bandari ya sasa ya Dar es salaam, bandari ya Mombasa itachukua nafasi ya pili katika jumuiya. Hali hiyo itakuwa ndoto ya jinamizi kwa Kenya, kwa hiyo kwa kutumia jicho la hatua za kujihami, hatua ya Kenya kwa upande fulani inaeleweka.

Hata hivyo, tukiangalia nyuma zaidi tunaweza pia kuona kuwa siku zote uhusiano kwenye mambo ya uchumi kati ya Kenya na Tanzania umekuwa ni mwongozo wa maendeleo ya jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki, na vizuri tukiwa wakweli kuwa mambo hayo ndio yatakayoimarisha na ndio yaliyoivunja jumuiya. Kama uhusiano kati ya nchi hizo mbili kiuchumi unaendelea vizuri, basi kwa ujumla mambo ya jumuiya yataendelea vizuri, na kama kukiwa na mivutano kati ya nchi hizo mbili kiuchumi, basi jumuiya pia inatetereka. Kwa sasa hakuna haja ya kuwa na wasiwasi kama ilivyokuwa mwaka 1967, wakati jumuiya ilikuwa ni mali ya serikali na marais wa nchi, na uhai wake kutegemea zaidi nia yao, kwa sasa jumuiya ni mali ya watu, na hasa kwa wakenya na watanzania ambao wamekuwa na maingiliano makubwa.

Tanzania imekuwa inashiriki kwenye jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki kwa jicho la tahadhari kubwa. Kila mara inatafakari kwa makini na hata kuchelewa kusaini au kupitisha mikataba ya ushirikiano, kama inahisi kuwa hatua hiyo italeta matata kwa maslahi ya nchi na wananchi wake. Na uzuri ni kuwa kwa sasa Tanzania ina mibadala mingi ya uchumi, kwa hiyo haiko kwenye mkao wa kuburutwa. Katika miaka iliyopita Kenya imekuwa ikilalamika mara kwa mara kuwa Tanzania inachelewesha utekelezaji wa makubaliano yaliyofikiwa na viongozi wa nchi wanachama, na Tanzania imekuwa ikitoa maelezo mengi ya hali hiyo na kufikia hata kutosaini baadhi ya vipengele vya ushirikiano, kwa kusema inahitaji muda wa kujiandaa na kuwa na uwezo wa kushiriki kwenye vipengele hivyo. Chelewa chelewa hii ya Tanzania imewafanya wajumbe wengine waone kuwa Tanzania inawachelewesha, ndio maana wamekosa uvumilivu na kuamua kutangulia.

Tofauti za kiuchumi kati ya nchi wanachama, ilikuwa ni moja ya sababu kubwa zilizochangia kufa kwa Jumuiya ya Afrika ya kwanza mwaka 1967. Kimsingi muundo wa uchumi wa nchi za Afrika Mashariki bado haujabadilika sana, kwa hiyo changamoto zilizosababisha jumuiya ya kwanza kufa [Kenya kupiga hatua zaidi kiviwanda vingi na kunufaika zaidi na soko la jumuiya kuliko nchi nyingine, watu wake kuwa na viwango vya juu vya elimu na mafunzo ya kazi kuliko wa nchi nyingine na kunufaika zaidi na soko la ajira, na kutokana na msingi mzuri wa uchumi inapata vitega uchumi vingi kutoka nje kwa kutumia jina la jumuiya kuliko nchi nyingine wanachama, na kutokana na kukusanya mitaji mingi ya ndani inaweza hata kuwekeza katika nchi wanachama], kama hazitashughulikiwa kwa makini huenda zitaendelea kuwa changamoto kubwa kwa jumuiya ya sasa.

Kumekuwa na hali fulani ya kujidanganya kwa sisi watanzania na kwa kudanganywa na wakusanya takwimu za uchumi wa jumuiya kutoka Kenya, kuwa na sisi watanzania sasa tunanufaika na soko la jumuiya kwa kuwa exports zetu zinazokwenda kwenye soko la jumuiya zimeongezeka. Pamoja na kuwa kuna ka-ukweli fulani kwenye takwimu hizo, kimsingi bado Tanzania ni soko la Kenya, kwa mitaji, bidhaa na hata nguvu kazi, na mitaji, bidhaa na nguvu kazi kutoka Tanzania ni kama havionekani nchini Kenya. Kwa hali yoyote ile hali hii haikubaliki na hii si maana ya jumuiya, au sio lengo la jumuiya. Na kama hali hii ikiendelea kwa muda mrefu bila shaka kwa Tanzania jumuiya haitakuwa na maana iliyotarajiwa.

Huna haja ya kuwa Profesa wa uchumi kujua ni vipi Kenya inanufaika na raslimali za Tanzania au za Jumuiya kwa ujumla, na vipi Tanzania inajikongoja au kuinufaisha zaidi jumuiya kuliko kunufaika yenyewe. Katika mkoa wowote, wilaya yoyote na mji wowote wa Tanzania, ukienda supamaketi, dukani, kwenye kioski na hata kwa mama ntilie, huwezi kukosa bidhaa za Kenya. Kuanzia chumvi, mafuta, sabuni, dawa, vyombo vya usafi na vyombo vya kupikia nk, vingi vinatoka Kenya. Ukivuka mpaka na kuingia Kenya huwezi kuona bidhaa yoyote kutoka Tanzania, kama ukiipata labda utapata sigara au pombe, vilivyoingia kwenye sehemu za mpakani za Kenya kwa njia za panya.

Hata hivyo kuna mambo mapya yaliyotokeza kabla ya jumuiya mpya kuanzishwa yanayoifanya Kenya isiwe na furaha, ambayo yanaitaka ifanye juhudi zaidi ya kupanua wigo wake wa ushirikiano ili inufaike zaidi na soko la Jumuiya. Mwaka 2000 wakati jumuiya mpya ya Afrika Mashariki inafufuliwa, Tanzania ilikuwa kwenye jumuiya nyingine ya uchumi (jumuiya ya maendeleo ya nchi za Kusini mwa Afrika SADC), uanachama wa Tanzania kwenye jumuiya ya SADC hauifurahishi Kenya na mara kwa mara Kenya imekuwa ikiishawishi Tanzania ijitoe SADC. Uanachama Tanzania kwa SADC umeifanya Tanzania iwe wazi kwa bidhaa kutoka Afrika, hali hii inafanya viwanda vya Kenya vikabiliwe na changamoto kubwa zaidi. Hali hii pia inaihimiza Kenya kuchukua hatua za kuhakikisha inakuwa na nguvu ya ushindani kwenye soko la Afrika Mashariki.

Kwenye upande wa siasa, kwa sasa hali kwa ujumla ni nzuri. Nchi zote wanachama zinatambua kuwa jumuiya ni muhimu kwao, na kauli zinazotolewa na pande zote licha ya kuonesha hasira na kejeli. Watanzania na wakenya, wanajua kuwa marais wao wa sasa wataondoka madarakani baada ya vipindi vyao vya miaka 10 kumalizika, kwa hiyo wanachoangalia ni vipi jumuiya iendelee kama taasisi, na sio kama gari linalotegemea watu wawili. Ndio maana msemaji wa Ikulu ya Tanzania hivi karibuni alinukuliwa akisema Tanzania haina wazo la kujitoa kwenye jumuiya hiyo.

Hata hivyo jinamizi la tofauti binafsi kati ya waliokuwa marais wa nchi wanachama wa jumuiya ya kwanza (Jomo Kenyatta, Idd Amini na Julius Nyerere) zilichangia sana kuifanya jumuiya ivunjike. Na sasa kuna tofauti za wazi kabisa kati ya Rais wa Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete na Rais wa Rwanda Paul Kagame, hasa baada ya Rais wa Tanzania kuishauri Rwanda kufanya mazungumzo na waasi wa kundi la FDLR walioko nchini DRC wanaoipinga serikali ya nchi hiyo, na Rais wa Rwanda kukataa kufanya mazungumzo na waasi wa kundi la FLDR. Tofauti hizo zilianza kujionesha kwenye mambo ya uchumi, baada ya Rwanda kuamua kuyatoza ushuru mkubwa malori yanayoingia katika nchi hiyo kutoka Tanzania, na baadaye kuacha kutumia bandari ya Tanzania na kuanza kutumia bandari ya Mombasa. Jambo hili ambalo nchi tatu waanzilishi wa jumuiya zilisema halitatokea tena, sasa linaonekana kuleta kivuli cha yaliyotokea mwaka 1967.     

Mbali na changamoto kubwa ya uchumi na tofauti za kisiasa, tatizo kubwa linaloisumbua jumuiya kwa sasa ni kuwa imefikia kwenye hatua ya utekelezaji wa vipengele ambavyo ni changamoto kubwa kwa maslahi makuu ya nchi (prerogatives of states). Pamoja na kuwa viongozi wa nchi za Afrika Mashariki wanajua kuwa siasa za umoja na ushirikiano ni nzuri na zina manufaa, ukweli ni kwamba umoja na ushirikiano ukihimizwa kwa kasi unakuwa na madhara ya muda mfupi ambayo baadhi ya watu hasa wale wasiojua undani wake hawakutarajia. Matokeo yake ni kuwa wakati wa kupiga hatua za utekelezaji wa mambo ya kuelekea shirikisho la kisiasa, baadhi wanaanza kushtuka na kusema, kama Jumuiya ina maana kuwa hatutapata import tax toka kwa nchi inayouza bidhaa nyingi Tanzania basi kuna dosari, kama jumuiya ina maana matajiri kutoka nchi nyingine ya jumuiya watakuja kuvamia ardhi yetu kwa kisingizio cha jumuiya basi kuna dosari, kama jumuiya ina maana watu kutoka nchi nyingine watakuja kuchukua ajira zetu na sisi hatuwezi kupata ajira kwao basi hatutaki, kama jumuiya ina maana jina la nchi yetu litatumiwa kuomba fedha kwa ajili ya miradi ya kuzinufaisha nchi nyingine basi hatutaki, kama jumuiya ina maana wahalifu kutoka nchi moja wataingia kwa urahisi katika nchi nyingine basi ni tatizo, kama jumuiya ina maana kuna wakati tutakuwa na wanachama ambao tuna tofauti za kisiasa, basi haifai.

Haya ni mambo ambayo yalitokea na bado yanatokea hata kwenye jumuiya kubwa kama Umoja wa Ulaya na hata shirikisho la Marekani, kwa hiyo ni mambo ambayo yalitakiwa kuzingatiwa na kupatiwa majibu kabla ya kujiunga na jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki, lakini inaonekana kuwa hadi sasa baadhi ya watu hawajui, ndio maana sauti za manung’uniko zimeanza kusikika. Labda tunaweza kusema tuliingia kwenye jumuiya kutokana na kushawishiwa, kuiga mkumbo lakini sio baada ya kutafakari kwa makini na kuangalia pande zote za shilingi. Ukweli ni kuwa, kutokana na kutojiandaa vya kutosha changamoto hizo zitaendelea kuwepo na zitazidi kuwa kubwa kadiri maingiliano ya kiuchumi yanavyozidi kuongezeka. Lakini ikilinganishwa na manufaa ya kiuchumi kwa nchi zote wanachama, bado jumuiya ni muhimu sana kuliko changamoto hizo zinazoweza kuondolewa moja baada ya moja na hatua baada ya hatua. Pamoja na kuwa rais Jakaya Kikwete alisema bungeni kuwa Tanzania haifikirii kujitoa, kauli za kutishia kujitoa kwenye jumuiya zilizotolewa na baadhi ya wanasiasa ni dalili ya woga, kutokuwa wawajibikaji na kukwepa ukweli. Pia ni kuchafua sura ya Tanzania na hata sifa ndogo ya Tanzania iliyobaki kwa sasa, na kuonekana kuwa sisi ni “quitters” na sio “fighters”. Tanzania inatakiwa ipigane ndani ya jumuiya, na kuifanya iwe mwanachama wa kweli. Wanasiasa wetu wafanye kazi ya kujenga uchumi wenye nguvu ya kushindana, wafanye kazi ya kuweka yanayohitajika ili Tanzania iweze kuwa mwanachama wa kweli.

Kibaya zaidi ni pale unaposikia kauli kuwa kama kutakuwa na haja ya kujitoa swala hili litajadiliwa na wabunge. Tatizo ni kuwa mwamko, uelewa na elimu kuhusu Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki kwa watanzania bado viko chini sana. Kila mara nikipata bahati ya kuongea na wakenya wa kawaida na watanzania wa kawaida kuhusu jumuiya, ninachogundua ni kuwa wakenya wengi hata wale wa mitaani wenye elimu ndogo kabisa, wana mwamko mkubwa kuhusu jumuiya ya Afrika mashariki na wanajua ni vipi jumuiya itawanufaisha, na wanaiunga mkono serikali yao kwa hatua inazochukua kuhusu jumuiya. Wanaelewa maana ya soko huria (duty free trade on member states) na maana yake kiuchumi kwa uchumi wa nchi yao, hata ukiwauliza maana ya rules of origin na manufaa yake kwa Kenya wanaweza kukueleza ni nini, kwa ujumla unaweza kuona hata wana uchangamfu (enthusiasm) na jumuiya. Lakini ukiwauliza watanzania walio wengi (bahati mbaya sana hata baadhi ya tuliowachagua kuwa wawakilishi wetu, na wale walioteuliwa kuongoza idara mbalimbali) hawajui jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki ni nini zaidi ya kujua jina. Hawajui inaweza kuwa na hatari gani na manufaa gani kwa usalama wa kiuchumi wa Tanzania, wengine hata hawajui kama wanaiunga mkono serikali au kuipinga inapofanya maamuzi kuhusu jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki, na wengine wanafanya hivyo kwa ushabiki tu. Kwa hiyo wakati tunafufua jumuiya tukawa tunasikia tu hiki kimepitishwa kile kimepitishwa, na tumekuwa ndani ya jumuiya. Lakini kilichokuwa kinaonekana wazi ni kuwa, hata wanasiasa wetu waliokuwa wanashiriki kwenye vikao, ni kama walikuwa wanalazimika kuridhia, lakini economic realities za Tanzania zilikuwa zinawasuta.

Lakini jambo la muhimu ambalo sisi watanzania tunatakiwa kujiangalia na kulipatia ufumbuzi, ni “uswahili” na siasa za “uswahili”. Siasa za uswahili zinaendelea kuitafuna nchi yetu, na ushahidi upo kwenye taasisi, idara, makampuni, familia, vikundi na vyama na mashirika mengi tunayoyaendesha. Pamoja na kuwa tunatumia maneno “urasimu” na “ukiritimba”, lakini kikubwa zaidi ya hayo ni “uswahili” na “ushkaji”. Inaweza kuonekana kuwa hatuna tafsiri sahihi ya maneno “uswahili” na “ushkaji”, na hakuna utafiti uliofanyika hadi sasa kuhusu  mambo haya na madhara yake kwa siasa, uchumi na jamii ya Tanzania, lakini watanzania wengine wanaofuatilia uongozi na uendeshaji wa taasisi zetu hapa Tanzania wanajua mambo haya ni nini. Kwa sasa elimu, uzoefu, ujuzi, uchapaji kazi, sio tena misingi wa uongozi Tanzania, badala yake mambo ambayo kwa ujumla wake tunaweza kuyaita uswahili ndio yanatawala mambo hapa Tanzania. Kwa wakenya kukataa uswahili, si jambo baya, sidhani kama ni busara kwa wao kukumbatia hasa kutokana na kuona jinsi unavyoitafuna Tanzania.

Yesterday I showed what the CHADEMA leadership would have to contend with, just in case they decided to expel from the party, former Deputy Secretary General, Kabwe Zitto, former Central Committee member, Dr Kitila Mkumbo and the former Arusha Chadema regional Chairman, Samson Mwigamba.

Let’s today focus on the document prepared and written by the University of Dar es Salaam lecturer, Dr Mkumbo, who has also admitted being the sole author of the document.  

All contents contained in that document are not only spot on, but also good and harmless.

However, the only problem with the contents in that document is that they were secretly prepared!

Had Dr Mkumbo and his colleagues, Zitto and Mwigamba, uttered the contents contained in that document at an official Chadema meeting, they would not have had the problem they now face!

But by preparing the document secretly until it was discovered by the Chadema leadership in Mwigamba’s laptop, they have ended up raising more questions than answers!

One of the questions raised through their secretly prepared document is the ‘conviction’ on the part of the Chadema leadership that the trio have had meetings on the party, but outside the party’s official meetings!

In fact, this explains why Dr Mkumbo was quick to explain that he was the sole author of the document and that Zitto had nothing to do with the document.

He said that precisely because he wanted to show the Chadema leadership that being a lone ranger there was nothing wrong in doing what he did.

Of course, such an argument would have only held water had the document been found in his laptop.

But the fact that the document was fished out of Mwigamba’s laptop has complicated the matter for the University don and Mwigamba!

Simply put, it implies that much as the document may have been prepared by Dr Mkumbo, as admitted by the University of Dar es Salaam don, but it was later circulated to others including Mwigamba!

This case can be compared to what led one of the founders of opposition parties in Tanzania, Mr James Mapalala, to detention over three decades ago, allegedly after he started spreading, in writing, his opposition views to other people.

Before that, Mapalala, had confined his arguments for the establishment of multiparty politics in Tanzania with the chairman of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) who also happened to be the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Julius Nyerere.

Reports have it that for years, Mapalala had exchanged views over multipartism with Dr Nyerere, and because he did not share such views, in writing, with other Tanzanians, there was no problem.

However, the moment Mapalala started sharing his ideas, in writing, with a wider audience and in a country where one party state was enshrined in the Constitution, he was deemed to have broken the law, hence his detention.

Therefore when Dr Mkumbo’s document popped up in Mwigamba’s laptop, one could not blame the Chadema leadership for believing that much as it may have been the sole work of the university don, but it was a document known to more than one person, hence the emergency of the conspiracy theory!

Somewhere Dr Mkumbo argues that Chadema leaders’ belief in the existence of a conspiracy theory is wrong because it was in the same vein that he had prepared the special seats formula which finally ended the ruling party’s increased criticisms over Chadema’s selection of its special seats member of parliament.

There is certainly no doubt that Dr Mkumbo’s formula was splendid.

But having come up with such innovative formula one would have expected the learned lecturer to have presented the argument contained in his document to the Chadema leadership!

Therefore what raised more questions over the possession of such a document by the duo was the fact that these were not ordinary Chadema members, but highly placed leaders who had the opportunity of expressing the contents of the document at Chadema’s highest seating that include the Central Committee.

It is therefore the decision of the trio not to do that that forced the Chadema leadership to consider the presence of such a document as inimical to the leadership.

Outside the document, other problems which could have been viewed as minor problems by some but may, at the end of the day, compound any possibility of being pardon by the Chadema leadership was the presence, during the press conference, of people that are considered by opposition party as inimical to their cause.

These were people who were sacked by the opposition party and later joined the ruling party, CCM.

Of course, there is nothing wrong about mingling with members of other political parties, including those who had been expelled from Chadema.

But certainly one does not do that just when you are engaged in a life and death over issues that are more or less similar to those that led to the sacking of the very people who have now elected to accompany you to a meeting where you plan to declare your loyality to the very party that has stripped you of your post!

The point is, the presence of such people in that press conference could make it extremely difficult for moderates within Chadema to fight, on behalf of the trio, for clemency.

In short, the presence of former Chadema members at the press conference was a political miscalculation on the part of the Zitto team and it may cost them dearly ahead of the 2015 general election!

Hatufikirii kujikwamua tulipokwama na tumeanza kutoelewana baada ya miaka hamsini ya kujitawala. Siasa zetu hazina kichwa wala miguu! Kwetu uzoefu wa kujitawala umetulegeza badala ya kutukomaza hatufanyi vizuri kwenye lolote si elimu wala michezo!

Mitaani ‘’wavuja jasho’’ (kwa lugha ya mwalimu Shivji) tunalalamika na sijui tunamlalamikia nani labda ni Mungu lakini kama malalamiko yetu ni kwa watawala wetu watoto wa mjini wanasema ‘’imekula kwetu’’ kwani hao watawala wetu nao mafundi wa kulalamika.

Inaonekana Mwalimu Nyerere alikuwa akilemaza jamii yetu kwa kufikiri kwa niaba ya watu wengi. Alivyoondoka aliondoka na fikra zake.Wenye kazi ya kufikiri yaani wasomi na wataalamu wetu wengi wamebaki kile kwa kimombo huitwa ‘‘Ivory towers’’ tafiti zao zinazolipiwa na wafadhili nadhani zinabaki kuwa za wafadhili wamebaki kuwa wasomi maslahi!

Mitaani, watu wana misongo ya mawazo wanawaza bila majibu na labda wameambiwa hali bora ya maisha yao italetwa na katiba mpya kwa hiyo wanasubiri. Watu wana hasira na mara nyingine hawajui hasira hizo wazielekezee wapi! Kwa hiyo unaingia kwenye dala dala mtu anakukanyaga na ukilalamika unajibiwa na aliyekukanyaga kwa sauti; ‘‘si ungepanda taksi’’ badala ya kuambiwa samahani.

Hasira hazipelekwi kwa wenye kutusababishia shida na madhila kwenye maisha yetu bali yanaelekezwa kwa maskini wenzetu. La haula! Watu pamoja na shida zetu wamekuwa hawajipendi na ugumu wa maisha unafanya unadhifu kuwa anasa wengine hawaogi, hawapigi mswaki asubuhi hata kama usiku jana yake mtu alitandika gongo (pombe haramu) iliyochacha ili angalau apate usingizi na kusahau shida zake.

Wao wanaiita haramu, wakitaka watu wanywe gongo halali zile za viwandani……hawasemi hii haichangii pato la taifa ila inachangia maskini kujiwezesha. Nani hajui hata baadhi ya viongozi na maprofesa wamesomeshwa na biashara hizi za gongo. Acheni utani!…..aargh ngoja tuyaache haya ya gongo.

Tunaambiwa tusiwe na wasiwasi kwani tuko kwenye kisiwa cha amani. Kwangu amani ambayo watawala waihubiri nadhani ni utulivu wanaoupata wao kwenye “viti vyao vya enzi” kwenye utawala bila kusahau “mashangingi” ati siku hizi wanayaita “kilimo kwanza” na sio hali bora za maisha ya watu wa kawaida.

Kiufupi wakubwa wetu hawabughudhiwi hata wakija na maajabu yoyote kwa mfano kufuatia sakata la Tanzania kutengwa na Kenya, Rwanda na Uganda baada ya kuanzishwa kwa ‘‘umoja wa walio tayari’’ kwenye jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki waziri wetu mmoja akatuambia Tanzania inasubiri talaka.

Lakini siye ndo dume kadiri ya bwana mkubwa mwingine! Waziri mwingine akaibuka akadai sisi ndo tutatoa talaka. Lakini loh! Rais alipokuja akatuonyesha kwamba hatungoji talaka na wala hatuna mpango wa kutoa talaka!

Kama walikuwa wanashindana kati yao mawaziri hao kufuatia hotuba ya Rais basi hamna mshindi.

Maigizo mengine ni kwenye elimu kiongozi mmoja aliutangazia umma juu ya upangaji mpya wa madaraja ya kufaulu elimu ya sekondari na kudai badala ya daraja sifuri kutakuwa na daraja la tano, wakati tukiendelea kubun’gaa macho mwingine kaibuka kwamba daraja sifuri liko pale pale. Sasa sijui tumsubiri rais aje kutuondolea utata wa kati ya hao wawili au tumchague wa kumwamini nadhani patakuwa na mshindi hapo au kuondoa utata tuwe na madaraja yote yanayogombewa ili ngoma iwe ‘‘droo’’.

Watanzania kimya! hata baada ya masikhara hayo kwenye mambo ya msingi tunakenua tu!! Mikanganyiko mitupu ila la kushukuru ni kuwa watanzania ni wasikivi wana masikio na vifua vya kutosha kuyahifadhi yote nchi nyingine uvumilivu huo nadra hasa!

Shida nyingine kubwa na tishio ni kwamba tofauti zetu zinapanuka kwa kasi ya ajabu na kwa historia ya binadamu ilivyo kwenye dalili za sintofahamu kuu ni kwamba tofauti za kidini, kabila, rangi, elimu, matabaka huibuka au kuibuliwa na kila mwenye kutafuta pa kushika.

Kwanini hayo maendeleo ya kiuchumi tunayoimbiwa hayapunguzi nakisi ya kipato baina yetu na kuimarisha umoja wetu? Jibu ni moja ukuaji wa uchumi hautuhusu watu wa kawaida bali unachangia ukuaji wa mitaji ya kimataifa ambapo ‘‘wachovu’’ huwa ni waangaliaji tu wa treni hiyo ya michuzi (gravy train).

Watu wa kawaida wanaoishi kwenye hali ya umaskini wamekufa ganzi na wale wa daraja la kati (middle class) ambao huwa wanaleta chachu ya mabadiliko kwenye nchi nyingine zilizoendelea na zinazoendelea hawaonyeshi kuguswa na yanayoendelea hapa kwetu wanaangalia namna gani watamudu kujiimarisha zaidi na zaidi na labda na wao kuingia daraja la kwanza.

Sababu ni kwamba hawana motisha ya kufanya hivyo almuradi kutajirika kwa mbinu zozote zile imekuwa kama ni ruhusa vile kwa hiyo wengi wako kwenye kuusaka huo utajiri (utajiri uchwara kimsingi ukifananisha na matajiri wa kweli hapa duniani). Kuna baadhi ya viongozi wanajitahidi kidogo na si ajabu ukisikia wakisifiwa mitaani kwetu kwa hili au lile inaonyesha bado watu wanaamini kwamba ‘viongozi’ wetu wanaweza kutusaidia.

Chonde chonde mlio kwenye utawala msiipoteze angalau hiyo imani kidogo iliyobaki isipotee ikipotea tumepotea.

Some of Tanzania government’s development partners (DPs) recently expressed concern over what, in their opinion, appears to be the government’s failure to deal with wanton killings, for their tusks, of elephants and rhinos.

It would be recalled that barely a decade ago, rhinos in Tanzania were declared by the government as an endangered species.

And in order to address the problem, the government was forced later to import a few rhinos from South Africa.

The arrival of the animals was marked by increased protection by game scouts.

However, the increased protection of the animals did not stop poachers from killing the South Africa imported rhinos!

The list of endangered species has now encroached on the elephants whose population is being decimated with each passing day what with the continued discovery of hundreds of elephant tusks in the country’s ports and airports.

The biggest haul was recently discovered at the Zanzibar port just as it was about to be shipped out of the country to a destination in one of the Asian countries.

According to the Zanzibar port authority, the elephant tusks haul weighed more than two tones!

The discovery of the elephant tusks at the Zanzibar port came barely two weeks after the suspension of what came to be known as Operation Tokomeza (Operation destroy the poachers).

But now the Director General of the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA), Mr Allan Kijazi says the anti-poaching operation which was suspended allegedly for violating human rights will soon be re-introduced.

The Operation Tokomeza was suspended after an outcry from Members of Parliament sitting in Dodoma who claimed that in the course of its implementation, those entrusted with the task of dealing with poachers had violated human rights of innocent people!

The Mps were so vocal and unison in their condemnation of the operation that the government was forced to suspend the operation in order to probe the allegations.

What was however, quite interesting about the Mps’ allegations is that they did not tell the very people they claim to represent in the august House that some of them had actually used (misued) the same operation in settling political scores!

One long serving Mp (name withheld) set anti-poachers against his political opponent who had always given him a run for his man during parliamentary election (the name of the Mp’s opponent is withheld).

The anti-poachers set on the hapless man who admitted having been involved in poaching, but three decades ago, but he had since stopped having turned to agriculture where he had been roundly frustrated by the Mp from the ruling party!

The man went on to direct them to the son of the Mp who he claimed was heavily involved in killing of elephants for their tusks.

And when the anti-poachers conducted a swoop at the Mp’s son, they discovered a number of elephant tusks and the beating started there and then when the Mp’s son tried to disown a glaring evidence sitting in his own house!

Therefore the hunter (through his father, the Mp) now became the hunted!

It was after the incident that a word reached the Mp who galvanized other Mps whose children, relatives and friends had also been involved in poaching to call for the suspension of the operation!

Now the million dollar question is will the government have the audacity of dealing with powerful Mps, mostly from the ruling party, involved in killing of elephants and rhinos?

Security institutions entrusted with anti-poaching activities have shown one thing; their ability to arrest all those involved in poaching activities.

However, the only problem that always face them is interference by politicians involved in the vice!

A few weeks ago, one of the local English dailies, The Citizen, carried a story quoting some foreign organization as saying that Tanzania was one of the few African countries that had done well in good governance!

Now what is this animal called good governance the insistence of which is harped on, almost on a daily basis, by what have come to be referred to as Development Partners?

Good governance is about the processes for making and implementing decisions. It’s not about making ‘correct’ decisions, but about the best possible processes for making those decisions. Some of the important principles of good governance are accountability, participation and transparency.

For those who have been following closely daily happenings in our local media, they may have come across a story that links a former cabinet minister to raping of a 16 year girl and infecting her with virus which eventually cause HIV aids.

Some of the local papers actually went farther to carry sms messages from the former cabinet minister admonishing the hapless girl that whatever she did against him would come to a nought because he was untouchable!

And as a mark of the awe with which security organs dared not to touch him, his sons were heavily involved in drug trafficking, but he claimed that they were left (by the authority) scot-free!

Now what was very disheartening about this macabre story is that when members of the media asked the Dar es Salaam Zonal Police Commander, Suleiman Kova, what action the police planned to take against the former cabinet minister, Kova said nothing as what was going on between the man and the girl was a private matter!

It was therefore not surprising that when Commander Kova made the outrageous statement, the Tamwa (Tanzania Women Media Workers) Chairperson, Valerie Msoka, condemned the authorities for their failure to commit the alleged rapist to the court of law.

However, the twists and turns over the untouchable former cabinet minister did not end there.

Later the former cabinet minister flew out of the country, having been allowed to do so by the powers that be!

And the public was later told by the media that the man had been send abroad for some important business!

To date, nothing has been done by the authority over the matter and the former cabinet minister and University of Dar es Salaam don is a free as molecule in the air!

Many political analysts believe that the police’s failure to arrest the man is due to the fact that he is not only a member of parliament, but more importantly, he is coming from the ruling party, CCM.

According to the Tanzania’s Penal Code, rape carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Of course, this is not the first time that a ruling party bigwig has been left scot-free.

Barely a few months ago, a member of parliament from Chadema party accused a very senior official of the ruling party of being directly involved in export of elephant tusks but to date no steps have been taken against the official despite his (the ruling party official) own admission that although the company that had transported the elephant tusks to China was his, ‘but he personally he had nothing to do with the elephant tusks haul!

Another member of parliament from the ruling party in one of the three districts in Dar es Salaam has repeatedly been accused by some of the ruling party’s MPs of being linked to drug trafficking, again no steps have been taken by the authority against the man.

And many analysts strongly attribute the authorities’ inaction to the fact that the alleged drug peddler is a member of the ruling party.

Many people however, wonder what would have happened had the foregoing been members of an opposition party!

 But as the country slowly inches towards the 2015 general election, many observers are of the views that unless the government does something about its wayward leaders, it may pay heavily in the forthcoming general election!

The torrential rains which fell in Dar es Salaam today have once again laid one thing bare!

That the city has the worst sewage infrastructure and this is very unfortunate for a country that has been independent for the last 50 years!

A number of roads in the city centre were literally turned into rivers, forcing people to take shelter for fear of being splashed with water mostly from toilets by on passing vehicles.

The rains which in certain Dar es Salaam suburbs started a few minutes past midnight, turned Dar es Salaam upside down!

As soon as the torrential rain was replaced with a drizzle, traffic jams set in all over the city and the region.

And those behind the wheels, from bicycles to motorcyclists and from saloon cars to heavy duty vehicles tried their level best to cope up with their respective nightmares!

What was very discouraging was to see even roads currently being handled by international contractors like the Morogoro-Ubungo road also showing no signs of improvement!

In certain sections like the city centre, close to the junction of Jamhuri and Morogoro road and from Mwembechai to Kagera the service roads were literally turned into rivers!

If the rains continue for a long, one wonders what would become of the city and its dilapidated sewage infrastructure some of which date to the colonial days!

For instance, I’m not quite sure if the treatment plant installed at the Gymkhana Golf Course was repaired after it broke down in 1980s!

The City Fathers should be in a position to explain this to the public.

After the plant broke down, it was quite normal to see untreated human excrement oozing into the ocean very close to where people swim!

The problem with our city fathers is that they don’t seem to be in control of construction, especially that which is taking place in the city centre!

Fine, lately there have been a telling improvement of the city’s skyline, but the new, quite exciting development is not in tandem with construction of modern sewage system which could have taken care of the tenants of the high rise buildings whose population has more than doubled!

The other problem is caused by the hiring, by the government, of sub-standard contractors like the one currently engaged in the construction of the 12km stretch from Mwenge to Tegeta!

The contractor has been using not less than six months to build one bridge! But when talks to senior supervisors at the site, they blame the government for delaying payments to the contractor!

A few days ago the Minister for Works, Dr John Pombe Magufuli blasted sub-standard contractors for shoddy work.

Much as the minister may be right in blaming such contractors, but the government cannot remain blameless for giving tenders to poor contractors!

For the truth of the matter is that once a contractor is awarded a project, there is somebody, a consultant, paid by the government to ensure that the contractor works as agreed.

If that is the arrangement, why does it always take so long before realizing that somebody has already messed up a job when there was an expert, dully paid by the government, to supervise implementation of the project?

This is the question that ought to be answered by Dr Magufuli and his colleagues that includes his deputy who is an engineer.

Dr Magufuli ought to tell the nation why the government is always caught napping by wayward contractors!

The other problem lies with the city’s Dala Dala operators. After the departure of that creative man, David Mwaibula, there is nothing but chaos in city roads!

Dala Dala operators do as they like not speak of the foul language that their conductors use against commuters.

One hopes that the road network currently being worked on by the German construction company, Strabag, would be completed soon to allow the operation of the special, articulated buses.

It is important that the City Fathers deal with one or two companies rather than what we have, a plethora of Dala Dala operators.

It is easier to deal with one or two companies that what we have at the moment.

Si rahisi kwa binadamu yeyote kukubali ushauri wa daktari pale anapogundulika amepatwa na ugonjwa wa shinikizo la damu.

Na, mazoea yanaonyesha kuwa inakuwa ngumu zaidi pale daktari anapo mshauri mgonjwa husika kutumia dawa maisha yake yote, ili kudhibiti madhara yatakanayo na kupanda kwa shinikizo la damu.

Madaktari hutaja baadhi ya madhara yatokanayo na kutotibiwa au kutodhibitiwa kwa ugonjwa wa shinikizo la damu.

Lakini hii ndiyo hali halisi hapa Tanzania na kwingineko duniani ambako kupanda kwa shinikizo la damu hudhuru mamilioni ya watu. Huku takwimu kutoka Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO) zikionyesha kwamba mmoja kati ya watatu duniani ameathiriwa na ugonjwa huu.

Sababu nyingi huathiri ugonjwa wa shinikizo la damu kama wingi wa maji mwilini, wingi wa chumvi mwilini, homoni, kiwango cha mishughuliko, hali ya joto au hali ya baridi, hali ya hisia, hali ya figo, mfumo wa neva, na mishipa ya damu.

Last week the so called Coalition of the Willing (CoW) surreptitiously forged by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, was swept under the carpet and the three members accepted, grudgingly, Tanzania and Burundi into their fold.

The CoW members had no option, given the mastery delivery, a week earlier, of President Jakaya Kikwete’s speech on the issue.

Dr Kikwete’s speech, which was not only air-tight, but also legally and diplomatically laced, was the best he has ever delivered since he became the President of the United Republic of Tanzania eight years ago!

However, much as the CoW members appear, on the surface, to have buried their bustard baby, but Tanzania should treat the three members with utmost caution!

For there are all signs that the three countries are still scheming, particularly against Tanzania, and the latter does not seem to have learnt anything from the breakup of the original EAC!

And talking about the ‘signs’ one has simply got to listen very careful to Presient Uhuru Kenyatta’s speech when he was inaugurating the construction of the standard railroad from Mombasa to Uganda to pick up those hidden hints!

The Kenyan president was very sarcastic about claims made by Tanzania and Burundi that they were being isolated.

After being forced to establish a new airline (Air Tanzania Corporation which we are still building!), at a staggering cost, and other services which had hitherto been handled jointly, Tanzania still believes that countries like Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda are serious in the EAC project!

The fact of the matter is that the three countries are not, and whatever they do about the EAC is always aimed at fulfilling their own hidden agendas!

For instance, for Rwanda, it is about survival, and they have every right to do that and one cannot blame them!

After overcoming the trauma of the 1994 genocide, the Rwandan government has always been forced to look over its shoulders for the former General Juvenal Habyarimana’s troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.

It is therefore the hope of the Rwandan government that through the federation, they would be able to solve the threat posed by the former Rwandan army and interahamwe.

For Uganda, their involvement in the EAC project is more or less similar to that held by the Rwandan government.

President, Yoweri Museveni, would very much like to be the first president of the EAC federation.

The realization of such a dream would help the Ugandan president in getting away from the ‘heat’ he is presently facing in Uganda!

It’s not sexy when a whole director general of intelligence and security just releases some nasty information on your succession plans and finally disappears into oblivion!

Museveni knows once he becomes the EAC Federation president, his enemies in Uganda would not be able to pull the carpet under the feet of whomever he has installed in Kampala as they would be severely and jointly dealt with by the combined defence forces of the region.

As for the Kenyans, their reason for being part of the EAC project is somehow different. They want a bigger market and of course, the land which they could use in off-loading part of their countrymen!

By the way, do you remember how the land question almost threatened Uhuru’s campaign during the March general election?

All the three countries’ personal wishes, as narrated above, can only be realized if Tanzania, whose country’s size can accommodate all the four-kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, agrees to play the ball!

For now, Tanzania has not. Its reluctance to play the ball has been brought about after its populace said they were against fast-tracking of the EAC Federation.

And the reluctance was put in better perspective by President Kikwete in his classic speech, when he said: “We have experience in our own Union (the first and only surviving one in Africa) with Zanzibar.”

Last week, Uganda’s leading English daily, The VISION was very visionary when it wrote that one of the main reasons behind the formation of the CoW was Kenya’s fears that Tanzania would soon overtake her as the biggest economy in the region through its decision to construct the the Bagamoyo port which would be the biggest in Africa.

The paper noted that it was because of such fears that Kenya had managed to influence the two other countries to embark on the construction of a  massive infrastructure in the form of standard railroads that would wean Uganda, Rwanda from the Tanzanian ports, and in particular, the planned construction of the Bagamoyo port.

What the VISION did not however, say is what had motivated both Uganda and Rwanda into joining Kenya.

The truth is that much as the Rwandan government has always disassociated itself from the M23, the fact is that their (M23) presence in eastern DRC (before they were destroyed by UN intervention force) had always helped the Rwandan regime in keeping in check the former Rwandan army and interahamwe forces.

However, after the arrival of the Tanzanian troops under the umbrella of the United Nations intervention force along with troops from South Africa and Malawi, and under the command of a Tanzanian General, Kigali sulked!

And as if that was not bad enough, the worst later happened, the destruction by the UN intervention force of the M23, hence the disappearance, into thin air of Rwanda government’s dreams!

Therefore President Museveni’s impatience in becoming the new chief executive officer of the EAC Federation helped him in becoming a willing player in the ‘defunct’ CoW with the other two presidents from Kenya and Rwanda!

The Tanzania government should now look critically at what I have just narrated, and it will discover that the three issues are still relevant and cannot therefore be swept under the carpet as long as Tanzania does not play the ball!

What should Tanzania do? Should they rush into the EAC? No, they should not! Doing that would be suicidal!

 In fact, Tanzania does not need to waste its time in this animal called the EAC which is presently being pushed, left, right and centre, by our so called Development Partners whose intention is nothing but to get a bigger market!

It is important for Tanzania to bear in mind that ‘those pushing’ EAC countries into the Federation actually want to later use others into bringing pressure to bear on what they consider to be their would-be biggest prize, the United Republic of Tanzania, which does not only have arable land galore, but also all kinds of minerals, including gas and oil.

Therefore the best way of dealing with the CoW, is for Tanzania to do exactly what Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda did as the CoW lasted, and do it very fast, get into construction of standard railroads that would support Bagamoyo port as soon as it’s construction is completed!

Tanzania should approach the same country, China, which provided them with the loan for the construction of the Bagamoyo port to get another massive credit for construction of a network of standard rail in the country that would link Bagamoyo port with countries like Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Burundi and the DRC.

Without linking the new Bagamoyo port with a robust network of railroads, the port could easily be reduced into a massive store for storing imports rather than a gateway of both imports and exports to the rest of the world!

Tanzania’s efficiency in running both the rail network and Bagamoyo port would eventually force countries like Uganda and Rwanda to turn to Bagamoyo port!

The beauty of Tanzania embarking on such project is that it will keep the country in a very strong economic position regardless of whether or not Tanzania is in the EAC!

At the end of the day, Tanzania would not find itself in the same quagmire it found itself in when the original EAC collapsed in June, 1977!

For after the collapse of the original EAC, Tanzania found itself sagging with a massive burden of having to establish new infrastructure after losing those it had jointly participated in, in their construction and which were located in Kenya.

For instance, it had to urgently look for fund for re-establishment of its communication link after losing Longonot in Kenya by building the Mwenge Satellite!

President Jakaya Kikwete on Tuesday, this week, nominated former United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, Member of Parliament.

And a section of the Tanzanian media, led by an authoritative Kiswahili weekly, Raia Mwema, was spot-on in linking the president’s move with his plans to reshuffle the cabinet.

Dr Migiro was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation when her name was given by President Kikwete to the then newly elected United Nations Secretary General, Ban Kin Moon after the latter had requested for the name (preferably that of a woman) for appointing to the newly introduced UN post as a way of appreciating Tanzania’s sterling role in successfully campaigning for him for the top UN job.

Tanzania had been requested by the South Korean government to help her in campaigning (in Africa) for their foreign minister, Ban Kin Moon for the top job.

And the Tanzanian government, for its part, entrusted the difficult task of wooing African countries to one of its finest diplomats, former spy master and lecturer of the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr Augustino Mahiga, who carried out the task with aplomb.

The rest is of course history, for the Tanzanian and Germany trained lawyer and former law lecturer at School of Law at the University of Dar es Salaam would go on to become the first African woman to hold the challenging UN job.

The possibility of the president reshuffling the cabinet became apparent after the ruling party, presently involved in auditing the government’s implementation of the party’s promises made to the electorate during campaigns for the 2010 general election, started complaining over some cabinet ministers’ failure to deliver the party’s promises.

The complaints have, repeatedly, been voiced both by the CCM’s Secretary General, Mr Abdulrahman Kinana and Publicity Secretary, Mr Nape Nnauye.

In fact, at one point, Mr Nnauye at one time, the latter went into the extent of naming names, and when a section of the print media started throwing up their own names, including that of the minister for education who comes from the president’s district, in Bagamoyo, Mr Nnauye was quick to discount the name.

To date, there are only two ministers who are considered even by the general public to be working extremely hard, and that is the Minister for Transport, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe and his former boss, the Minister for Works, Dr John Pombe Magufuli.

Dr Mwakyembe has cleaned the Dar es Salaam port which used to serve as the country’s classical example of corruption into an efficient port.

Dr Mwakyembe is however, still working on the port and he has already warned the country’s leading airports that he would not hesitate to sack an entire shift once it comes to his notice that a consignment of if illicit drugs had gone through such an airport.

The minister caused a stir a few weeks ago when he refused to honour best workers at the Julius Nyerere International Airport, arguing that he could not do so to employees at the very airport which had transformed itself into conduit of drug trafficking.

What the minister was questioning was how the employees had become best workers in such an airport!

Following the minister’s exemplary work at the Dar es Salaam port, poachers recently turned their ill-gotten ware of elephant tusks to the Zanzibar port, but they were equally unsuccessful, hence reflecting, once again, how deep Dr Mwakyembe’s tentacles had run into!

According to political observers, Dr Migiro is likely to be given the justice portfolio with the aim of ensuring that she supervises the final phases of the on-going exercise of writing the the country’s new Constitution.

The Constitution writing exercise recently received a major setback when a law lecturer and senior opposition party leader and constitutional expert, Dr Sengondo Mvungi, died in a South African hospital from injuries sustained from attacks by bandits who had invaded his home a few kilometers outside Dar es Salaam.

President Kikwete who would be stepping down at the end of 2015 after the expiry of his second five year term would like the writing of the new Constitution, which he considers to be one of his major legacies, to be carried out with utmost care.

Dr Migiro is also widely considered to be one of President Kikwete’s pet projects for the ruling party’s candidate for 2015 presidency.

Other candidates in the ruling party that hold an edge in such an exercise on account of the presidency by held by the CCM include, in the order of importance, the former Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa, who helped the election of Kikwete in the 2005 presidential election.

Mr Lowassa however, has a blemish on his name, his alleged involvement in what has come to be referred to as the Richmond scandal.

But some political observers are of the views that since the man took political responsibility when he resigned from the powerful post, he should not be stopped from going for what he wants having served the political sentence.

Mr Lowassa’s strength, should he be allowed to contest is his action oriented character.

The other presidential candidate is the youthful Foreign Minister, Mr Bernard Membe, who has succeeded in mastering the art of diplomacy, the Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Emmanuel Nchimi, a soft, but tough-talking, strategist, the former minister for energy and minerals, Mr William Ngeleja, the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Relations and Coordination), Mr Stephen Wassira who started cutting his political teeth in 1974 when he was appointed Deputy Minister for Agriculture under Mr Joseph Mungai by Dr Julius Nyerere, ,during the first phase government.

The anticipated cabinet reshuffle would be very significant, given its proximity to the 2015 general election.

South Africa’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, has finally succumbed to death, caused mainly by the very people who set out to immortalize him, but for their own ends, the authors of apartheid and their supporters in the West.

The man however, goes down in the world history as an epitome of what African, global leader, a statesman is supposed to be, selfless, forgiving, as opposed to vindictiveness, and people-centred.

Madiba lived the kind of life he preached, and after the end of his first term in office, he decided that he had had enough. Madiba therefore stepped down in favour of a more energetic leadership!

Let’s look around, in our very African continent. Do we happen to see around replicas of Madiba? I’m afraid, we don’t! Indeed, what we see are vindictive leaders, who once in power, they start hunting down those they perceive to be their enemies, and this always include political opponents and those who opposed them in this and that!

But others go further than that, they also go for those who ‘munched’ their girlfriends, regardless of whether or not their wayward girlfriends were actually to blame!

Others kill their own people in the course of seeking leadership and when they are told to account for, they tell the world that the sovereignty of their nations is being undermined!

Come to think of it, what has a country’s sovereignty got to do with murdering your own citizens!

President Jakaya Kikwete has just announced a three day mourning period for Madiba. It’s a right decision. We did the same thing when China’s great leader, Chairman Mao Tse Tung passed away in 1973. What is more, Tanzania had a massive role in South Africa’s democratization process.

Sleep well, rest in peace, Mzee Madiba. You have provided us with an example of how an African leader ought to conduct himself or herself whilst in power! One only hopes that our present crop of African leaders will at least try to live as you and your bosom friend, Dr Julius Nyerere did as you lived!

Since the death of South Africa’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, two days ago, both local and international media have given the continental icon what could rightly be described as a befitting tribute.

However, one man they have all forgotten, and that includes the Tanzanian media, is the fact that Mzee Madiba would not have survived in those harsh South African prison conditions had there not been a man called Dr Julius Nyerere in the United Republic of Tanzania!

For instance, all British papers, and that includes the influential Daily Times, have carried over 50 pictures of Madiba but what they have forgotten, and that is conveniently, is that Dr Nyerere, through his support of the liberation struggle in southern Africa, and in particular, South Africa, helped in keeping Madiba alive in South Africa’s prisons.

Had Dr Nyerere behaved in the same manner lackeys of imperialism at the time that included Kenya, Malawi, Mobutu’s Zaire and Ivory Coast, Mzee Madiba would not have lived that long!

It was due to the support of the liberation struggle waged, almost single handedly, and by what later came to be known as the Frontline States (Zambia, Botswana and later Mozambique and Namibia) under the leadership of Tanzania that finally paid off.

And this was especially so after the entry, in South Africa, of the youth through the 1976 Soweto Massacre!

The South African youth got the courage of refusing to be taught in the language of the authors of apartheid, Africans, after realizing that they were being supported by countries to the north of their country through the Frontline States.

The Soweto massacre was very critically in turning around the liberation struggle in South Africa as the apartheid regime and their western supporters feared that continued racist policies in that country could eventually lead to disaster as the new South African generation was not ready to turn their other side of their proverbial cheek to the racists!

It was such realization that finally led the West into forcing the South African racist President, Frederick de Klerk, to unban the African National Congress and release Nelson Mandela in 1990!

But who had made all that possible? It was the liberation fire kept on by the Frontline States led by Dr Nyerere!

This is the story that the local Tanzanian media should and ought to be writing about Madiba and not the stuff they have been feeding us with since the death of the former South African leader, the kind of stuff which have been prepared by the colonialists for their own design!

Have they forgotten how the pressure from the Frontline States had for instance forced the pipe-smoking British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson into throwing his weight around after the racist, minority rebel leader, Mr Ian Smith declared Unilateral Independence of Rhodesia, presently known as Zimbabwe?

Have they forgotten how the British prime minister had met Mr Smith in the British Frigate, The Fearless Tiger, to try to thrash out the Unilateral Declaration of Independence status, discussions which finally came to a naught!

Have they forgotten how Dr Nyerere came up with a terminology, NIBMAR (No Independence Before Majority African Rule in Rhodesia), that, that stance finally came to pass, leading to the independence of Zimbabwe, through liberation struggle under the brilliant and courageous leadership of commanders such as Joshua Tongogara and Lookout Masuka?

The local media would be doing justice to Madiba if they put the establishment of Mazimbu in Morogoro in proper context!

The first Tanzania’s envoy to South Africa,  Mr Ami Mpungwe, has tried his level best to put Madiba’s death in proper context in his article which was carried by the Daily News today, December 7^th 2913.

One would have expected other media outlets, whose journalists should know better, to come up with better written tributes to the passing on of the South African leader which links him to the sterling role played by Tanzania in the liberation struggle.

In fact, it is in this context that a section of some Tanzanians failed to understand why President Jakaya Kikwete had directed, the flying at half mast, of Tanzanian flags and the mourning of Madiba for three days!

They said why should Tanzania do that?

What has Madiba’s death got to do with Tanzania?

We have such stupid questions because our media have failed to explain, they have been busy writing their own things that have no relevance to the socio-economic development of this country!

Of course, those who have hostile schemes against the Tanzanian nation are extremely happy with this stupidity, the whole question of forgetting our own history!

Yes, it helps them because this is the right kind of preparation for their final takeover of this country!

As they say, if you want to colonise a nation, then you should start with taking away a people’s history followed by their own culture! They are already succeeding in that! But the question is are we ready to allow them to do that?

The Mwibara Member of Parliament (CCM), Mr Kangi  Lugola, on Friday (last week) went to town, in the real sense of the word, when he decided to take on the sky, the Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda!

The fiery Mps said if there was anybody that the President, Jakaya Kikwete, ought to sack and with immediate effect, then that person is none other than the publicly, self-confessed son of the peasant, the prime minister!

He said the prime minister and the minister responsible for local government, honourable Hawa Ghasia, have always looked the other side as government officials munched funds in the sector as if there was no tomorrow!

The other thing the MP directed his anger on was the absence of cabinet ministers in the House just when Mps were discussing very serious issues related to their dockets.

For instance, on this particular day when Mr Lugola was tearing apart the prime minister, only four cabinet minister and two deputies were in the house!

And this brings us to our main topic today, which the fiery Mps avoided for reasons best known to himself, namely, absenteeism of Members of Parliament in the House.

It is indisputable that this particular problem appears to be getting out of control!

The august House has 235 members of parliament with the ruling party, CCM, having more than 200 Mps.

However, more often than not the House has always had, during a session, not more than 100 Mps!

And wherever hard questions are asked by the public as to the whereabouts of the Mps, there have always been all kinds of excuses over the absence of Mps, excuses that range from leave of sickness to important trips, locally and outside the country, all related to House businesses!

However, the only time that the House is full is when the Mps are required to pass a very important bill or motion in the House!

But the alacrity with which the House is always filled to the brim when the passage of an important bill or motion is required, shows that Mps are usually not very far away from the House!

And this brings us to another development, allegations repeatedly made that most Mps usually use their absence from the House in getting entertained by members of the fairer sex from as far away as Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and not to talk of Tanzania!

They (sources) say that our Mps are usually within an earshot of the august House and that is why whenever they are urgently required in the House they do so pronto!

Now if these allegations are true, then how safe are government’s secrets!

We are using the word, MOST, in reference to the issue of the absence of our Mps in the House because a glance at parliamentary business always show that more than three quarters of our Mps are usually not in the House!

Now if they are not in the House but are within the precinct of Dodoma, as alleged by those who know, where do they usually go to?

Our honourable Mps first need to be very honest to themselves, by answering (the very people they always claim to be representing in the House), the foregoing question.

And this is certainly important if they are not to be linked to the wild allegations that they are usually in their private rooms in their respective hotels doing what they should be doing on completion of their work in the House!

During the same week, more drama took place in the House, what with the prime minister saying he was not getting the kind of salary some crazy people out there said he was getting!

The prime minister went to say he was earning a paltry 6m/- for his post and that his boss, the president and the vice president beat him by a mere million here and there.

Unfortunately what the son of the peasant did not say is whether he used the salary for himself and the family, like other immortals in the country, or again as we all hear from the same crazy people, that the food and other necessities for the prime minister, the president and his vice president, is provided for by the state!

And what about the trips, made locally and abroad? Are the top three paid nights and other allowances? If they do, how does that add up to their salaries?

You see, and that is the problem of telling what Karl Marx called the lumpen proletariat who passes for members of parliament how much the state pays you!

The same people will next time pressurize you to make more disclosures, and by the time you are through with what you call an exercise in transparency, you will have created more problems for yourself than solutions!

Last week I commented to why I strongly felt that the local media, and in particular, the print media, had failed to put Nelson Mandela’s story in proper perspective.

For nine days, the local Tanzanian media wrote copiously over Mandela. But most of the story, mostly taken from international wire services, failed miserably to reflect Tanzania’s role in Mandela’s history!

Of course, you don’t expect the international media to tell you Tanzania’s role in liberating southern Africa, including South Africa, from the clutches of colonialism and racism. You don’t expect the international media to tell you how Tanzania, for instance, helped in complimenting Nelson Mandela’s efforts in bringing about democratization in South Africa after the founding father of the South African nation was incarcerated in Robben Island.

The West had all along wanted the foregoing bit of history to keep it under wraps so that it could eventually come up with its own story, its own version if you like, that would bring about the same wring of civilizing mission!

But thanks to the presence of President Jakaya Kikwete at the official funeral of the former South African President!

President Kikwete made full use of the opportunity that had been provided to him, by virtue of his country’s immense contribution to the South Africa’s liberation struggle, to put Mandela’s profile in clear perspective.

Many people in Africa and the world at large never knew the role that Tanzania had played in bringing about the Mandela they had come to know!

In about 15 minutes, President Kikwete was able to show how Mandela had travelled to Tanganyika and later beyond the East African country through the use of Tanganyika’s passport and later returned to Tanganyika and travelled back to South Africa where he was arrested, tried and later imprisoned, for 27 years, at the Robben Island.

He also showed that before Mandela travelled back to his home country, it had become apparent that his liberation struggle through peaceful means had hit a wall.

Mandela therefore sought assistance from the Tanganyikan government under President Julius Kambarage Nyerere, to help his country in training members of its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (the Spear of the Nation).

President Nyerere did not only accept the request, but he immediately put into practice what would lead to the establishment of Mgaogao in Iringa, Kongwa in Dodoma and Mazimbu in Morogoro.

Thus while Tanganyika, and later Tanzania, helped in imparting military training on  members of the South African liberation movements; at the international diplomatic front, President Nyerere carried, tirelessly, the liberation cause of the African people through the use of his team of highly skilled diplomats who included Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, Akili Daniel, Mloka, Paul Rupia, John Malecela, Benjamin Mkapa, Foum and Lukindo just to mention a few.

What the world and South Africans in particular need to know is that the war in the international diplomatic front carried by Nyerere and his array of skilled diplomats helped in keeping Mandela alive in Robben Island!

Without that diplomatic onslaught, it would have been very easy for the racist South African regime to kill Mandela  and his colleagues in prison!

The apartheid South African regime was unable to do that simply because they feared the backlash from the international community that had been kept on its toes by the Frontline States led by Tanzania!

It is also for the same reason that President Kikwete was not only invited to attend the official funeral of the former South African president, but he was also the last person to close the curtain of invited guests/speakers who spoke before Mandela was laid to rest.

Malawi’s President, Joyce Banda, was roped in simply because she is the present chair of the South African Development Community, SADC. Otherwise her country, was one of those countries which had very close relations with the South African racist regime!

It is no secret that Malawi provided the racist South African regime not only with cheap labour but also with spies against South Africans. Immediately they got into South Africa, the Malawians quickly learnt South African vernacular and became willing players of the dreaded South African police!

Other countries which were very close to the South African racist regime included Kenya, Ivory Coast and Joseph Mobutu’s Zaire, currently the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The South African government’s decision to bring in President Kikwete was done deliberately because it had wanted the world to know where Mandela had come from and who had helped him during his country’s liberation struggle.

The South African government wanted that record to be put straight by none other than the leader of the country that had played such a sterling role in the re-birth of the South African nation.

And in order to ensure that the South African liberation story was put in its right context, President Kikwete, noted, during his speech about the presence at the funeral of the widow of Dr Julius Nyerere, Mama Maria Nyerere, whose husband had kept Mandela’s candle flickering on while the man served his prison sentence at the Robben Island and other prison facilities in the country.

By giving Tanzania, through President Kikwete, the opportunity of telling the world Tanzania’s contribution to the democratization process of South Africa, the South African government wanted to cleanse itself of the wrongs it had done immediately after Mandela became the first African to be democratically elected in South Africa.

Countries that had not contributed anything to the South African liberation struggle ironically became the first whose people could enter South Africa without visa! But Tanzanian citizens continued to be required to seek South African visa before getting into South Africa.

That was not all. Tanzanians living in South Africa, including the author of this piece, were repeatedly accused by South Africans of having had a hand in the killing in Tanzania of members of South African liberation movements. But the truth was that members of South African liberation movements were often very violent and killed their colleagues at the drop of the hat. Their conflicts which often led to death ranged from ideology to fighting for their own women in the camps!

Others were of course killed through orders by leaders of the liberation movements after discovering that they had been sent to the camps as spies by the then apartheid regime.  

Otherwise Tanzanians had nothing to do with such killings.

After all, South African military camps in Tanzania were under the control of South Africans themselves.

For instance, one of the ugliest killing in the history of South African liberation movements in Tanzania took place at Mgaogao in late 1970s when they fought against one another and over 100 people were killed and they buried their comrades under football pitches and basketball courts!

A contingent of the Tanzania People Defence Forces has to be dispatched to the camp to help in bringing back peace.

It is therefore not surprising that when such people went back home, after democratization, they would not admit that they killed their own colleagues!

Therefore, President Kikwete’s speech in South Africa today has gone a long way towards putting Tanzania’s contribution in South Africa’s democratization in a clear perspective.

But that is not enough. Tanzanian scholars, and in particular, historians, ought to start writing that history so that people don’t come up with their own version of history!

That has to be done as soon as possible before it is too late!

The world ought to know what really transpired during those dark days when the West was in bed with the apartheid regime, when names of big western companies were overnight changed in order not to look British, French or American!

For insance, Barclays Bank became First National Bank (FNB) and so on and so forth! The aim during the time, was run away from sanctions that had been imposed by the international community on the racist South African regime.

Tanzania is presently doing extremely bad as far as the fight against corruption is concerned.

We are presently very close to the notorious Nigerians, meaning that we can no longer be compared, when it comes to graft, with the other East African countries!

And the anti-corruption czar, Dr Edward Hosea, has been quoted by the media in the past more than once, complaining that his work was being frustrated by the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Now when a highly trained lawyer of Dr Hosea’s caliber who did his masters in law in one of the best law universities in the world in Canada complains, what else is left for the immortals like us?

The problem with Tanzanians, and in particular, the highly educated ones is that they don’t seem to care when we are warned by some of our colleagues of the dangers that lurk around us!

The problem with such people is that as long as they can get a square meal and are capable of getting around in those posh cars, they don’t give a damn whether or not the country is about to go up on fire!

Just three days ago, I got hold of a popular Kiswahili weekly, Raia Mwema, which carried an article over gas and oil. I was shocked to read the cover story which stated that this country is about to be hoodwinked, once again, in oil and gas just as the tricksters had hoodwinked us in other mineral resources like gold and tanzanite!

According to the Raia Mwema’s story, those whom we entrusted this nation onto are the same people who do not seem to care whether or not some smart foreigners are about to hoodwink us in the massive gas deposits we have just discovered!

For despite being warned by the weekly paper, the chief secretary and his colleagues in the government went ahead and launched an organization the weekly Kiswahili had warned Tanzanians against!

The other issue I have a problem with is our government’s decision to go ahead and allow some foreign companies to mine uranium, and of all places, in the Selou Game Reserve!

Now this is what I would like to tell my fellow Tanzanians about as far as the mining of uranium is concerned.

Japan which is considered to have the best education system in the world and some of the best engineers ever to have walked on this planet, barely three to four years ago had the worst nuclear accident. That accident continues to trouble the Asian nation to date!

In fact, Japan just like another global industrial giant, Germany, are already closing their nuclear reactors!

Now if the world’s science and technology leaders like Japan and Germany are about to do away with their nuclear power plants, what makes a country like Tanzania think that it play around with uranium in the same way a child plays around with mud?

The sooner Tanzanians join hands in this debate, the safer for this nation.

Let us tell our government, and very politely, that gas is quite enough for us! We don’t need to mine our uranium deposits!! Therefore the government ought to stop once and for all this madness about uranium now and not tommorrow!

It is very unfortunate that the former Mwanza Regional CCM Chairman’s life had to end the way it did on Sunday, at the hands of mob justice. Mr Clement Mabina was stoned to death at his farm at Kanyama village in Magu District, Mwanza region allegedly after he had shot dead a villager.

According to the JamiiForums, the problem was triggered by a land question, a problem that is increasingly leading Tanzanians to sleepless nights!

While one condemns, in the strongest possible terms, this barbaric conduct which lately is increasingly becoming part of Tanzanians’ culture.

It is however, time the government, and in particular, the ruling party, CCM, took a deep breath and reflected on these incidents that are involving its members, incidents which if not urgently dealt with are likely to damage, irreparably, the image of the party which is second to none in the continent.

In fact, just on the day the mob in Kanyama village were doing what they did against Mr Magina, in South Africa our President, Dr Jakaya Kikwete, was telling the world what the country’s ruling party, CCM and its predecessor, TANU, had done to Madiba and his country.

A party with such a colourful history should not be allowed by anyone, regardless of one’s standing in the society, to drag it into a heap of refuse in the way some people are doing it at the moment.

We all know that we are not supposed to pass judgment on people who have already left this world for the hear-after.

However, I strongly believe that a number of people close to the deceased knew the problem the man had with the villagers and could have helped in avoiding the problem that finally came to pass on Sunday. But such people elected not to do what they were supposed to do, educate Mr Mabina on the importance of resolving the problem through the court of law.

I don’t want to believe that there were no friends, relatives or party officials who did not know what was going on around Mr Mabina before the incident.

The fact that such people may not have only existed, but they were many such people, my question is why did’nt they act in order to avert what later came to pass?

Now look around where you live or work and you are bound to find a lot of ‘Mabina incidents’ that need to be dealt with before it is too late.

Take for instance another case which is more or less similar to what happened on Sunday, the case of the former cabinet minister, currently a member of parliament, who is accused of not only raping an underage girl, but is also alleged to have infected her with the virus which causes HIV-AIDS. Instead of committing the man to the court of law, the police, of all institutions, are accused of protecting the man!

On the other hand, the party which he represents in the august House, CCM, has remained mum over the incident.

And what is more disgusting is that the man has continued, according to the local media, to tell the world through sms that no one can touch him. He has also been quoted by the local media of having told the hapless girl that she had no chance against him because the same system could not even arrest his own children who were involved in drug trafficking.

Now the fact that the man has said what he has said, but no one in the system has had the courage to touch him shows that he is indeed untouchable.

Otherwise what else can one say? Here is a man who tells the world that his own children are involved in drug trafficking, insteam of nabbing him there and then, not in connection with the rape case, but rather drug trafficking, the police chickens out!

According to the local media, the MP has in fact gone farther than that. He is alleged to have been sending sms messages to the girl, threatening her that he would kill her. But despite being accused of making such threats, the police have done nothing!

And a few weeks ago, the Dar es Salaam Zonal Police Commander, Suleiman Kova, was quoted by a section of television channels as saying that they could not do anything against the Mp because what was going on was supposed to be a private matter.

As if that is not bad enough, the other day a member of the opposition party accused, in the august House, a senior ruling party official of being involved in killing elephants for their tusks. Again no steps were taken by the government to deal with the matter!

Yet it is the same state apparatus which was involved in arresting a senior member of the opposition party allegedly for being involved in terrorism. And the evidence submitted in the court was an amateurishly made video whose case finally collapsed like a house of cards!

My simple question is, does the ruling party realize the damage that these incidents are causing to the otherwise very impeccable party?

Does the party leadership know that unless they did something, the party is likely to have a lot of problems come the general election in 2015?

Why are our party leaders pretending not to see these problems, problems that do not require one to have a degree in political science in order to understand their implications to very existence of the party?