JUNGU KUU

 

The court also forfeited to the government three motor vehicles that were used to carry the said elephant tusks,a Toyota Noah with registration number T 317 BXG, along with Toyota Hiace bearing numbers T 777 BET and T728 BGP.

 

Earlier the three accused were charged with the said offences but one of them, Chen Jinzhan was released after the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he committed the said offences.

 

 The verdict was attested by Principal Resident Magistrate Cpyrian Mkeha of the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court circuit in Dar es Salaam.

 

Reading the judgment Magistrate Mkeha said that illegal possession of 707 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 1889 kilos valued at Sh5,435,865,000 brings each accused to being fined Sh54, 358,650,000 or be jailed for 30 years.

 

For soliciting game officers to receive bribes of Sh30.2m so that they do not arrest them, the accused would serve five years in jail or pay a fine of Sh1m.

 

However Magistrate Mkeha set free one accused person in the offence of being in possession of shells of ammunition after the prosecution failed to prove that he committed that offence.

 

Magistrate Mkeha said the prosecution through its nine witnesses and exhibits, including elephant tusks brought before the court, proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the said offences.

The convicted accused were Huang Gin (50) and Xu Fujie (22). They were first arraigned before the court in November 2013. 

 

They  were found in possession of government trophies  contrary to Section 86 (1) (2)  ( c ) (ii) and (3) b of the Wildlife Conservation Act No. 5 of 2009 read together with paragraph 14 (d) of first schedule to, and Section 57 (1)and 60 (2), both of the Economic and Organized Crime Control Act.[Cap 200 R:E 2009]. 

 

However, before the verdict the prosecution, led by State Attorney Faraja Nchimbi in collaboration with Paul Kadushi, Wankyo Simon and Salim Msemo, asked the court to issue stern punishment to the accused as required by law to warn society that poaching is an economic crime which has caused huge loss to the government.

 

Nchimbi claimed that the accused did not deserve mercy from the court because they didn’t only cause the deaths of elephants but also they cause losses to the government of more than Sh 5billion through lost tourism earnings. 

 

He said that between 2010 and 2013 reports show more than 892 elephants were killed and that since 2013 when the accused were arrested the poaching was reported to have decreased.

 

“These convicts are the top dealers and facilitators of poaching cases in the country,” the prosecution declared, with being caught in possession of taking place on November 2, 2013 at Kifaru Street, Mikocheni B within Kinondoni District in the city.

 

 The prosecution told the court that jointly and severally, the accused were found in unlawful possession of 706 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 1889 kilos valued at Sh5,435,865,000 the property of the government without a permit from the Director of Wildlife.

 

It was reported that the said tusks represent about 400 elephants killed, with the pieces found stuck in sacks in the house of the Chinese nationals.

 

Illegal water users in Dar es Salaam run the risk of facing charges of economic sabotage as the office of the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) concludes talks with the management at the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (DAWASCO) to bring to justice all the culprits.

 

Among suspected swindlers include some important hotels, guest houses, industries, business centres, apartments and construction sites that preliminary investigations revealed to have underground connections.

 

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dawasco, Eng Cyprian Luhemeja said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the company spent over Sh900m monthly to foot electricity bills and about Sh800m for water treatment.

 

“There is no justification for continued loss of revenue through illegal connections. The income lost could be spent on various development projects. Water production, treatment, transmission and distribution is quite expensive. We (Dawasco) have to act tough against those behind illegal connections. Legal procedures are underway to make sure that the perpetrators face economic sabotage charges,” Luhemeja explained.

 

Clarifying on the extent of loss of water, he said that five months ago, at the time that he assumed office, non-revenue water due to aged infrastructure but largely as a result of illegal connections was 62.5 per cent. The trend has been brought down to 45 per cent and the target is to cut it down to less than 20 per cent in the next few months.

 

He also announced a 20 per cent bonus to anyone volunteering information leading to the arrest of people engaged in illegal water connections. Notorious places like Magomeni, Kagera, Manzese, Ubungo, Kimara did not escape his mention.

 

“Call my number 0762 740399, where one can give some details about the location of illegal water uses and identity will be completely protected. Reward is based on the penalty imposed on the culprit where 20 per cent goes to the informer and if convicted the reward is given accordingly,” the Dawasco chieftain elaborated.

 

He sounded confident that a new Dawasco was coming up ready to render quality services to all customers. However, he urged consumers to meet their obligations and clear their water bills accordingly to avoid unnecessary hassles. 

 

The Director of Operations, Eng Shaban Nkwame said that DAWASCO expects to have more water to release to consumers in the coming few months.

 

With completion of expansion work of the major water treatment plant in Lower Ruvu, in addition to other source like he Upper Ruvu water treatment plant and deep wells in Mpera and Kimbiji, the supply will increase to meet the target of 756 million litres of water per day in Dar es Salaam from the current supply of 300 million litres a day, he said.

 

He reminded city residents with unregistered family wells to make sure that the inventory was properly kept before April 01, 2016, the date set for the beginning of house-to-house inspection. Suppliers using trucks must do the same before that date.

 

DAWASCO Director of Business, Everanda Balatu requested customers to clear their bills through online, via Max-Malipo or through bank services, which curbs corruption. 

 

“Let the youth inquire from Magomeni Zonal Office to be assisted to open water kiosks to become registered Dawasco agents. They must be recognized by their respective local leaders before filing their applications,” she elaborated.

 

Speaking on a visit to the college this week, Maghembe ordered the college authorities to avail him with all research findings that the institution had conducted in recent years.

 

He said it was high time the government and the stakeholders used the current research findings instead of conducting new ones which ended up gathering dust in book shelves. At the same time the minister expressed concern about reports that some students at the college were engaging themselves in drug abuse.

 

“Any student who will be found taking drugs should be dismissed outright, lest they tarnish the good image of the college,” said Maghembe.

 

“We should not let this college be tarnished by a few individuals. This college is best known for producing excellent professionals in wildlife management,” added the minister.

 

Maghembe also promised to ensure that the college’s governing board was in place after there has been none for several years.

 

He said he had already proposed to the president competent people who should be considered as members of the board.

 

The Rector of the College, Prof Elexander Songorwa, said lack of a governing board was making it hard for the college to make some decisions and plans.

 

The factories and 400,000 tonne-storage capacity warehouses to be built in each of the five regions in the next two years are expected to serve farmers in the neighbouring regions as a market for their produce.

 

Though there are scanty mills and warehouses of maximum storage capacity of 200,000 tonnes in the regions, they are too few and small to match with the challenging demands of the market.

 

Manyara’s Babati District Commissioner Crispin Meela told The Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday that the warehouses to be built in his jurisdiction will enable farmers in the neighbouring regions of Singida and Dodoma to enjoy a reliable market for their products. 

 

He said the factories will also produce maize flour for export to the neighboring countries of Kenya and the Southern Sudan, given adequacy at home and the great demand in those countries. 

 

“The project is implemented by Municipal Councils in the respective regions under the supervision of the National Food Reserve Authority (NFRA) Food, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Polish government as part of the government plan to increase the food storage capacity in the country in concurrence with the current demand,” Meela said. 

He also hailed the project, saying it would control market intruders randomly disturbed the market chain by setting up maize prices to the detriment of producers. 

 

Citing Babati as an example, he said the non-sanctioned brokers have caused market havoc by lobbying farmers into selling their maize products prematurely, keeping nothing in store, apparently leading to their starvation. 

 

 He called upon the maize farmers to exploit the opportunities out of the new plants and warehouses by increasing production of the crop whose value would be added given availability of the market.

 

He also hailed the project, saying it would create more than 1,000 jobs in babati alone, let alone other in other districts where the project would up and running. 

 

But he also urged upon tax authorities to reduce the burden of tax on the seed companies, saying it was one of the major motives behind the maize industry downfall in the district.

 

He suggested facilitation of the locally-produced seeds as opposed to the imported ones that are devoid of any tariffs.

 

 

The committee members raised concern that the government might fail to cater health services for the vast part of Dar es Salaam population, not to speak of the whole contry, in a decade, if the current health insurance scheme would not be reformed.

 

Parliamentarian Faustine Ndugulile for Kigamboni Constituency told the committee’s session in Dar es Salaam mid this week that an average annual growth of 1million people in the country is too high for the government to accommodate in the health insurance scheme. 

He was of the view that the government had not paid much attention at family planning campaign which could help to regulate the number of people in need of health services. 

 

“As a result, the number of health service dependants has become too high to match with the available resources,” in a country where only 27 per cent of her people enjoy access to health insurance coverage, he said.

 

He decried the meagre budget allocation for health services, attributing it to poor performance by health officers in executing their duties.

 

He said miserable allocation of health funds was in defiance of the 2001  Abuja Declaration to which Tanzania is a signatory, that requires member countries to allocate 15 per cent of their annual budget to improve health sector and for donor countries to scale up their support. 

 

Citing example of non-proportional allocation of health funds, the lawmaker said Temeke district spent Sh360m, which is only 10 per cent of the municipality’s annual budget last year, for special groups including women and children. 

 

Kigoma Urban legislator Zitto Kabwe said the current provision of health services in the nation’s major oncologic disease centre, namely the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) left a lot to be desired, given its dire of a total of Sh47.5bn for rehabilitation in the next five years.

 

It has been plagued with an overwhelming number of cancer patients, too high for the ill-equipped institution, he said

“Rural people suffering from cancer are at a risk of losing their life as about 74 per cent of all doctors are centered in urban areas like Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha and Mbeya,”  Kabwe said, referring to recent report issued by Benjamin Mkapa Foundation. 

 

Commenting, Deputy Chairman of the committee Raphaeli Chegeni told the government to clear all debts it owes the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) in order to facilitate provision of health services to citizens. 

 

 

It revealed that a number of mobile telecommunication firms were selling unregistered SIM cards against the legal procedure set by the Authority.

 

Minister for Works, Transport and Technology Prof Makame Mbarawa said a number of people were using their mobile phones despite having not registered them with any mobile telecommunication firm or they have been registered under fake names, warning that practice were illegal.

He said the problem was mostly practiced by mobile telecommunication agencies entrusted with their registration.

 

“We blame mobile telecommunication providers for not employing staff capable of working under restricted licensed terms,” the minister explained.

 

Mbarawa said mobile service providers had to address the problem immediately before it inconvenienced consumers.

 

He said the government would revoke licences of service providers who did not follow or conducted their affairs according to the licence terms.

 

In July 2009 the government introduced SIM card registration under which consumer were required to register their cards before use. 

This aimed at enhancing security, the welfare and development of the communications sector in the country. 

 

The minister added that apart from providing communication services to their customers cellphone service providers should ensure their customers were well protected. 

 

He wanted them to be responsible to their customers by making them aware of the rules and regulations relating to their services.

He asked service providers to employ staff who were competent in their field so they could educate consumers effectively.

“Service providers should also employ agencies which have good knowledge and can oversee the rules guiding registration of mobile phones,” he stressed. 

 

According to the minister, the number of SIM cards had rapidly increased from 2,963,737 in 2005 to 39,808, 419 in December last year.

 

He added that the number of internet users had increased from 1,013,104 in 2005 to 17,263,523 in December last year.

 

The minister also noted that 94 per cent of all internet users (16,280,943) used mobile phones to access internet service.

 

 Prof Mbarawa noted that the data showed how the use of mobile phones meant consumers had to be protected due to the challenges resulted from the rapid increase.

 

TCRA Director of Consumer and Industry Affairs Dr. Raynold Mfungahema urged the public to confront the service providers if they faced problems in the communication service before they report the cases to the Authority.

 

 

 

 More Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) officials and their accomplices from the private sector implicated in the ‘missing containers’ saga will be arrested and prosecuted in an ‘ongoing’ exercise to bring sanity to the tax office.

 

 

 

Speaking to ‘The Guardian’ yesterday, top police officers privy to the investigations said the law enforcers have been directed to leave no stone unturned, meaning all those who took part in the containers saga and other malpractices should expect police detectives knocking at their doors anytime.

 

“It’s a continuous exercise,” said the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Abdulrahmani Kaniki,”pointed out yesterday.

 

In the same vein,  the Ilala Regional Police Commander (RPC), Lucas Mkondya said yesterday  that the matter was very sensitive and law enforcers were working hard to gather sufficient information in the ongoing investigations. 

 

He added that suspects will be arrested whenever evidence linking them to the missing containers or any other scandal was complete. 

 

On Friday last week, President John Pombe Magufuli suspended Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Commissioner General Rished Bade due to the loss of 349 containers at Dar es Salaam port.

 

Announcing the suspension, the Chief Secretary Ombeni Sefue said the President made the decision after TRA was involved in the loss of 349 containers worth 80bn/- at the port.

 

The move followed an impromptu visit on Friday  by the Prime Minister Majaliwa Kassim Majaliwa.

 

Other suspended officials include Director of Customs and Excise Duty Tiagi Masamaki and an Assistant Manager at Customs Service Centre Habib Mponezya.

The PM also ordered immediate audit of their properties to assess if they matched their income accrued during the period they have been in service. Others who were suspended are Head of the ICT Unit Haruni Mpande; Hamisi Ali Omari, whose department was not mentioned, and Inland Container Depots in Charge Eliachi Mrema. 

 

On Saturday, the government sent three more TRA officials packing in connection with the displacing of the 349 containers at the Dar es Salaam port.

 

The three officers are Anangisye Mtafya, Nsajigwa Mwandengele and Robert Nyoni.

 

Earlier directives had it that the three officials were to be transferred to upcountry stations for duty. The decision was reached on Saturday, to ease up scheduled investigations.

 

Investigations on the suspended officials started on Friday where all concerned are supposed to be outside thecivil service to remove any possible obstacles to the investigations.

 

The premier further directed the acting TRA Commissioner General, Dr  Philip Mpango to implement the directive by officially notifying those officials of the new measures.

 

On the fateful Friday while responding to some questions posed by the prime minister, Bade confirmed the loss of the containers, normally done when containers are being transferred from the port to Inland Containers Depots (ICDs), particularly the one located at Ubungo. 

 

He however acknowledged that they conducted an inspection in one of the ICDs and established that 54 containers had disappeared. 

 

“After further inspection we discovered that the number of missing containers was actually 327. We are still working on the issue in collaboration with the country’s anti-corruption body (PCCB). The ICD owner (name withheld) has been ordered to pay a fine amounting to Sh.12.6 billion and had already paid  2.4 billion/-,” he explained. 

 

When asked by the Prime Minister if he had the list of the names of the staff implicated in the scam, Bade agreed to have it, although not there.  

Then the Prime Minister showed him the list of 349 containers with all associated information including the number of vehicles used to transport the containers from the port to ICDs. Upon seeing the list, Bade confirmed the list was indeed correct.  

 

“If we continue operating this way we shall never make any progress, unless some people are relieved of their duties,” he said, going straight to mentioning the names of staff who were to be immediately suspended. 

 

Four of the suspended staff have already been interrogated by the police, including Tiagi Masamaki. The whereabouts of one official on the Prime Minister’s list was yet to be known.

The opposition  Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) has called on the police to take action against all the people involved in the the killing of the Geita Regional Chairman, the late Alphonce Mawazo.

The Chadema-flag-bearer in the just-concluded general election, Edward Lowassa, made the call at Furahisa ground in Mwanza when leading hundreds of mourners and party members to pay their last respects to the fallen chairman.

The late Mawazo was killed mid this month in Geita region while on routine party duties.

Lowassa, who is also a former prime minister, told the police to arrest all the people involved in the barbaric killing of the regional party leader, failure of which the party would do the job itself.

“Police need to work according to rules and regulations governing their operations” he said while describing the legal battle between Mawazo’s family, Chadema and the police force.

Chadema national chairman, Freeman Mbowe, said people were tired of brutal killings of its party members since 2011.

Nevertheless, he said some police officials were performing their duties with diligence and professionalism while others were performing to please the wishes of higher authorities.

Among legislators who paid their last respects were 113 MPs from the Coalition of People’s Constitution (Ukawa), who contributed Sh36m to support Precious Mawazo (9), who is in standard four.

 

The newly elected Ubungo legislator Saed Kubenea  has started implementing his promise by announcing the drilling of a water well at Mabibo Gamesi market in the constituency.

 

Kubenea directed market leaders to consult the Drilling and Dams Construction Agency (DDCA) for initial steps of constructing the well at the market, which is faced with chronic water shortage.

 

Speaking to the business community yesterday in the city during a familiarization tour of the constituency and to listen to the people’s problems at the market, popularly known as Soko la Ndizi, the legislator told the authorities to establish the cost of drilling the well.

 

“I ask the market leaders to discuss with DDCA to establish the cost of drilling a well to allow commencement of the project,” he said.

 

He added, “I will use my own savings to implement the project to benefit the majority small business people operating at the market”. The traders hailed the legislator’s plan, saying they also faced the challenge of a drainage system that pose a threat to their health.

 

The MP assured them of their permanent stay at the marketplace after previous information had it that the market had been sold to a Chinese investor.

 

Ismail Salum, a small-scale trader at the market applauded the legislator saying the100 metre deep well would help solve some of the health challenges the market faces. Kubenea opposed the government move to shift Ubungo bus stand to Mbezi, saying it was misuse of public resources. 

 

“I am not satisfied with the toilet situation at the market because it endangers people’s health,” he said after touring the surroundings of the market.

 

President John Pombe Magufuli yesterday suspended Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Commissioner General Rished Bade due to the loss of over 300 containers at Dar es Salaam port.

 

Announcing the suspension, Chief Secretary Ombeni Sefue said the president made the decision yesterday after TRA was involved in the loss of 349 containers worth Sh80 billion at the port.

 

Commissioner General Bade has been replaced by Dr Philip Mpango. Dr. Mpango was until yesterday Executive Secretary in the President’s Office (Planning Commission). 

 

Dr Mpango previously held positions as Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs; Personal Assistant to the President (Economic Affairs); Head of the President’s Economic Advisory Unit, and as a Senior Economist for the World Bank.

 

Before Chief Secretary Sefue announced suspension of the TRA boss, Prime Minister Majaliwa Kassim Majaliwa had made an unannounced tour of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) in the morning where he held a meeting with TRA staff before suspending five revenue officers, including Director of Customs and Excise Duty Tiagi Masamaki and an  Assistant Manager at Customs Service Centre Habib Mponezya.

 

Prime Minister Majaliwa ordered Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ernest Mangu and the TRA management to ensure Masamaki and Mponezya were apprehended and their travel documents withheld.

 

He also ordered immediate audit of their property to assess if they matched their income accrued during the period they have been in service. Others who were suspended are Head of the ICT Unit Haruni Mpande; Hamisi Ali Omari, whose department was not mentioned, and Inland Container Depots in Charge Eliachi Mrema. 

 

Premier Majaliwa ordered the trio to be held in police custody until investigation was completed.

 

The prime minister also ordered immediate search for and recovery of all the containers lost, including recovery of the money lost. 

According to an official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier also suspended three other Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) staff.  The premier ordered the three TPA staff, namely Anangisye Mtafya, Nsajigwa Mwandengele and Robert Nyoni, to be relocated from Dar es Salaam to up-country regions.  

 

Meanwhile, the prime minister has ordered Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary, Dr. Servacius  Likwelile, who was present at the meeting, to ensure that he sent e-government agency experts to conduct an audit in the TRA and TPA systems to find out how the theft occurred. “I want the audit to be done as soon as possible. Find out the ways used as theft loopholes from the port to ICDs,” he said, adding:

“I want the whereabouts of those containers traced and the money recovered and returned to the government.”

 

The premier’s impromptu meeting was also attended by Inspector General of Police Ernest Mangu; Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Florens Turuka; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport Dr. Shaaban Mwinjaka; Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commissioner Suleima Kova; TPA Director General Awadh Masawe and other TRA and TPA management officials.

 

Earlier, responding to some questions posed by the prime minister, TRA Commissioner General Rished Bade confirmed the loss of the containers, normally done when containers are being transferred from the port to ICDs, particularly the one located at Ubungo. 

 

Bade acknowledged that they conducted an inspection in one of the ICDs and established that 54 containers had disappeared. 

 

“After further inspection we discovered that the number of lost containers was actually 327. We are still working on the issue in collaboration with the country’s anti-corruption body (PCCB).The ICD owner has been ordered to pay a fine amounting to Sh.12.6 billion and has already paid Sh2.4 billion,” he explained. 

 

When asked by the prime minister if he has the list of the names of the staff implicated in the scam, Bade agreed to have it, although not there. 

 

Then the Prime Minister showed him the list of 349 containers with all associated information including the number of vehicles used to transport the containers from the port to ICDs. Upon seeing the list, Bade confirmed the list was indeed correct. 

 

“If we continue operating this way we shall never make any progress, unless some people are relieved of their duties,” he said, going straight to mentioning the names of staff who were to be immediately suspended. 

 

Four of the suspended staff have already been interrogated by the police, including Tiagi Masamaki. The whereabouts of one official on the prime minister’s list were yet to be known. 

 

President John Magufuli has ordered   cancellation of meetings and conferences in hotels for public servants in yet another shock move aimed at reigning in unnecessary public expenditure.

The new directive was issued in Dar es Salaam in a press conference by the President’s Office (Public Service Management).

The ministry’s spokesman, Florence Temba said the directive was meant to cut unnecessary costs that the government incurs for meetings and conferences held at various venues including hotels. Instead the meetings and conferences will be conducted via video conference, which is a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to communicate by simultaneous two-way video and audio transmissions.

This follows another ban announced by the head of state soon after he took oath of office early this month, which limited foreign trips and hefty allowances that come with them.

The ministry spokesperson said that as yesterday the government will not foot any bills for conferences or meetings   because the video conference services will be free of charge to all conferences by the public servants.

“The government has been spending a lot of money to hire conference rooms, transport allowances, meals and accommodation for the civil servants who attended such meetings,” he said and adding “The money will now be directed to other development issues because the conferences will henceforth be conducted via video conference.”

Speaking on the advantage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT),he said  that a single video conference is capable to connect various participants from eight regions in the country whereby the topics of the conference will be presented to participants who will be able to listen and contribute and make resolutions.

“With this announcement, all public servants will be required to remain at their workplaces throughout the year, and do not need to incur 

any unnecessary costs to travel anywhere for conferences  or meetings unless they are directed otherwise,” he insisted.

Temba added that specific time for conducting a single meeting will be five hours and the Chair for all conferences will be the Permanent Secretary in the President Office (Public Service Management). 

“The organisers of the meetings will have to liaise with the President’s Office at least 48 hours before the video conference day,” he said.

The guidelines for video conference method have already been issued and uploaded on the ministry’s website and by yesterday more than 10 video conferences were conducted and the results were positive, he said.

Speaking at the briefing, the ICT Director in the President Office (Public Service Management) Priscus Kiwango said that for the new system to run smoothly, all government ministries and agencies will have to strengthen their ICT units especially hiring enough IT experts.

 Kiwango said all video conference communication will be supported by the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), adding that the system is safe because all its infrastructure  is coordinated by the government.

On Wednesday this week, this paper reported that austerity measures introduced by President Magufuli, while widely popular, deny the welfare of many civil servants who depend heavily on allowances and per diems for their livelihoods. 

 The daily allowances for local trips were increased from 65,000/- to 100,000/- for mid level managers and senior officers. 

The allowance was also increased to 120,000/- from 80,000/- for directors and principal officers. 

For foreign travel, directors and principal officers pocket USD 420 daily while mid level managers and senior officers are paid USD 365.

The ban on travels and now meetings is expected to boost the government coffers and consequently improve service delivery.