PM urges empowerment council to seek low-cost loans

PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa yesterday urged members of the National Council for Economic Empowerment (NEEC) to meet with financial institutions owners to explore the possibility of providing low-cost loans 
The Premier made the remark in Dar es Salaam yesterday when he met with members of the council.
He said it was important for members to meet with financial institutions to help citizens get soft loans to enable their economic growth.
“The council needs to meet up with financial institutions’ owners to talk on proper ways of facilitating soft loans,” he said.
The Premier said 80 per cent of Tanzanians were engaged in agriculture as an effective measure of improving the economy. He added that it could also help livestock breeders to find productive work, thus help the council to give them appropriate techniques to improve their farming.
Earlier the chairman of the council, Dr John Jingu, said the organisation was launched on January 8, this year, and approved to start working in priority areas that are productive to citizens, including agriculture, arts, livestock and fisheries. 
He said that they believe that the empowerment in these areas would bring immediate results for many citizens since most of them have focused their activities in such areas.
Dr Jingu said what was needed right now was to find methods that could solve the great challenges such as lack of capital and sustainable markets for their crops.
He said one of the methods they expected to use to bring about effective change was to strengthen the relationship in large and medium-scale producers.

Soldiers Kill 7 Al-Shabaab Militants in Somalia

Nairobi — Seven Al-Shabaab militants have been killed by the Kenya Defense Forces working under AMISOM in Badhaadhe area of Somalia. KDF spokesperson Lt Col Paul Njuguna says the militants had taken control of a mosque and a police station in the area. During the offensive, the KDF soldiers recovered eight AK 47 rifles and ammunition. "KDF solders remain vigilant and will continue to relentlessly pursue to ensure peace and security of our country Kenya, as well as support AMISOM operations under in order stabilize Somalia," he asserted.

Kenya: U.S. Expanding Military Ties to Kenya With Sales, Donations and Training

A US National Guard unit is conducting "overseas deployment training" with th The four-month set of exercises begun in December by the Massachusetts branch of the National Guard at Thika Barracks coincides with the recent announcement of a pending $418 million sale of US military aircraft to the KDF. That transaction in turn follows a US donation last year of six helicopters valued at $106 million for the KDF's use in operations against al-Shabaab in Somalia. These moves point to a deepening US commitment to assisting Kenya's efforts to enhance its security by diminishing the threat posed by al-Shabaab. The sales, donations and training moves were all set in motion under the Obama administration. President Donald Trump has yet to indicate how his administration will respond to the long-running war in Somalia and to Shabaab's attacks inside Kenya In the current Thika Barracks exercises, members of the KDF Engineer Brigade are being trained in "site development, vehicle preventive maintenance checks and services, site clearing, grading, road improvement, foundation work and debris removal," according to the US Army's Africa arm. A US Army press release quotes a Massachusetts National Guard sergeant as expressing hope that his unit's partnership with KDF will continue in the future.e Kenya Defence Forces in the latest in a series of US initiatives intended to bolster Kenya's military resources. US State Department spokesperson meanwhile confirmed in an email message on Tuesday that the Kenyan government plans to cover the entire $418 million cost of up to 12 converted agricultural aircraft and two trainer planes along with associated weaponry. Transfers of military hardware to developing countries are sometimes subsidised by the US government through its Foreign Military Sales programme. But that is not happening in the case of the Air Tractor deal. The US Congress must review the pending sale within 30 days in accordance with Foreign Military Sales stipulations, the State Department spokesperson noted. "Once the Congressional review period has been completed, the United States and the partner nation meet to finalise the sale, and settle on the final price and delivery details," the State Department source added. "After that, the order is sent to [the US Defence Department], which works with the US company, which manufactures and delivers the requested item."

East African nations in talks to expand one-area mobile network

The East African Community (EAC) is holding talks on expanding the one area mobile network to cover all member states 
The Director General of the Communications Authority of Kenya, Francis Wangusi, told a regional internet forum in Nairobi that currently only Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan were members of the single mobile area network.
“We are currently in talks so that Tanzania and Burundi can also join the one area mobile network where all calls within the member countries will be treated as domestic calls,” Wangusi said.
Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan have formed a one-area network under the Northern Transport Corridor Network.
When fully implemented, the network will reduce the cost of making calls across the trading bloc.
“The direct result is that volume of inter-country calls will increase and this will help to promote EAC regional integration efforts,” Wangusi said.
He said that in order for the six-member EAC bloc to have a single network, some hurdles needed to be overcome, including changing telecom legislations of Tanzania and Burundi.
He, however, said Tanzania and Burundi were ready to amend their legislations in order to join the network due to the numerous benefits its citizens would receive.
“It will reduce the cost of mobile communication across the EAC which will in turn spur more cross-border trade,” he added.

More than 50,000 Tana River County residents are staring at death

By Galgalo Bocha and Wycliff Kipsang, More than 50,000 Tana River County residents are staring at death because of the ongoing drought, Governor Hussein Dado has warned. Mr Dado said the figure could rise to 90,000 if the dry spell continues. The county boss appealed to the government, donors and well-wishers to help residents of Tana Delta, Tana North and Tana River sub-counties. "Let us not wait until deaths are announced. The devolved government has done all it can with the little resources it has," he said.
Mr Dado added that such a drought was experienced in 1984 when residents of Bura and Galole constituencies abandoned their homes and went to Garsen. He said his administration had suspended projects and diverted funds to fighting hunger. "River Tana is drying up. There are carcasses all over and the situation is worrying. We've distributed food to families in Bangal, Hirimani, Mbalambala, Bura, Charidede, Assa and Kone," he said. In the North Rift, animal prices have dropped drastically in the last few weeks. At Nginyang' market in Baringo's Tiaty Sub-County, a cow which used to sell at Sh30,000 in November now goes for Sh10,000 while a goat sells for Sh2,000, down from Sh5,000. "Our people have no alternative but to sell their animals at throwaway prices. We fear for the worst should the dry spell persist," said Ribkwo/Kositei Ward Rep Daniel Tuwit. RESIDENTS HAVE MIGRATED A two kilogramme tin of maize goes for Sh120. Many residents have migrated to Elgeyo-Marakwet and West Pokot counties in search of food. "Pastoralists are moving to Lochakula, Narion and Kulel on the border with Turkana East and East Pokot sub-counties and this could lead to bloody conflicts," Tirioko MCA Stephen Maklap said. Officials say more than 100,000 people in the North Rift are at risk of starvation. A bag of maize is going for Sh3,400, up from Sh2,800 while that of wheat is Sh3,600, up from 3,200. Water PS Fred Segor said the government had set aside Sh221 million for water trucking in areas hard hit by the drought. According to Prof Segor, the drought is very severe in many areas and the food crisis is alarming.

Six Army officers held over fatal shooting of 4 civilians

POLICE are holding six officers attached to SUMA-JKT, the income generating arm of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF)-affiliated National Service division, over the killing of four civilians in fatally controversial circumstances in Arusha Region. 
According to Arusha regional police commander Charles Mkumbo, the officers gunned down the victims and injured five other people on Tuesday after allegedly finding them grazing cattle in a prohibited area of the Mount Meru forest in Oldonyosambu.
The regional police boss said his office has commissioned an inquiry to establish the precise motive behind the brutal shootings which have jolted the predominantly pastoralist-minded Arusha community to the core.
According to The Guardian’s findings, the SUMA-JKT officers took two of the herders into custody before allegedly shooting them in cold blood on their way to the Oldonyosambu police station.
At least two eyewitnesses narrated that after executing the first two, the army officers returned to the vicinity of the arrests, shooting into the air indiscriminately, and killing two other people in the process.
The hail of stray bullets also injured at least seven more people, including a Standard Three primary school pupil, as they scampered for safety.
A visibly irate Oldonyosambu ward councillor, Raymond Lairumbe, expressed shock and dismay over the conduct of the army officers.
“We are truly saddened by this murderous act... none of the victims will be buried unless the regional authorities come to explain to us why our brothers and sisters had to be killed in such a manner,” said Lairumbe.
The injured Standard Three pupil from Lemonyoli primary school, Isaya Thomas, has been admitted to Mt Meru Regional Hospital with a bullet lodged in his spine.
The boy recalled: “I was walking towards the local shopping centre when one of the flying bullets hit me in my abdomen and went through my back.”
Also narrated his ordeal from the hospital bed where he has been admitted, victim Julius Lazaro wondered why he had been shot at when he was only minding his own business at home in the Madukani area of Oldonyosambu.
“I was at home when I heard the gunshots and saw a number of uniformed soldiers who ordered us to run...then they shot me in the leg,” said Lazaro.
According to Lazaro, while some of the officers were in military attire, others were wearing civilian clothes.
Yet another hospitalised victim, William Ngirangwa, was returning home from his quarry job when he ran into the hail of bullets emanating from the army officers, one of which got him in the leg.
Authorities at Mount Meru Hospital have confirmed receiving four bodies from the incident which have since been preserved in the hospital morgue.

Tanesco offers explanation on brief countrywide power blackout

The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) has said that the countrywide power blackout that occurred yesterday morning was due to a fault in a socket-breaker that supplies power to Chalinze and Tanga Region. 
Briefing reporters during a visit to the power station in Dar es Salaam, Acting Senior Manager, System Control, Eng Abubakar Issa, said company experts were still working on the problem to identify the main source of the fault.
The official said that the 132KV socket-breaker at Ubungo Power Station that supplies power to Chalinze in the Coast Region and Tanga was broken and caused the power blackout across the country.
He, however, detailed that despite the problem they made several efforts to restore power countrywide and that by 8:00AM yesterday, electricity was available in all regions.
According to him, in Dar es Salaam power was restored at 11AM, though there were several areas in the metropolitan city which were yet to get electricity by yesterday noon.
The Manager for the Transmission Sub-Station, Eng Mosha Izahaki, said that the company was committed to making sure that its customers were provided with reliable power services.
He said that citizens should not fear as there was no sabotage in the company but instead the power blackout was due to the technical fault.
Izahaki said that maintenance for the broken socket-breaker was set to cost about 90 to 100 million shillings, to normalise the situation on Friday or Saturday this week.
For her part, acting Public Relations manager Leila Muhaji urged citizens to stay calm as there would be no more power blackouts in the future.