Stubb was speaking in Dar es Salaam during the launch of a partnership that will enable farmers to access various information on farming through their mobile phones. The partnership is between the Finnish government, Sibesonke and mobile service provider, Vodacom Tanzania.

“We have worked with Tanzania in various projects before. We are excited to continue with our relationship by launching this partnership which we believe will be of great importance to the agricultural sector of this nation,” said Stubb.

Speaking during the launch session, Finland’s Minister for International Development, Heidi Hautala, urged farmers to make well use of this opportunity to not only develop the country, but also themselves.

“We acknowledge the government’s efforts to support farmers and the agricultural sector. With this new partnership, we believe that it will be instrumental in developing this country.

I urge all farmers to take up this new opportunity and make well use of it for their own good and development of this nation,” said Hautala. Vodacom Tanzania is constantly seeking for new best practice, state-of-the-art mobile services for the benefit of its nation-wide subscriber space.

“We are very happy and enthusiastic of our cooperation with SIbesonke Ltd”, says Kelvin Twissa, Head of Brand and Communication at Vodacom Tanzania: “Agricultural development is critical to the economy of this nation and disseminating information to farmers through mobile phones will go a long way in supporting the sector.

We urge everyone to make well use of this new technological development in order to take agriculture, and also this nation, to the next level,” explains Twissa. For Sibesonke Ltd the cooperation with Vodacom in Tanzania is a major step in expanding the coverage of its innovative and patented platform in East Africa.

Life improving content on a social network for basic phones has not been seen earlier in emerging markets. “We are very excited about the partnership with Vodacom in Tanzania”, says Uwe Schwarz, CEO of Sibesonke Ltd.

“By efficiently serving under-served farmers across Tanzania, we believe we can make a strong difference in farming productivity thus contributing even to the region’s food security. Our cost-effective solution for a massive market need presents a good and healthy business relevant for emerging countries across the globe.”

Media Owners Association Tanzania (MOAT) Chairman Reginald Mengi hailed the media for their continued support and commitment to disseminate information and tips on farming to farmers across the country.

Though there have been challenges, Mengi said, the new partnership will go a long way in reaching those that do not have access to media channels. “I thank Vodacom for seeing the need to enter into this partnership. It is through them that those that do not have access to media channels will be able to make use of their mobile phones,” said Mengi.

Source Tanzania Daily News

The campaign that runs up to the end of July, this year, will see the bank’s SME customers enjoy reduced rates to key transactions within the sector.

The Bank’s Head of the SME segment, Mr Amin Merchant, said in a statement released yesterday that customers would benefit from reduced charges on telegraphic transfers (TTs), as well as a 50 per cent reduction on payroll services.

“Another significant feature of the campaign is that the bank’s customers will not be charged monthly maintenance fees for the duration of the campaign,” he said. The campaign revolves around StanChart’s online banking product Straight2Bank (S2B) – an online product that is easy to use while at the same time very secure.

It is also part of Standard Chartered’s Global Digitisation agenda. Mr Merchant further said that they would continue to offer solutions which target their customers’ needs and products to enhance businesses efficiency.

“S2B and digitisation is the future of banking,” Mr Merchant said, “the bank can offer customers not only time and cost efficiency but also faster and easier access to funds…with just a click,” he said.

The S2B product is a fully integrated internet banking service offering customers and clients all business transaction needs. According to Mr Merchant, the product allows users global access and usage to enable cross-border trading with just one click.

Source Tanzania Daily News

The Challenge Trophy takes place at the Lusaka Golf Club in Zambia from June 3-5, this year. The biennial tournament will be followed by the Zambia Ladies Open Amateur Stroke-Play Championship set for June 7 to 9 at the same course all national team members participating.

TLGU honorary secretary Anita Siwale told the ‘Daily News on Saturday’ from Morogoro yesterday that Neema from Arusha Gymkhana Club (AGC), will replace Ayne Magombe who withdrew from the team last week to pursue further studies in the United States of America.

Neema joins a squad that includes captain Madina Iddi from AGC, Angel Eaton and Hawa Wanyeche, both of Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club (DGC) who are already in intensive preparations for the trip to Zambia.

Siwale said that Neema was called after she won a special contest against club mate Lina Francis. The battle was held under the supervision of professional golfer Olais Mollel who was tasked by TLGU to find the perfect candidate.

The contest was necessitated by the fact the duo hold the same handicap-5 and have never played for the national team.

Siwale said the two-day battle was too close to call and any of them could win.Commenting on Neema and Lina, Mollel said that they have the same strength, but Neema was lucky to secure the place.

“If there were two places, I would have advised TLGU to take both, but since there was only on chance I think Neema deserved it because she has the ability and is consistent,” he said.

This will be Neema’s first assignment with the national team. She was also in a provisional team of six players in 2011, but could not make it to the final four-member squad that lifted the Challenge Trophy for the second consecutive term at Lugalo Golf Club in Dar es Salaam.

Neema will train with Madina in Arusha, while Angel and Hawa train at DGC and according to Siwale, their mood is high.

Source Tanzania Daily News

Yusufali set his sights to the final after recording a straight 2-0 victory over experienced Kishore Ramanuj in a Division B semi-final match on Thursday night.

Ramanuj started the game strongly, but was frustrated in the end after his opponent came from behind to take the first frame.

He was leading by 45-36 points in the early stages but could not manage to hold on his nerve thus allowing Yusufali pot black to win. It was the same story in the second frame.

In an earlier match on Tuesday, Yusufali ousted sponsor Akil Kasamali alias ‘Lobilo’ with a 2-0 victory and will now face Nawaz Ladha in the final.

Ladha went through after winning another semi-final match against March champion Hitesh Valambia on Wednesday night.Defending champion Rupesh Soni alias ‘Gugi’ was off form this month and was eliminated in the early stage after losing his quarter-final match to Valambia.

In Division A category defending champion Ramesh Lathigra was in action last night taking on in-form veteran Raju Kanabar for a place in the final tomorrow.

Another Division A semi-final involves Suril Shah and Kalpesh Lavingia. In case Lathigra and Lavingia meet in the final it will be a rematch following an earlier encounter in the April final in which Lathigra encountered a few problems before wrapping up a 2-0 frame victory to win Division A Mug in dominant style.

The 11-day A.A Powers and Tools Ltd sponsored tournament reaches its climax tomorrow at the club where the winner will be reward with prizes.

By MBONILE BURTON, Tanzania Daily News

Speaking in Dar es Salaam on Friday, the Ministry’s Director of Health Quality Assurance, Dr Mohamed Ally Mohamed said that due to the high number of users, the government has formed a specific department and council that deals with issues pertaining to traditional medicine in the country.

Dr Mohamed said that the plan was initiated by the government to make sure that traditional medicine used is used without some limitations. “Putting this in mind, the government will conduct a research aimed at making traditional medicine contribute something in the country’s development, such that traditional medicine is recognised both nationally and internationally,” he said.

Dr Mohamed was quick to throw caution, saying traditional health practitioners may use their knowledge to save people’s lives, instead of lying to people and at times even killing like the case of albinos. He insisted on the registration of traditional health practitioners in order to follow ethics which guide them in the work such that they get the respect and trust from the people they serve.

The Acting Assistant Director of Traditional and Alternative Medicine in the ministry, Dr Paulo Mhame said that the biggest challenge on traditional medicine in Tanzania is knowledge about traditional medicine.

“In order to get development in traditional medicine we are supposed to educate people about it to remove bad notions on traditional medicine which is widely used in the country,” he said.

He asked for the government to put more efforts on the registration of traditional practitioners to develop the sector internationally. Traditional Medicine Association in Tanzania was started after independence 1961 where people used it as the only method of treatment

By FATMA ABDU, Tanzania Daily News

TUNIS, Tunisia, May 24, 2013/ – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched its second Uganda-shilling denominated bond on the domestic capital market. The UGX 12.5 billion bond is opened for subscription until the 27th of May. It is the latest issuance under the UGX 125 billion Medium-Term Note (MTN) Programme originally established in mid-2012. The MTN approach was adopted to allow the Bank to regularly tap into the Ugandan capital market, issuing various tranches, rather than standalone transactions thereby minimizing costs for its clients and reducing the lead time necessary to access the market.

The AfDB return to the Uganda market reflects local demand for additional debt instruments and the need for local currency financing to push infrastructure and other development projects. Pierre Van Peteghem, the Bank Group Treasurer, heralds this issuance as just the beginning of his department’s push to avail more local currency to private sector clients. “The Bank has recently approved an additional five African currencies including the Ghanaian Cedi and the Franc CFA for both West and Central African zones as official lending currencies of the Bank. This brings the total number of African currencies in which we can on-lend to clients to ten. This will enable us to better respond to client needs, particularly with respect to mitigating foreign exchange risk posed by hard currency loans. We believe by directly issuing local currency bonds, we also play a key role in developing the local capital market.”

Arranged by African Alliance and executed as a tap sale on the original UGX bond issued in July 2012, this most recent note will be linked to the new two-year bond that the Government of Uganda intends to launch on May 23, but will re-price every two years at 85% of the weighted average yield to maturity on the latest Ugandan government bond benchmark, noted Olivier Eweck, Manager of African Currency Funding in the Treasury Department of AfDB. Similarly to the first tranche, this issuance will also be launched at sub-government levels. “We expect a high demand from local and international investors, even higher than for last year’s first tranche,” says Eweck. The first re-pricing exercise will take place in August 2014.

The AfDB plans to launch two new MTN local currency programmes in Nigeria and Zambia in the coming months. Since its first African currency loan in 1998, the Bank’s local currency loan portfolio totals the equivalent to over USD 2.4 billion. The Bank is however keen to diversify its local currency portfolio across all African regions beyond the South African rand which now dominates the local currency loan book and is the multilateral lender’s third largest lending currency. As part of the Local Currency Initiative established in 2006, the AfDB has received approvals to issue in the local capital markets of Tanzania, Ghana and Kenya, among other countries and hopes to enter many of these markets in the short to medium-term.

Documents in our possession, indicate that the monies were lost when KWS undertook to procure insurance policies directly from CIC, in June last year.  CIC was brought on board to offer both general insurance to all KWS vehicles and Group Life Insurance (GLA) to the corporation’s employees.

In March this year, KWS appointed a nine-member committee, Insurance Advisory Committee when some senior managers complained about the tender, and recommended that the services of CIC be terminated. However, its report has not been implemented, with only one week left, to May 31 May, when it’s due to expire.

Issues of accounts

KWS head of Audit Moses Muli chaired the committee, with other members being Valentine Kanani (Head Human Capital), Daniel Onsembe, Michael Musyoka, Bernard Terer, James Sambu, Ettah Muango, Jonathan Kirui and Bancy Njuguna (Head of Insurance).

The Advisory Committee found that the corporation lost Sh19,716,218.30 after it defied a Government circular in GLA which from the Treasury that requires all State corporations to calculate insurance premiums on the basis of three years’ salary. However, the policy of CIC calculated on a five-year basis and thereafter charged KWS Sh49,290,545.50 instead Sh29,574,327.18.

The minutes of the Advisory Committee further stipulate that KWS lost another Sh16,599 and Sh590.92 in circumstances where CIC overcharged them by issuing double insurance on one vehicle. This mainly affected vehicles that are used for security operations, which the corporation uses two sets of number plates; an official blue parastatal number and a private one.  CIC also overcharged KWS an extra Sh3,679,228 by issuing a policy based on tender documents and not the actual value of the insured vehicles.

On May 2013, CIC managing director Kenneth Kimani wrote to KWS confirming that they had overcharged the Sh16,599 and Sh590.92 that he said had ben arrived from using tender estimates and not the actual value of vehicles to calculate premiums.  “However, we note there have been additional transitions per premium. Please confirm if we may proceed to credit your account with net refund of Sh8,855,717.92,” Kimani’s letter states.

KWS director William Kiprono  could not be reached for comment as he was said to be out of the country until next week.  CIC Managing Director Kenneth Kimani on Friday confirmed that he had written the letter but downplayed the matter, saying someone was trying to create a scam where none exists.

“This is simply issues of accounts. How can reconciling an account be a story?” Kimani said when contacted for comment.

By Geoffrey Mosoku, The Standard

Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo

He said crucial leads are also being followed that would see more persons arraigned in courts as police attempt to check the escalating insecurity in the country.

Early this week, gunmen killed two civilians at a place popularly known as Shifta Camp before escaping on foot.

Police said the gunmen mistook the civilians for policemen before shooting them at close range.

Kimaiyo said on Friday that  police are in possession of important information that will see the suspects arrested and arraigned in court.

“We have very crucial information and soon we shall send these people to court,” he said. He also said police have arrested persons who killed a prominent businessman in Western Province and asked Kenyans to stay calm as they are working round the clock to provide security.

“We have arrested all of them and we shall take them to court soon,” he said.

Addressing the Press on Friday, Kimaiyo asked residents of areas hit by a wave of crime to volunteer information that would lead to the arrest of suspects.

He said some of the suspects who have been arrested in Bungoma and Busia have been released on bond because of lack of adequate evidence to sustain a charge.

“We ask the public to provide us with information because without adequate evidence we may not charge these people,” he said.

Kimaiyo asked the public not to be demoralised when some people return home after arrests, saying further arrests can be made with fresh revelations or evidence.

He said calm has now returned to Western Province after police intensified patrols in the country.

By Augustine Oduor, The Standard

President Uhuru Kenyatta

They plan to pass a resolution backing a request to have ICC charges facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto referred back to a local court. The gesture of political support comes at a gathering in Ethiopia at which Uhuru comes face to face with the United States’ top diplomat, Secretary of State John Kerry, for the first time since his election. Before Uhuru’s victory at the ballot box on March 4, a senior US diplomat threatened unspecified “consequences” if he and his running mate William Ruto won the election.

Uhuru and Ruto separately face trial at the ICC, accused of masterminding ethnic bloodshed in post-election violence five years ago.

Both deny the charges.

Their effort to secure the United Nations Security Council’s support in having the ICC cases referred back to Kenya hit a snag on Friday with the US and European Union rejecting a request to urge the ICC to “terminate” the cases. “There was a very firm response from ICC Member States and the US that they must take their case to (The Hague-based) court,” said one Western diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity.

The matter takes centre stage today when most of the 54 Heads of State and Government from the continent converge for a general assembly of the Africa Union in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. The assembly will be followed by celebrations to mark 50 years since the formation of the union, previously known as the Organisation of African Unity (O AU).

Deliberation

The leaders are set to deliberate on the cases at ICC and pass a resolution that sets a major precedent in international justice. Africa and the West appear to be on a political collision course over the way the court works.

The draft reads: “(The Assembly) supports and endorses the Eastern Africa region’s request for a referral of the ICC investigations and prosecutions.”

On Friday, Foreign Affairs ministers form the AU’s Council of Ministers met well into the evening to draft the agenda and resolutions to be adopted by the Heads of State when the assembly meets today. Foreign Secretary Amina Mohammed represented Kenya at the session. The ministers are reportedly agreed on a resolution to have the Kenya cases at the ICC referred back to a “local mechanism” in the country. A nine-point draft decision seen by The Standard On Saturday shows African Governments are unhappy that decisions to defer Uhuru and Ruto’s cases, as well as those facing Sudan President Hassan Omar Al Bashir, had not been acted upon by the UN Security Council.

The resolutions further affirm the AU decisions previously undertaken in 2009, 2011 and last year expressing strong conviction that “justice should be pursued in a way that does not impede or jeopardise efforts at promoting lasting peace”.

The leaders also reiterate the AU’s concern about the “misuse of indictments” against African leaders by prosecutors at the ICC.

In earlier meetings, there were calls for limits to powers wielded by the court’s prosecutors, with criticism targeted primarily at the first Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. The resolutions, which are said to have the support of all African countries except one, state that the Kenya cases are a threat to peace and security in Africa.

The Heads of State will back a national mechanism (read court) to “undertake investigations and prosecutions of the cases under a reformed judiciary as provided in the new constitution”. This, the foreign ministers’ draft says, will be the only way to prevent a resumption of conflict and violence in the country.

They will also mandate the AU, in collaboration with the African Court of Human and People’s Rights and the AU Commission on International Law, to organize a discussion on international criminal justice system, peace and reconciliation as well as the impact/actions of the ICC in Africa.

This, they argue, will not only inform the ICCprocess but also seek ways of strengthening African mechanisms to deal with African challenges and problems.

President Uhuru has already travelled to Addis Ababa to attend the AU fete, having left the country on Thursday afternoon.

US representative to attend

President Barack Obama’s top representative, Secretary of State John Kerry, was scheduled to arrive in the Ethiopian capital last evening.

Diplomatic sources say the diplomat has a message from Obama for the continent and is likely to hold informal sessions with several African Heads of State on the sidelines.

It is not clear whether he has scheduled a one-on-one meeting with Uhuru. The President was recently invited to London for a conference on Somalia and met British PM David Cameron privately. It is also not clear whether Kerry will address the AU position on the ICC.

By Martin Mutua, The Standard

The National Alliance ( TNA) Chairman Johnson Sakaja

The National Alliance ( TNA) Chairman Johnson Sakaja has been given an ultimatum to resign by June 9 or face “forceful eviction”, we have established.

This follows a stormy meeting of the party’s National Oversight Board (NOB) held on Monday that gave Mr Sakaja 21 days within which to voluntarily relinquish the post.

The meeting, which was held at the UK Centre, begun at 3pm on Monday and ran five hours. The board concluded that Mr Sakaja’s nomination to Parliament made him a State officer and disqualified him under the law from holding national office in a political party.

It was agreed to give him three weeks to decide whether to quit as chairman of The National Alliance or resign from Parliament.

Law clear

But speaking to The Standard On Saturday, Mr Sakaja said: “I will tell you what I told you last time: The law is very clear, if anybody has a problem let them go to court”.

Monday’s meeting was so stormy that some members of the NOB wanted an interim chairman appointed immediately. “Some members wanted us to appoint an interim chairman the same day and then organise for a National Delegates Conference later,” said a NOB member who attended the meeting. However, the proposal died when Mr Sakaja, who was at the meeting, shot up and said he was ready to contest any proposal to replace him in court.

The NOB, therefore, decided to give the chairman time to think over the matter. Mr Sakaja believes the law does not prevent him from being the chairman of TNA serving as a nominated Member of Parliament at the same time.

“The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, is very clear as who is prohibited from holding office in a political party,” he stated in a previous interview. “It talks about an appointed State officer; I am not an appointed State officer.”

Article 77 (2) of the Constitution reads, in part: “Any appointed State officer shall not hold office in a political party.” NOB members expressed concerns that Mr Sakaja’s statements in Parliament, including at Press conferences as an MP, are being misinterpreted as the positions of the party. “Statements the chairman makes in his capacity as an MP may not necessarily reflect the opinion of the party,” said a member of the oversight body.

“Party officials receive complaints or questions relating to the procedure followed in taking some positions (on issues where) the chairman was talking on his own behalf.”

Protect party

But Sakaja told journalists: “If a decision must be made about my suitability, it’s up to the courts,” Sakaja told this journalist.

“ TNA is a party we have built from scratch. Kenyans have seen our performance. My duty is to protect our members from opportunists who are only looking at the resources (it will receive). We must protect our party from a few greedy individuals.”

Since conclusion of the General Election, the President’s party has been caught up in supremacy battles. For instance, a female party official is currently contesting the nomination of former KBC journalist Naisula Lesuuda to the Senate.

Another official who was reported to have signed papers filed in court in this battle has since withdrawn his support and gone ahead to indicate he was a neutral player in the matter when it became apparent higher forces within the Jubilee Coalition were opposed to the pursuit of the matter.

Lesuuda was also involved in peace campaigns prior to her nomination.

National officials of political parties, especially those with wide representation in Parliament, will wield immense power in coming years, given that they oversee the expenditure of grants from the Political Parties Fund.

It is expected that the Jubilee coalition, which is dominated by TNA and the United Republican Party, will get about Sh5 billion over the next five years from the Political Parties Fund.

The party is planning to launch a five-year strategic plan in a month’s time.

By Mwaniki Munuhe, The Standard