Hello my kaka!!! With thi…

Hello my kaka!!!
With this grace which l found and much blessings which sustained my faith and the gift of having wonderful people around me like you, Suzie, Andy, Erie and Kates; l will farther my knowledge forward by procuring A-level at Edmund Rice (Secondary School), located in Arusha, near Sinoni, Ungalimited Area.

[I like] people like you, who pursued so high in education but still you take yourself a very simple human being; you don’t wanna cut yourself off from your communities which aren’t educated. l think this is because you love your country and its people so much no matter how they are. l must learn this kindness of yours and carry it forward with me in my life so that l can help also some people whom l’ll come across whom — people you might not get to meet. Much blessings and am truly thankful. Please continue being like that because you’ll be saving people without realizing that you are saving them just like you did to me.

I feel so honored by “Masai” email. Bless you too, bro.

Shukrani

Huwa wanasema ukikosa shukrani huwezi kuwa na maendeleo. Nimekuwa kimya sana kwenye hii blog yetu ya viongozi. In short, tangu mwaka huu wa 2011 uanze sijaandika jambo hata moja. Sina cha kusingizia ila niseme tu nimekuwa mvivu. Lakini pia nimekuwa nikijaribu kutafakari mwelekeo mpya wa uandishi wangu.

Asante sana msomaji wangu kwa kuendelea kunivumilia na kuendelea kusoma posts za zamani. Naahidi kurudi kwa upya.

Heri ya Mwaka Mpya (si mpya tena). Barikiwa.

Kiongozi.

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 16,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

WATANZANIA: Tumejidanganya na sasa tunalia

(almost) Kila mtu  analalamika. (almost)Kila mtu  ananyoosha kidole kwa mwingine. Hakuna anayetaka kubeba lawama. Hata tunapokosa wa kumlaumu tunailaumu serikali. Ili mradi kila kisichoenda kisichoenda kina wa kumsingizia kwacho. Kama unabisha soma magazeti ya leo: “Makosa ya Ngeleja”, “makosa ya Malima”, “makosa ya wizara”, “makosa ya serikali”, “makosa ya JK” au “makosa ni ya Jairo.” Hivi ni kweli? Si kwamba makosa ni yetu wananchi?

 

OK. Ngoja niseme hivi: ni nani amewafanya watu wetu kuamini kwamba PESA ni kila kitu? Ni nani amewafanya Watanzania kuamini kwamba ukiwa na gari na nyumba nzuri basi wewe umefanikiwa — umeukata? Ni nani? Ni nani aliyewaaminisha Watanzania kwamba ubora wa maisha umo katika wingi wa vitu mtu anavyomiliki? Ni nani?

 

Hakuna Mtanzania anayewaza ku-pursue dream siku hizi. Kila mtu anawaza atakavyopata pesa. Ni ugonjwa mbaya na tusipoangalia utatumaliza. Vijana wanapoajiriwa wanawaza jinsi ya kutoka — wanatafuta vimbinu vya kiwiziwizi ili mradi tu na wao watoke. Na tunapowaona wametoka hata hatajiulizi kwamba wametoka vipi. Tunawapigia saluti. Tunawaabudu na kuwasujudia. Hata kama ni wadogo, tunawaita “wazee”. Kisa? Wametoka. Wametokaje? Hatutaki kujua. Ila ni kweli kwamba hatujui?

 

Siku hizi hakuna Mtanzania nayetaka kuongelea integrity (uadilifu). Na ukitaja tu mambo ya uadilifu uaonekana wa zamani kwelikweli — unachekwa. Unaonekana kama vile umeshuka kutoka Mars! Watu wanatafuta vipato vya kipuuzi kwa nguvu zote — hata kama ni kwa kudanganya. Tumekuwa taifa la waongo, matapeli, wadanganyifu, wasingiziaji, walalamishi, wasiopenda kufanya kazi. Tunaingia ofisini, tunasaini halafu tunatoka kwenda “lunch”. Tukiulizwa tunacho kisingizio: UMEME. Wewe ni mfagiaji wa baraza umeme unahusika nini na kazi yako?

 

Siku hizi hakuna Mtanzania anayeongelea EXCELLENCE (ufanisi). Tunafanya vitu feki, tunauza vitu feki, tunaishi maisha feki, tuna mahusiano feki — tunaishi UONGO na NJIA ZA MKATO! Tunataka kutajirika haraka. Hatutaki kuumia. Tunataka kujenga maghorofa kwa njia za mkato. Hata madaktari hospitalini wanawatibu wagonjwa wao kwa njia za mkato — ili mradi pesa imeingia. Hakuna anayejali. Hakuna anayefanya kazi ili a-excel hapo kazini kwake. Watu wameridhika na MEDIOCRITY (kawaida). Tuna walimu wa kawaida, maprofesa wa kawaida, mainjinia wa kawaida, wanasheria wa kawaida, madaktari wa kawaida, fundi makenika wa kawaida, wakurugenzi wa kawaida, mawaziri wa kawaida. Hakuna unayemwangalia na kusema: excellent!

 

Matokeo yake ndo haya: tunaishi gizani, hatuna maji ya bomba, barabara nzuri ni za kuhesabu, watoto wetu wanakaa chini wanapokuwa shuleni, foleni, nk. Wa kulaumu ni sisi wenyewe. Tumewaabudu matajiri, tumeiabudu pesa na tunalia.

Of Yanga, CECAFA, TANESCO and Tanzania

Ya Yanga, CECAFA, TANESCO na Tanzania

Jana ilikuwa fainali ya Kombe la CECAFA/Kagame.  Mechi ilifanyika uwanja wa Taifa, Dar es salaam na Yanga kuibuka mabingwa. Hii ni baada ya wiki takriban mbili za soka lenye siasa nyingi zaidi kuliko ufundi. Kuna ambao walidiriki hata kusema kwamba CECAFA (waandaaji wa michuano) walikuwa na lao jambo katika michuano — kuzipendela timu wenyeji!

Zile timu zilizotoka Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, Somalia, Rwanda na Burundi zilikuwa zikilalamika kwamba timu za Tanzania zinapendelewa. Nasikia kuna siku timu ya Yanga walirudia penati mara mbili. Mtu mmoja akasema ati: refa ni kama vile alikuwa anahakikisha Yanga hawakosi penati. Madai haya inawezekana ni ya kweli. Lazima tukubali kwamba ili kuendesha mashindano kama haya CECAFA wanahitaji pesa — ya kwao kwanza — viongozi wa CECAFA na kidogo kinachobaki kinaenda kuendeleza soka! Hongera. Nikolas Musonye anaweza kuwa na mawazo tofauti.

Hayo tuwaachie kina Musonye na president wake, Tenga. Kilichonichefua zaidi hiyo jana ni pale ambapo umeme ulikatika uwanja wa Taifa na uwanja mzima ukawa giza. Aibu ya mwaka! Wakati wachezaji wakielekea kupewa zawadi na kukabidhiwa kombe, TANESCO wakawaonyesha CECAFA na ulimwengu kwamba wao ndiyo mabingwa. Jitihada za mheshimiwa waziri, Dr. Nchimbi, kuwasiliana na TANESCO ili umeme urudi hazikufua dafu. Ikabidi watu wawashe simu zao za tochi au tochi zao za simu — asante Mchina — umetujengea uwanja, umetuletea na simu za tochi.

Tanzania kama nchi tulitia aibu ya mwaka kwani ikumbukwe kwamba fainali hizi za Kagame zilikuwa zikirushwa moja kwa moja na kituo maarufu cha mambo ya soka duniani — SuperSport. Kile kilichotokea pale uwanjani hata mtangazaji wa SuperSport alishikwa na kigugumizi kukielezea.

Long live Yanga, long live CECAFA, TANESCO and Tanzania. Wiki njema!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viatu vyetu

From DOWANS to SYMBION: A baptismal miracle?

Power Politics in Tanzania

Who said names were nothing? Who said good names and bad names were equally “good”? Next time you are choosing a name for your child — be careful.

In the recent past the media in Tanzania has had a good deal of coverage on two power companies RICHMOND and his daughter, DOWANS. Every bad word you can name was given to these two electricity firms — illegal, conman hand, corrupt, thieves, embezzlers, money (tax payer’s) launders et cetera, et cetera.

Then comes in this (American-based?) giant — SYMBION. He buys the same power facility (plant) and he names it after himself — SYMBION! Now DOWANS and her dad, RICHMOND are no longer illegal, corrupt, embezzlers. They are the good guys “white as snow”! What has changed? Nomenclature. DOWANS is now a new creature — no longer a beast we used to know and dread.

And by the way, thank you Mrs. Clinton for endorsing this once-bad-now-good “guy”. And thank you for promising us that come 2015, power rationing (shedding) will be history. Ah!

wao waweze wana nini? Na sisi tushindwe tuna nini?

Leo kanisani kwetu alikuja mgeni. Ni baba Mmarekani ambaye, kwa mujibu wake mwenyewe, ameishi Tanzania kwa miaka takriban 14. Alipewa nafasi ya kuhubiri — mada kuhusu watoto. Mimi kama ilivyo kawaida yangu nikadhani kungekuwa na mtafsiri wa mahubiri yake.

Huyu baba alinishangaza. Alipoanza kuongea tu: lafudhi, vibwagizo, misemo, majigambo, nahau — utadhani ni Mswahili wa Bagamoyo. Kiswahili safi kabisa. Kwa mtu ambaye angekuwa akisikiliza akiwa nje bila kuona rangi ya ngozi ya huyu baba asingeweza kuamini kwamba anayehubiri kanisani ni Mmarekani.

Huyu amejifunza lugha yetu ndani ya miaka ipatayo kumi na nne tu na ameiwezea kabisa. Hachanganyi neno la Kiingereza hata moja. Anaongea kama sisi: mimi na wewe. Bila shida yoyote.

Baadae nikaanza kutafakari na kujiuliza. Sisi tunaanzaga kujifunza lugha ya wenzetu (Kiingereza) tukiwa darasa la tatu. Kwa hiyo tunapomaliza darasa la saba huwa tumejifunza Kiingereza kwa miaka takriban minne. Halafu tunaanza masomo ya sekondari: tunajifunza Kiingereza kwa miaka minne hadi sita. Jumla? Miaka kumi. Kisha tena kuna wanaobahatika kuendelea na masomo ya Chuo kikuu kwa miaka mitatu hadi mitano (5). Jumla? Miaka kumi na mitano!!! Lakini kisikie hicho Kiingereza chetu. Duh! Penye “the” tunasema “ze”. Sentensi zetu zina “is” kibao.

Lazima tukiri tu. Sisi ni wavivu wa kujifunza. Tunafanya ili mradi tu. Hatutafuti kufanya mambo sawa sawa. Tunatafuta njia za mkato na kufaulu mitihani. Hayo ni mawazo yangu tu.

Kama wao wanaweza kujifunza na kuimudu lugha yetu. Sisi pia TWAWEZA.

Habari ya Dunia wikiendi iliyopita: Hatimaye Osama auawa

Waswahili husema: yote yana mwisho. Usemi huo unathibitishwa na kitendo cha jeshi la ardhini la Marekani kuweza, hatimaye, kumwua hasimu wao mkubwa katika vita dhidi ya ugaidi, Osama bin Laden.

Habari za kuthibitika na kuaminika kwa mujibu wa jeshi la Marekani na Rais wa Marekani, Barack Obama, ni kwamba kiongozi huyo wa Al-Qaeda alivamiwa katika makazi yake katika mji mdogo nje kidogo ya Islamabad, Pakistan. Huu ni ushindi mkubwa kwa Marekani, nchi za magharibi na wengine ambao wamekuwa wakitamani vita hii dhidi ya ugaidi ifike mwisho.

Wachambuzi wengi, hata hivyo, wanaona kwamba kuuawa kwa Osama ni kitu kimoja na kuisha kwa vita dhidi ya ugaidi ni kitu kingine. Wanasema kwamba aliyeuawa ni Osama na sio Al-Qaeda. Kwa mantiki hiyo wanaona kwamba vita ya hapa na pale itaendelea kwani Al-Qaeda ina mtandao mkubwa.

Tumerudi hewani tena!

Wapendwa wasomaji wa blog ya viongozi. Kwanza nawapa pole sana na majukumu yenu ya siku kwa siku ya ujenzi wa Taifa letu ‘changa’ la TZ. Tusichoke.

Pili niwape hongera kwa sikukuu za Pasaka, Muungano na Mei Mosi. Naamini tumezitumia siku hizo kutafakari mambo kadhaa yahusuyo mustakabali wa Taifa letu tukufu.

Ni matumaini na maombi yangu kuwa muungano wetu ulioishi kwa mika 47 utaendelea kuwepo na kudumishwa. Naamini pia kwamba vitu vinavyotuunganisha kama Watanzania vina nguvu zaidi kuhusu kasoro tulizo nazo za muungano. Hata kama “wajinga” fulani, kwa maslahi yao binafsi, wataamua kuuvunja huu ushirikiano; bado jina Tanzania litadumu. Amin.

Sikukuu ya Mei Mosi nayo imepita — lo! Mwezi wa tano tayari!! Siku zaenda mbio kweli kweli. Sijapata nafasi ya kuyapitia yale ambayo wakuu walisema jana kwenye Mei Mosi ila naweza kusema tu kwamba TUFANYE KAZI!

Mambo mengine si kwa sababu ya umaskini

Watanzania wengi tumekuwa tukitafuta ulaji badala ya kutafuta kutoa mchango kwa maendeleo ya nchi yetu. Utamkuta mtu anakuuliza: “Siku hizi uko wapi?” Unamwambia: “Ninafanya kazi BOT.” Au: “Nipo mamlaka ya mapato Tanzania.” Au wakati mwingine unamweleza: “Ninafanya kazi na ubalozi wa Finland.” Atakachokujibu sasa utashangaa. Mara zote nimekuwa nikisikia watu wakiniambia: “Aisee, huko ndo kwenye pesa. Mambo yako safi sana mzee.” Ukijaribu kuwahoji wanachomaanisha si pesa halali ya mshahara. Bali ni zile pesa waweza kuzipata kama wewe ni mtu wa dili.

Mawazo haya ya dili yatatufikisha wapi?

CCM: Maigizo yametosha!

 ”Huyu Nape (Nnauye) mimi simwelewi. Anaonekana kutofautiana na Mkama (Wilson). Kauli zao zinaonekana kupingana.” Yalikuwa maneno yangu kwa rafiki yangu ambaye alianzisha mjadala wa CCM kujivua gamba. Rafiki yangu wala hakuhangaika kujifikirisha. Huku akiangalia pembeni akaniambia: “Mwache tu naye (Nape) ale nchi kidogo.” Ndiyo.

Tumekuwa tukisikia mengi tangu CCM walipoanza harakati zao za kujivua gamba. Kitu kimoja kiko wazi — ndani ya Chama cha Mapinduzi hakuna anayeweza kumfunga paka kengele. CCM ya leo si ile CCM ya miaka ile. Ndani ya CCM ya leo watu wanaoneana aibu. Hakuna hata mmoja wao (NEC-CCM) anayeweza kumnyooshea kidole mwenzake na kumwambia: “wewe ndiye fisadi. Wewe ndiye unakivuruga chama chetu. Wewe waweza kukaa pembeni ili chama chetu kipone.” Hakuna mwenye ujasiri huo. Tulichosikia ni hiki: “Mafisadi waondoke wenyewe ndani ya siku 90.” Thubutu!! Hata ningekuwa mimi — niondokeje?

Nitaondokaje wakati magari mnayotumia niliwanunulia mimi? Nitaondokaje wakati majukwaa mnayohubiria ni mimi nimeyajenga? Nitaondokaje wakati ofisi zenu za wilaya na mikoa ni pesa “yangu” ilizijenga? Nitaondokaje?? Swali ambalo bado najiuliza ni hili: Je, mafisadi ndani ya CCM ni akina nani? Mbona viongozi wakuu wa chama hawatupatii majina ya watu wanaotakiwa kuondoka? Ebo! Tupeni majina ya hao mafisadi sisi wananchi ili nyie mkishindwa sisi tuwashughulikie. Igeni mfano wa Mwalimu (Julius Kambarage Nyerere).

Mwalimu Nyerere alikuwaga na ujasiri wa kuwataja wana-CCM wenzake walioonekana kukivuruga chama. Mwulizeni mzee John Samweli Malecela atawaambia kilichomkuta kule Chimwaga. Mwulizeni mzee Mwinyi (Ali Hassan) atawapa stori za Mwalimu. Mwulizeni JK (Mrisho) atawaambia kilichomkuta alipotaka kuchukua fomu za kugombea urais wakati wa Mwalimu. Mbona leo ndani ya CCM hakuna mtu anayethubutu kuwakabili wakorofi kwa ujasiri?

Acheni maigizo! Tumechoka.

Tanzania is home to thousands of beautiful scenes and sceneries: Some of them too small you can easily pass them by.

The wonders of Meru. So today, two friends of mine and I decided to make a little tour around Arusha. Purpose: to experience nature and have fun. This was one of the many things we saw. Can you tell me what this could be?

You can call me crazy or nuts BUT I’m a huge fan of Bing’s

I love this and it’s not mine: See the footnote in the picture. Enjoy

MALIASILI ZETU: Tunaweza kupiga hatua, tukiamua

Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Selous, Mkomazi, Mikumi, Manyara, Kituro, Udzungwa, Katavi, Gombe, Mahale, Lukwika-Lumesule, Arusha (ANAPA), Kilimanjaro (KINAPA), Tarangire, Saadani. Bulyankulu, Mwadui, Nyamongo, Buzwagi, Barrick, Geita, Uvinza, Kiwira, Mchuchuma na Songosongo.

Nilikuwa nawaza hivi: Tanzania ina maliasili na rasilimali nyingi sana. Na rasilimali zetu hizi zote ni pesa tupu. Na tukiamua na kuwa na dhamira ya kweli tunaweza kuzitumia maliasili zetu hizi hizi kuwakwamua Watanzania katika lindi la umaskini.

Nilikuwa nawaza hivi: Tunaweza kujiwekea lengo kwamba mapato yetu ya mwaka mzima kutoka Serengeti na Ngorongoro tutayatumia kujenga barabara ya lami kutoka Mugumu kwenda Tarime kupitia Nyamongo. Halafu tunaweka vibao vikuuuuubwa: “Barabara hii imejengwa kwa mapato na faida iliyopatikana katika hifadhi za Serengeti na Ngorongoro.“

Halafu mapato ya mwaka mzima ya mbuga za Saadani, Ruaha, Katavi na Udzungwa, badala ya kupelekwa hazina; tukatumia hiyo pesa yote kujenga kipande cha barabara kuunganisha mkoa wa Rukwa na Mbeya au kuunganisha mkoa wa Iringa na Dodoma. Halafu tunabandika sign kuuubwa inayosema: “Barabara hii ya lami imejengwa kwa mapato yatokanayo uhifadhi wa wanyapori katika hifadhi za Taifa za Saadani, Ruaha, Katavi na Udzungwa.“

Hivyo hivyo tukatumia mapato ya Buzwagi, Geita, Bulyankulu na Nyamongo kujenga barabara ya lami kutokea kutokea Muleba kupitia Biharamulo, Geita, Sengerema mpaka Mwanza. Yes. Halafu tunaweka booonge la advertise: “The North-West Madini Boulevard.” Atakayetaka kuendesha pikipiki yake kutoka Bukoba hadi Mwanza, haya. Atakayetaka kuendesha ki-Toyota Corolla chake kutoka Iringa hadi Rukwa, haya. Mkulima wa Nkasi akitaka kununua Fuso yake na kusafirisha mahindi yake kwenda Mbeya, haya.

Tukiamua, tunaweza kuwa na miradi ya maendeleo tunayoifadhili kwa pesa yetu wenyewe. Mungu ibariki Tanzania.

Why I love Bing: Look at this image they put up today! Breathtaking!

© Crown Jellyfish (Netrostoma setouchina) in the water near Niue, South Pacific © Pete Atkinson/Getty Images

Kukata tamaa: Je, ni hulka ya Watanzania?

“Sitaenda kwenye maandamano. Hata tukiandamana hakuna kitakachobadilika.” Iliuwa kauli ya kwanza ya Mtanzania mmoja. Mwingine naye, “Nendeni tu kwenye mkutano. Mtakalolizungumza lolote kwangu ni sawa tu. Hata hivyo hiyo mikutano haina maana yoyote.” Sasa iliyonishangaza na kunikera zaidi ilikuwa hii:

“Hii ni Tanzania bwana. Mtapiga kelele weeee ila hakuna kitakachofanyika. Kujihusisha kwenye mambo ya siasa ni kazi bure. Wewe fanya mambo yako. Tafuta chakula cha familia yako. Jitafutie maendeleo yako mwenyewe. Achana na mambo ya kitaifa. Acha kabisa kuongelea siasa za nchi.”

Hizi ni kauli za watu waliokata tamaa. Ni kauli za Watanzania wengi: vijana na hata wazee. Ni watu waliochoka. Mbele yao wanaona bahari na nyuma yao majeshi ya Farao. Wamefika mwisho. Hawana tumaini. Ila kauli hizi si za kupuuza hata kidogo. Hizi ni kauli-sumu kwa taifa ambalo linataka kupiga hatua ya kimaendeleo.

Ni kauli zenye nia ya kuzima dhamira za watu ambao wangependa kudai haki zao. Ni kauli ambazo viongozi wazembe, wavivu na wabadhirifu wangependa kuzisikia. Kibaya zaidi: hizi ni kauli ambazo zaweza kuleta kizazi cha watu waoga, wasiopenda kuhoji nchi yao inaendeshwaje. Ni mawazo-mgando. Mawazo hatari!

Mtanzania yeyote anayetoa kauli za hivyo usidhani kuna siku atamkemea mtoto wake asijihusishe na wizi wa mali za umma. Na wala sidhani kama watoto wa mtu mwenye mawazo kama haya wanaweza kufikiri kwamba wizi wa mali za umma ni jambo baya. Tutaleta Tanzania kizazi kisicho na maadili kwa sababu kizazi chetu kimekuwa ni chenye kupuuzia.

Shime Watanzania, tuamke! Zi wapi nyimbo zetu za kizalendo? Zi wapi kauli zetu za ukombozi? U wapi ujasiri wetu wa kale? Ni nini kimetupata?

CCM: is it cuticle shedding or carapace removal?

“Gamba” is a Swahili word that could mean “a shell”, “an old skin”,  ”a cuticle”, and even “a carapace”. In February this year, when the Tanzania ruling party’s chairman and our President, hon Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was addressing his party members he was quoted saying: “CCM needs liberate itself from the “gamba”.

In recent days CCM has been unanimously alleged by Tanzanians as a party that embraces embezzlement, graft and corruption. The allegations were brought up due to the fact that some of the members in the party’s central and executive committees were not “clean”. The “big shots” or “vigogo” as they are famously known here in Tanzania were involved in state fund embezzlement scandals and their image to the public was/is indeed tarnished.

So when Kikwete called upon his party members to consider de-shelling their party and freeing it from the “gamba”, he was implying to clean the CCM house. So last week the party congregated in Dodoma for this one purpose — the “gamba” removal. The results of the meeting has, however, been received with mixed reactions. The strategy, it seems, was to replace some of the old faces with younger ones. This doesn’t necessarily clean the house, does it? If the aim was to remove the corrupt and put in place the “clean”; why is it then we see we see something different? Why do we see the young replace the old instead? Does young mean clean and old mean dirty?

Tanzania is not a “No Country for Old Men”. Tanzanians are not tired of the old people in the ruling system. We are tired of people who have privatized the “cake of the nation”. We are tired of people who use the “national cake” to feed their own bellies, their families and immediate friends leaving the vast majority starving. We are tire of the corrupt fellas — old and young.

By the way, not everyone alleged of corruption and embezzlement of public funds is now out of the CCM’s cockpit. Some great embezzlers are still in the “control seat”.

Note: Reptiles which wear a carapace are called tortoises. If we take away that hard, scaly covering; tortoises don’t change and become a different species. Tortoises will always be tortoises — with or without a carapace. Period.

je ni wakati wa kujivua gamba? Hali ni tete NEC-CCM

Habari zimekuwa zikitokea kule Dodoma katika kambi ya Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) kwamba hali iliyopo chamani humo — ni tete. Wenye chama i.e. kamati kuu aka NEC wamekuwa na vikao kwa siku kadhaa sasa.

Masuala ambayo yamekuwa yakizungumziwa ni pamoja na: 1) hali ya uongozi ndani ya CCM 2) muswada wa katiba mpya 3) umaarufu unaozidi kukithiri wa CHADEMA na jinsi kuukabili 4) wanachama na uanachama wa baadhi ya wana-CCM ambao wamekuwa chanzo cha kushuka umaarufu wa CCM 5) nidhamu ndani ya UVCCM.

Kuna tetesi kwamba ile ‘top layer’ ya CCM imejiuzulu, akiwemo katibu mkuu wa chama hicho, Yusufu Makamba na msaidizi wake — John Chiligati. Kama hali ndo hiyo, basi hiyo hali si tete tu bali pia ni hatua nzuri katika mbio zetu za kudai uhuru — wa kiuchumi, kisiasa na kijamii.

Tanzania inamwitaji Mwaisapile (mpya). Kwa kweli.

“Tunamwitaji atakayeoteshwa kuhusu ‘dawa’ ya kumaliza matakataka mijini. Na mwingine aoteshwe ‘dawa’ ya kuwaondoa wapiga debe mijini. Mwingine aoteshwe ‘dawa’ ya kuwaondoa wafanyabiashara wanaopanga bidhaa mabarazani na njiani.”

Hivyo ndivyo ilikuwa ikisema “status update” yangu kwenye facebook. Nilisukumwa kuandika huo ujumbe kwa sababu ya mambo ambayo yamekuwa yakitokea katika nchi yetu kwa siku za karibuni.

Tumekuwa tukisikia kila kukicha juu ya watu ambao wanadai kuwa “wameoteshwa” na mungu (lower case m) dawa ya magonjwa sugu yanayowakabili waTZ. Mambo yalianzia Loliondo au ‘kwa Babu’ kama wengi wetu tunavyopenda kupaita. Ilianza kwa mchungaji mstaafu wa KKKT, Ambilikile Mwaisapile, “kuoteshwa” dawa ya magonjwa sugu.

Baada ya hapo umefuata utitiri wa watu ambao kila kukicha wamekuwa wakiibuka na kudai kwamba “wameoteshwa” juu ya dawa ambayo ‘hakuna ugonjwa ambao haitibu’ — ukiamini. Ukiamini nini? Ni swali ambalo watu, hata waliotumia hiyo dawa, hawawezi kukwambia. Ukimwamini Mungu? Ukiliamini neno la Mungu? Ukiiamini dawa? Ukiamini kwamba dawa ile inaponya? Ukimwamini mtoa dawa? Ukiuamini mrigariga? UKIAMINI NINI?

Nilishasema hapo awali na ninarudia kusema: jamii ya Watanzania inayo ‘magonjwa’ sugu mengi ukiachilia ya kisukari, UKIMWI, kansa, stroke, shinikizo la damu, presha, vidonda vya tumbo n.k. Tunayo ‘magonjwa’ ambayo yanahitaji ‘tiba’ isiyo ya kawaida. Je nani atathubutu kujitokeza akadai kuwa “ameoteshwa” kuyatibu haya magonjwa?

Ni nani ataoteshwa ‘dawa’ ya foleni mijini? Nani ataoteshwa ‘dawa’ ya ukosefu wa maji vijijini? Nani ataoteshwa ‘dawa’ ya kukatikakatika kwa umeme? Nani ataoteshwa ‘dawa’ ya uchafu unaozagaa kila kona katika miji na majiji yetu? Nani ataoteshwa ‘dawa’ ya kupanda bei kwa bidhaa kila kukicha? Nani ataoteshwa ‘dawa’ ya umaskini? Nani ataoteshwa ‘dawa’ ya mikataba mibovu? Nani? Nani?

Ila sasa, Je, akijitokeza atakayeoteshwa ‘dawa’ ya magonjwa haya TUTAMSHABIKIA? Je, tutapanga foleni kumpa sapoti? Je, tutajipanga nyuma yake na kumwambia, “tuna imani na wewe”? Je, tutaamini?

Rafiki yangu mmoja akaniambia na hapa namnukuu: “Magufuli alioteshwa dawa ya kuondoa kero za barabara mbovu. Je, uliona kilichompata?” Sote tunajua kilichompata. Hatukumwamini. Hatukuamini!

Hii ni Tume au mungu? (N.B: “m” iliyotumika ni herufi ndogo, siyo “M”)

Threats. Threats. Threats. Is this a Commission or a god? How can you start a process of making a new constitution by making a body that can purposely break the law? It just doesn’t add up. Funny enough, you use that same (god) body to institute a constitution which is supposed to be the mother of all laws governing the land. Ah!

 

 

Muswada excerpts: This is a joke!

Really? And what should we regard as “good faith”?

Kama Kiswahili ni lugha ya Taifa mbona masuala mazito ya Kitaifa yanaandikwa kwa Kiingereza?

If, and this is constitutional, Kiswahili is our National language, why do we write matters of national concern in English? Weird!

 

It is Karume Day here

Abeid Karume led the revolution that led to independent Zanzibar. Today we are remembering his death. The best part of it is that it is a holiday and I don’t have to go to work. But on a serious note: Karume is indeed one of our nation’s founding fathers. Have a great Karume Day, people!

Tonight is that night: Chelsea vs. Manchester United at Stamford Bridge

Sir Alex Ferguson goes to Stamford Bridge to meet his arch-rival, Carlo Ancelotti for the UEFA Champions League first-leg encounter. It is one of the matches whose results one dares not predict. The Red Devils will be looking for a revenge after losing to Carlo boys on their English Premier League game a few weeks ago. The Devils will come out fiercely looking to snatch a win on their away match. Only two hours remains before the game kicks off and I can’t wait to watch it!!

Silvester Rwegasira hatunaye tena

Kwa mujibu wa ITV: Aliyekuwa katibu wa TRAWU, mpambanaji Silvester Rwegasira, amefariki dunia leo. Kwa wale ambao tumekuwa tukifuatilia ‘struggle’ za wafanyakazi hasa wale wa Shirika la Reli Tanzania (TRL), jina la Silvester Rwegasira si geni masikioni mwetu. Mzee amemaliza safari yake wakati ambapo wafanyakazi wa Tanzania tulikuwa bado tunamwitaji. Tutaku-miss, sir.

Carissa edulis – Murigariga wa ‘miujiza’ ya Loliondo

Nimepata makala hii kutoka kwa msomaji wangu mmoja ambaye aliiandika kama “comment” ya makala yangu fupi juu ya Mti wa Babu, Carissa edulis. Soma kwa makini hii makala ya John na uone maajabu ya Carissa.

Carissa edulis – Murigariga wa ‘miujiza’ ya Loliondo

________________________________________
Utangulizi

Mchungaji Mstaafu Ambilikile Mwaisapile ni jina lililojipatia umaarufu sana katika siku za karibuni nchini Tanzania. Umaarufu wake unatokana na madai kuhusu uwezo wake wa kutibu maradhi sugu mbalimbali kwa kutumia dawa ya ‘kiimani’ iliyotengenezwa kwa kutumia majani ya mti maarufu sana katika mazingira ya eneo hilo unaojulikana kama murigariga.

Lakini murigariga ni nini? Tabia zake ni zipi? Je una uwezo wowote wa kutibu maradhi yanayodaiwa kuwa sugu? Ni mti wa kale au umegunduliwa juzi juzi tu?

Murigariga au Carissa edulis kama unavyojulikana kitaalamu au ‘mtanda-mboo’ kwa Kiswahili fasaha si kitu kigeni duniani. Ni mti ambao umekuwepo tangu zama na zama. Kiasili, mti huu unapatikana maeneo mengi sana duniani hasa yale yenye uoto wa kitropiki kama vile Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Ethiopia, Thailand, Botswana, Namibia, Myanmar na Afrika ya Kusini (1).

Mti huu upo kwenye familia ya mimea ya Apocynaceae, familia ambayo inajumuisha genera zipatazo 163 za mimea zenye takribani aina 1850 za miti (2). Familia ya Apocynaceae inajumuisha aina kadhaa za miti ambazo zina matumizi mbalimbali kulingana na sehemu zinapopatikana. Kwa mfano kwa mujibu wa utafiti uliofanywa mwaka 1970 na Kokwaro na wenzake huko nchini Kenya (3), ilionekana kuwa aina ijulikanayo kama Acokanthera schimperi imekuwa ikitumiwa kwa miaka mingi na wenyeji wa maeneo ulipofanyika utafiti huo kwa kupaka kwenye ncha za mishale na mikuki kama sumu. Hata hivyo, zipo aina kadhaa katika familia hii ya mimea ambazo si sumu na zimekuwa zikitumiwa kwa matumizi mbalimbali yakiwemo chakula.

Matumizi ya mti wa Carissa edulis yanatofautiana kati ya jamii na jamii. Kwa mfano inasemekana baadhi ya jamii nchini Ghana hutumia mti huu kama chachandu ya kuongeza ladha katika chakula, wakati nchini Sudan na Kenya, mti huu hutumika kutengenezea siki au jam. Aidha zipo jamii kadhaa hukohuko Kenya zinazotumia mti huu kama dawa ya kufukuza nyoka kwa kuweka mizizi yake iliyokaushwa juu ya paa la nyumba.

Pamoja na matumizi yaliyoelezwa hapo juu, matumizi makubwa kabisa ya mti ambayo ndiyo msingi mkuu wa makala hii ni katika kutibu magonjwa mbalimbali ya binadamu pamoja na wanyama.
Ili tuweze kufahamu vizuri utendaji kazi wa mti huu katika matibabu, hebu kwanza tuangalie kilichomo (ingredients) katika mti huu.

Kilichomo (ingredients):

Vifuatavyo ni viasili vilivyowahi kukutwa katika mti wa Carissa edulis baada ya tafiti mbalimbali za wataalamu wa afya pamoja na mitishamba:

1. Mizizi yake imegundulika kuwa na kiasili kikuu cha Sesquiterpene ambacho huzalisha viasili vya carissone, cryptomeridiol, germacarane na β-eudesmane. Kwa ujumla viasili vya sesquiterpenes vinajulikana kuwa na tabia au uwezo wa kutibu magonjwa au hali zote zinazohusiana na mcharuko mwili (anti-inflammatory effects), vimelea (antimicrobial effects) na saratani na uvimbe (antineoplastic effects).

2. Mbegu za matunda yake zimeonekana kuwa na viasili vya lignans kama vile carissanol, secoisolariciresinol, nortrachelogenin na olivil. Kutokana na umbo lake la kikemikali, viasili hivi hususani carissanol vimeonekana kuwa na tabia au uwezo wa kuua vimelea (antimicrobial effects) na kusaidia kuua seli zisizohitajika mwilini (antioxidant effects) sifa ambayo inaipa uwezo mkubwa wa kupambana na seli za saratani.

3. Vichipukizi vyake vina viasili vya quebrachytol ambavyo kina tabia za kuimarisha kinga ya mwili kwa kutegemeza tando za seli (membrane stabilization effects) na kuua seli zisizohitajika zikiwemo za saratani (antioxidant effects). Pia zina cardioglycosides ambavyo hufanya kazi kwenye pump ya Na+-K+ na kuweza kuua minyoo.

4. Shina na majani yameonekana kuwa na aina fulani ya kemikali ya alkaloid

5. Magamba ya mizizi yake yamegunduliwa kuwa na viasili vya 2-Hydroxy acetophenone ambacho kina uwezo wa kufanya kazi katika mishipa ya damu na kuifanya itanuke (vasodilation effects) na hivyo kuwa na sifa kubwa ya kusaidia kushusha shinikizo la damu na kuongeza nguvu za kiume.

Matumizi katika tiba

Wenyeji wa jamii kadhaa nchini Ghana wamekuwa, kwa miaka kadhaa sasa, wakichanganya magamba ya mizizi na baadhi ya viungo na kutumia kwa ajili ya kutibu maumivu ya mgongo na maumivu ya sehemu nyingine za mwili. Aidha nchini Guinea, jamii zimekuwa na mazoea ya kuchemsha majani ya mti huu na kutumia kutibu maumivu ya meno. Jamii nyingine barani Africa zimekuwa zikitumia sehemu ya juu ya mizizi hii kutibu uvimbe na mcharuko mwili (inflammatory reactions). Hali kadhalika sehemu za mizizi mkuu zimekuwa zikitumika kwa ajili ya kutibu magonjwa ya zinaa kama kaswende na kisonono, kurudisha urijali na kuongeza uwezo wa kuzaa, vidonda vya tumbo au kikohozi. Jamii nyingine zimekuwa zikitumia mti huu kwa ajili ya kutoa mimba, na kwa hapa Tanzania yapo baadhi ya makabila yanayotumia Carissa edulis kutibu ugonjwa wa malaria.

Utafiti wa hivi karibuni nchini Kenya umeonesha kuwa, mti wa Carissa edulis una uwezo wa kuua vimelea vya virus aina ya Herpes Simplex Virus ingawa haijajulikana hasa ni kwa njia gani.

Kwa mujibu wa mtafiti Lindsay na wenzake, 2000 (3) ukiacha aina (species) hii ya Carissa edulis, aina nyingine zilizo katika jamii moja na mti huu, kama vile Carissa lanceolata, imethibitika kuwa na uwezo wa kutibu bacteria vya aina mbalimbali vikiwemo Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli na Pseudomonas aeruginosa bila kuwa na madhara kwa mtumiaji.

Je mti huu una madhara kwa afya za binadamu?

Mpaka sasa hakuna ushahidi wowote wa kitafiti unaoonesha kuwa matumizi ya dawa za mitishamba zinazotokana na mti wa Carissa edulis zina madhara kwa binadamu.

Je kuna ushahidi wowote wa kitafiti kuthibitisha uwezo wa Carissa edulis?
Tafiti kadhaa zilizofanywa barani Afrika na kwingineko duniani zinathibitisha hilo.

(1) Uwezo wa kupambana na virus (Antiviral activities)

Mwaka 2005 , watafiti nchini Kenya (4) walitumia magamba ya mizizi ya Carissa edulis kuchunguza uwezo wa mti huu katika kupambana na virus wa jamii ya Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) kwa kutumia panya. Matokeo ya utafiti huo yalionesha kuwa, dawa iliyotumika kutokana na mti huo ilikuwa na uwezo wa kuua aina (strains) zote mbili (wild na resistant) za virus hawa wa HSV. Ilionekana pia kuwa, aina sugu ya virus hawa yaani resistant strain ndiyo iliyoathiriwa zaidi ikilinganishwa na aina isiyo sugu (wild strain). Kwa maneno mengine, mti huu ulionekana kuwa na uwezo mkubwa katika kuua na kutokomeza virus walioonekana kuwa sugu zaidi kwa madawa mengine kuliko wale wasio sugu. Hata hivyo watafiti hawakuonesha ni kwa jinsi gani (mode of mechanism) mti huu uliweza kufanya kazi hiyo na hivyo kupendekeza kufanyika kwa utafiti mwingine utakaofanya kazi hiyo hususani kwa binadamu.

2. Uwezo wa kupambana na virus vya Ukimwi (Antiretroviral effects)

Mpaka sasa hakuna utafiti wowote wa kisayansi uliofanywa kuthibitisha uwezo wa mti wa Carissa edulis katika kupambana na virusi vinavyosababisha ugonjwa wa Ukimwi. Hivyo bado ni ngumu kuthibitisha uwezo wa mti huu katika kuua na kutokomeza virus vya Ukimwi. Hii inaleta changamoto kubwa kwa wanasayansi kuweza kubainisha hilo.

3. Uwezo wa kutibu kifafa na degedege (Anticonvulsant effects)

Mtafiti Ya’u (5) kutoka idara ya madawa ya chuo kikuu cha Ahmadu Bello, nchini Nigeria akishirikiana na wenzake walifanya utafiti kuchunguza uwezo wa mti wa Carissa edulis katika kutibu magonjwa ya degedege na kifafa. Katika utafiti wao, walitumia magamba ya mizizi ya mti huu kuchunguza uwezo wake katika kuzuia kutokea kwa degedege kwa wanyama. Watafiti hao walipendekeza kuwa mti wa Carissa edulis una kiasili chenye uwezo wa kuzuia kutokea kwa degedege na hivyo kukubaliana na madai ya baadhi ya jamii zinazotumia mti huu kama dawa ya kutibu tatizo hilo.

4. Uwezo wa kutoa maji mwilini (Antidiuretic effects)

Mtafiti Nadi T (6) wa chuo kikuu cha Addis Ababa, Ethiopia akishirikiana na wenzake walifanya utafiti kuchunguza uwezo wa mti Carissa edulis katika kutoa na kupunguza maji mwilini kwa njia ya mkojo (antidiuretic effects). Katika utafiti wao, wataalamu hao walitumia magamba ya mizizi kuwapa panya na kisha kuchunguza kiasi cha mkojo kilichotolewa na panya hao pamoja na upotevu wa viasili vya Sodium, potassium na Chloride mwilini. Kadiri dozi ya dawa iliyotumika ilipoongezwa, kiwango cha mkojo na upotevu wa viasili hivyo nao pia uliongezeka. Matokeo haya ya utafiti yanaendana na mazoea ya tangu kale ya jamii mbalimbali ambazo zimekuwa zikitumia mti huu kwa ajili ya kusaidia kukojoa hususani kwa watu wenye matatizo ya figo.

5. Uwezo wa kutibu kisukari (Antidiabetic effects)

Watafiti kutoka chuo kikuu cha Alexandria nchini Misri (7), wakitumia panya wa maabara, walifanya utafiti kwa lengo la kuchunguza uwezo wa mti wa Carissa edulis katika kutibu ugonjwa wa kisukari. Katika utafiti wao, wataalamu hao walifanikiwa kugundua kuwa, majani ya mti wa Carissa edulis yalikuwa na uwezo wa kushusha na kurekebisha kiwango cha sukari kwa panya waliokuwa na kisukari ndani ya muda wa masaa matatu, sawa kabisa na dawa za Metformin na buguanides zinazotumika kutibu ugonjwa huo mahospitalini.

Hitimisho

Ingawa tafiti mbalimbali za kisayansi zimefanyika kujaribu kuonesha uwezo wa mti wa Carissa edulis katika kutibu magonjwa kadhaa kwa kutumia wanyama kama panya na kuku, mpaka sasa hakuna utafiti wowote uliowahi kufanyika kwa binadamu kuthibitish hilo, pamoja na kwamba tangu enzi na enzi, watu wa jamii zilizojaliwa kuwa na mti huu wamekuwa na wanaendelea kuutumia katika kujitibu maradhi mbalimbali yanayowakabili. Ni changamoto kwa watafiti na watalaamu kufanya tafiti zaidi za kisayansi ili kutambua jinsi mti huu unavyofanya kazi katika kutibu baadhi ya magonjwa na kuthibitisha pasi na shaka uwezo wake katika kutibu ugonjwa wa Ukimwi na maradhi mengine sugu.

Unataka kuusoma Mswada wa Katiba Mpya?

Bonyeza hapa kusoma

La Liga live

And as if that was not enough:

Real Madrid 0 — 1 Sporting Madrid

Which means Mourinho’s side is 8 points behind Barca and the latter has a game in hand. Doesn’t get better than this, or does it?

Game is over: Simba 2 — 3 TP Mazembe

The visitors played better than the home side. That’s all I can say. Simba don’t give up. Go and prepare for next year. Adios!

Simba 1 — 1 TP Mazembe

58 minute

Second-leg Simba 0 — 1 TP Mazembe

It is 25 minutes in Dar and the home side (Simba) is down by a goal to nil. TP Mazembe scored on the 15th minute, a header by Given Singuruma

Hiyo Nakala ya Mswada wa Katiba Mpya inapatika(je) wapi?

Jana kulikuwa na Kongamano la Katiba kwenye Ukumbi wa Nkrumah, UDSM. Na, nilivyosoma katika magazeti ya leo, isipokuwa yale ya Chama na Serikali, ni kwamba wadau wengi walionyeshwa kukerwa na mswada utakaopelekwa bungeni mwezi huu ili mchakato wa kuunda katiba mpya uanze. Habari zilizopo zinaonyesha kwamba mswada huo una mapungufu mengi ambayo yanahitaji kurekebishwa kabla ya mswada wenyewe kujadiliwa na hatimaye kuwa sheria.

Na kwa sababu chama-tawala kina idadi kubwa ya wabunge endapo huo mswada utapelekwa hivyo hivyo: Mheshimiwa Cheyo (UDP), Lyatonga Augustine Mrema (TLP), Kafulira (NCCR), wabunge wote wa CUF na wale wa CCM wataupitisha hivyo hivyo na hatimaye itakuwa sheria. Baada ya muda mfupi tutakuja kugundua kwamba tulichotengeneza haikuwa katiba mpya bali tuliiwekea viraka ile ile ya zamani.

Wananchi tungependa kupata nakala ya huo mswada ili nasi tuisome tusipelekwe hivi hivi kiubabe. Nchi ya Tanzania ni yetu sote na si ya watu wachache ambao wako kwenye ngazi za utawala.

Manchester United 4 — 2 Westham United

Chelsea 1 — 1 Stoke City

 

Indeed now you can bet on the Red Devils for the 2011 EPL trophy

Habari ya jana 1: Profesa Safari ajiunga na CHADEMA

Nilipozisikia habari za mtu ninayempenda na kumheshimu kama mwanataaluma na mwanafalsafa mzuri kati ya wanazuoni wa Tanzania, Prof. Safari kwamba amejiunga na kambi ya Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) akitokea Chama cha Wananchi (CUF) sikushangaa sana.

Kwanza, CUF kwa siku za karibuni wamekosa ile kasi yao na ‘upinzani’ wa kweli. Matamshi ambayo amekuwa akiyatoa mwenyekiti wa CUF, Profesa Ibarahim Lipumba, yamekuwa yakionyesha dhahiri kwamba CUF ile tuliyoijua imebadilika na sasa imekuwa kama ‘CCM (b)’. Siwezi kuwalaumu sana CUF kwa mabadiliko hayo, nafikiri walikosea pale ambapo walishindwa kubashiri madhara ya muafaka kati yao na Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) kwa upande wa Zanzibar. Wakajikuta kwenye mtego ambao na kuingia na sasa wanalipa gharama. Kwa hiyo kwa mtu yeyote ndani ya CUF ambaye angependa kushindana na siasa za CCM hana jinsi bali kutafuta uwanja mwingine.

Pili, na hii ni kama ushauri kwa uongozi wa CHADEMA. Inawezekana (mimi sina uhakika) aliye-injinia ‘muafaka’ kati ya CCM na CUF ni huyo huyo mliyepokea jana. Kwa hiyo muwe macho nyie CHADEMA isije ikawa ujio wa Safari umeandaliwa makusudi ili kupunguza makali yenu. Msiwe na haraka ya kumpa uongozi hadi hapo mtakapohakikisha kwamba huyo mtu hana ajenda ya siri. Ni tahadhari tu wala sina ‘bifu’ yoyote na profesa.

Habari ya jana 2: Adam Lusekelo ametutoka!

Kwa wale ambao tumekuwa tukisoma au kufuatilia habari katika vyombo vya habari vya serikali hasa magazeti ya Tanzania Standard Newspapers (TSN): Daily News, Mzalendo na Sunday News; jina la Adam Lusekelo si geni kwetu. Adam alikuwa mmojawapo wa waandishi wachache aliyetengeneza makala zenye ujumbe mzito kwa namna ya kuchekesha.

Adam alifariki juzi tarehe 31.03.2011 na, kwa kweli, tutazi-miss sana makala zake.

Why I love Bing? : Pictures!

Neno kutoka kwa rafiki: CUF na CCM ni ndoa. Ndoa bila unyumba yafa

Rafiki yangu kwenye facebook alinitumia  meseji hii (by accident):

Pia kumbuka kaka kuwa anayofanya Lipumba ni dalili ya aliyechoka na yuko sokoni kunadi bidhaa mbovu inayotia ukakasi masikio ya wateja.
Cuf kwa kuwananga CHADEMA wakati walishajigamba kuwa wao ni wapinzani inajionyesha wazi kuwa sasa CUF ni CCM B na hakuna shaka juu ya hilo.

Wapenzi wa CUF wakae na kutambua kuwa wao ni sehemu ya CCM kwa kutekeleza sera na mikakati. Maalimu kule Zanzibar anatekeleza ilani ya CCM na Lipumba huku bara anashambulia chama kikuu cha upinzani kama inavyofanya CCM.

Lipumba anasumbuliwa na mchoko wa kisiasa ambao umesha ongeza kasi ya kukidhoofisha chama hicho kwa huku bara. CUF iliyowahi kujitambulisha kama chama ngangari leo hii kimegeuka chama mdebwedo na mlenda kwa kukubali kutumiwa na CCM na wao kujikuta wameingia mtegoni na sasa wao kama wanandoa wanahami unyumba wao usitetereke.

CHADEMA ndio ninao amini kuwa ni wapinzani wa kweli na watetezi waliobeba matumaini ya watanzania.

IPP Media leo: Babu wa Loliondo ana pesa kiasi gani?

Mchakato wa Uundaji wa Katiba Mpya waanza kutia Shaka

Kama yaliyoandikwa na gazeti la Tanzania Daima la tarehe 31 Machi 2011 ni (madai) ya kweli, basi serikali imeamua kuligeuza mtaji suala zima la uundaji wa katiba mpya. Na kwa kuwa Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) kina idadi kubwa ya wabunge ambao hawawezi kuthubutu kuukataa mswada ulioletwa na serikali ya chama chao, basi kelele zote za katiba mpya zitatupwa kwenye kapu la historia kama “uthubutu”! Inasikitisha.

I would love to see Simba play TP Mazembe

The Lubumbashi-based African Champions and world’s 1st runner up, TP Mazembe will storm Dar es salaam for a great second-leg encounter against the home side, Simba of Tanzania this weekend. This is a soccer match I wouldn’t have wanted to miss if I were a Dar resident.

Simba lost by three goals to one on the first-leg  in Lubumbashi and they will need to score two goals to kick the reigning champions out of the tourney. Two goals is never a big deal for Simba, especially when ‘wekundu wa Msimbazi’ are playing on their home pitch. They did it a few years ago by kicking out the then African and Egypt’s champs, Zamalek.

I will be bringing you all the results. Stay tuned and …..

Go Simba, go!

Carissa edulis: Mti wa maajabu autumiao babu

Jina la kwenye vitabu la mti (pichani kushoto) ambao babu Ambilikile Mwaisapile anautumia kuwatibu watu wenye magonjwa  sugu ni Carissa edulis. Miaka michache iliyopita taasisi ya utafiti wa magonjwa ya binadamu ya Kenya (KEMRI) iliwahi kuufanyia utafiti mti huu. Watafiti wa Kenya walichokiona baada ya utafiti ilikuwa ni uwezo mkubwa wa mizizi na magome ya mti huo kutibu magonjwa mbalimbali yakiwemo yale sugu. Hongera Babu.

Tanzania in the NYTimes: Ambilikile’s Cure-All Potion!

Some of us who live in small towns, like Arusha, think we never make news in the world’s mainstream media. Unfortunately we do!

read the New York Times article

And ……..

Vita dhidi ya CHADEMA ina faida gani kwa CUF?

CUF tuambieni ajenda yenu

Majuzi gazeti la kila siku hapa nchini lilimnukuu Mwenyekiti wa Chama cha Wananchi (CUF), Profesa Ibrahim Lipumba, akisema kwamba wanaodhani kwamba Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) kinaweza kushika dola na kuongoza nchi ya Tanzania labda waende kwa “Babu wa Loliondo” wakapate kikombe cha dawa.

Nilipoisoma ile habari kwanza nilishtuka. Sikujua vita ya CUF dhidi ya CHADEMA ni kubwa kiasi hicho. Pia sikutarajia mtu ninayemheshimu sana kama Profesa Lipumba; mtu ambaye kwenye chaguzi zilizopita niliwahi hata kutaka kumpigia kura anaweza kuwa na lugha za kejeli kiasi hicho. Pia sikujua Lipumba amepata wapi ujasiri wa kuongea mambo mazito kama hayo. Kwa jinsi sentensi ilivyokaa ni kama profesa ana uhakika kabisa kwamba CHADEMA haiwezi kuongoza dola. Huo uhakika ameutoa wapi?

Swali nililojiuliza mwishowe lilikuwa: CUF inapata faida gani inapoipiga vita CHADEMA?

Meet a Black Alien Living in Cambodia

I am greatly honored to feature a friend I respect and envy (in a good way) so much for her writing skills and sense of humor. Enjoy as you read her article:

Mighty Tasty Rats, Finger Nibbling Rats, Smart Sneaking Rats

PART I:
They say we are never more than six metres from the nearest rat. So what is it about rats that reduces level-headed people to quivering jellies and screaming banshees? Is it the thought of those scalpel-sharp grains of teeth sinking into our flesh? I understand that rats gnaw through at anything softer than their teeth, and that includes metal. Or could it be the possibility that the fanged monsters come down from their high abode at night and take a close scrutiny of our slack drooling faces while we sleep in total oblivion? Or perhaps it is the beady eyes that seem to know everything that goes on in the house. They probably know who we brought home last night and how lousy we are at it too; giggling, clutching their furry tummies, howling at the clumsy embraces going on down below. According to an article I read recently, rats give ultrasonic chuckles and chirps when tickled in the right places. Like human babies, they will actually start to bubble up with laughter in anticipation before the tickling hand has even reached them. And that’s what they do in front of humans. Imagine then the shrieking when we are not watching while they hurdle together over a hole in the roof watching from above. Whatever the reason for this fear, rats have been popping up in different discussions over the last few months. But it is my recent encounter with them in Indonesia that prompted me to write this article.

I don’t know why I am quite nonchalant when it comes to rats. After what they did to me when I was a kid, I really should be traumatised. We had live-in rats; they were uninvited members of the household. My poor uncle Daniel tried everything to rid of them. Mouse traps, DDT on nsima, DDT on utaka- there was no temic poison in those days- but all to no avail. We would often wake up excited in the middle of the night, after hearing the trap snap, only to find a severed tail twitching on the floor and the offender long-gone. Rats are smart. Not only can they get a kick out of being tickled; the little critters can self-amputate their own tails too in self-defence. Taking pity on us, someone brought a cat to solve all our rat problems. But that didn’t work either. My aunt was soon doing everything in her power to bar the nameless cat from entering the house. She had discovered, much to our horror, that the little fellow preferred to dig up the maize flour, which was kept in a bamboo basket, and do its defecation business in there. My unsuspecting aunt scooped up the gooey mess as she was preparing to cook nsima. Worms were still twitching and wiggling in the sodden mush. The cat wasn’t so bad, initially. I used to play with it once a while, but it should be understood here that in African villages, the personalities of cats or other pets are never investigated or encouraged. Pets are recruited to do specific jobs. Then cat started vomiting and coughing up live worms. It was absolutely disgusting; I never touched that cat again.

Before I continue with the Indonesian rats, we should not forget that mice are also a good protein. Mice, therefore rats, are a delicacy in many parts of Africa and even here in S.E. Asia. Uncle Luka would, of course, be greatly offended by this lumping together of rats and mice. To him, mice on a skewer qualify as organic haute cuisine but rats are a definite no-no. They may be different species, but rats and mice look the same to me. In Malawi, marriages have been dissolved over mice; passionate songs have been composed about mice (mbewa zanga); Kids’ foreheads and limbs have accidentally been harvested by hoes in uncoordinated digging up of mice; hands have been bitten by snakes in holes mistaken for mice liars; millions of insects and crawlies are annihilated each year by fires started in search of mice; during famines, stupid foreign journalists have even aired pictures of Malawians eating mice as people’s desperate resort for survival. What a laugh. Mice are a desired meat that no-one ever admits to eating!

My recollection of rat meat is rather vague. Not because I am being vain, but mice were a taboo in our household, which was heavily governed and ruled by the Old Testament. My uncle Luke obviously was and still is a prodigal son. In my quest to taste mice, I was once lured into the headmaster’s smoky kitchen where his daughter reached for the thatched roof, pulled out a row of skewered roasted mbewa and solemnly snapped off a tail for my first taste of mice. To a protein-staved little girl, it probably tasted like heaven. The temptation to gobble up the whole thing was great but her mother knew the exact number of mice on that skewer. This clandestine initiation into forbidden meat could probably have carried on had someone not reported me to my grandmother. The thrashing delivered to the little sinner’s bare buttocks was enough to convert her back to ‘thou shall never touch eat mice’. Despite my little dabbling with mice, rats held different terrors for me. They were the one thing that I dreaded the most every night.

You see, at the age of nine, little girls have no patience to properly clean crusts and scabs of nsima sticking to their hands after a meal. That in itself didn’t present so much of a problem. In my case, however, the trouble came when the meal in question was fish or, on extremely rare occasions, meat. On these occasional feasts, I would go to bed on a full stomach and a satisfied smile on my face. The rats above too would grin and sharpen their tiny molars; for in the dead of the night they would descend onto my bed and take their turn in banqueting. They ate my hands. Well, more precisely, they nibbled on my fingers and nails. What was the most disturbing was the fact that I was totally oblivious to the devouring until the following morning when I would wake up to find jagged rows of teeth-marks criss-crossed all over my finger tips with fraying bits and pieces of skin. Apparently, it is pretty normal for tamed rats to nibble the fingers of their owners. It is a form of grooming; their way of expressing affection. But this was no petty grooming; it was a downright eating spree with real biting and drawing blood. I would then have to spend the whole day trying to hide the shameful evidence from other kids. Once the secret was out, the teasing was merciless; ‘ihhhi eti tamuonani uyu makoswe amudya’. Since then, I have been fortunate enough not to have many close encounters with rats. That is, until my last holiday in Indonesia.

By Cecilia

See Cecilia’s blog

Sumaye awapasha UVCCM

Leo waziri mkuu mstaafu wa Tanzania mheshimiwa Frederick Sumaye ameamua kuwatolea uvivu viongozi wa Umoja wa Vijana wa Chama Cha Mapinduzi (UVCCM). Akiongea na waandishi wa habari jijini Dar es salaam, Sumaye aliwaelezea viongozi wa UVCCM kama watu wanaotumiwa na baadhi ya vigogo kwa ajili ya kuwapigia debe kuwania urais wa mwaka 2015.

Alisema kuwa vigogo hao wasio waadilifu wameamua kuwatumia UVCCM kama ngazi katika kinyang’anyiro cha urais cha mwaka 2015. Amedai kuwa kuna pesa chafu inatumika kuwanunua vijana wa CCM na watu wenye malengo mabaya na nchi hii.

Sumaye ameamua kujibu mapigo baada ya kutuhumiwa na uongozi wa UVCCM Taifa kwamba yeye na baadhi ya viongozi wengine wa CCM wamekuwa wakikigawa chama kwa kauli zao. UVCCM ilizitoa tuhuma zao katika kikao chao kule Dodoma. Mbali na Sumaye viongozi wengine waliotuhumiwa na UVCCM ni mbunge wa Urambo na spika wa zamani wa bunge la Tanzania ambaye sasa ni Waziri wa Afrika Mashariki mheshimiwa Samuel Sitta. Kumekucha!

Hatuhitaji kuijua Katiba ya zamani; Tunahitaji kusoma rasimu ya Katiba mpya!

Tumefika hapa tulipo kwa sababu ya sheria-mama (katiba) tuliyo nayo sasa. Sheria mbovu, viongozi wasioweza kuwajibishwa, mamlaka makubwa aliyo nayo Rais, sheria zinazokinzana, tofauti za kisheria kati ya Zanzibar mpya na Tanganyika ya leo, vyeo ambavyo havistahili kabisa kuwepo kwa sababu ya mazingira tuliyomo n.k. n.k.

Katiba yetu ina mapungufu mengi ya wazi na wala hatuhitaji eti kukaa chini tuisome na kuielewa ndipo eti tuanze kudai katiba mpya. Hizo ni hila za wanasiasa walaghai wanaotaka kuturubuni tuamini kwamba eti kwa sababu hatujawahi kuisoma katiba iliyopo basi hatuhitaji katiba mpya.

Nasema tunahitaji katiba mpya si kwa sababu tunaijua vizuri katiba iliyopo. La asha. Tunahitaji katiba mpya kwa sababu tumeona kwamba katiba tuliyo nayo sasa na mfumo mzima wa kisheria unaoongoza nchi hauendani kabisa na mazingira ya kijamii, kisiasa na kiuchumi tuliyo nayo leo.

Usijisumbue kwenda kununua katiba. Tunachohitaji ni iandaliwe rasimu ya Katiba Mpya, tuletewe hiyo rasimu, tuisome, tuijadili, tuichambue na kisha tutoe maoni yetu ili kubadilisha vipengele ambavyo hatukubaliani navyo. Basi.

IPP Media: Vyuo vikuu CHADEMA waja na ‘Washa Taa Mchana’

Shauri yenu mtafunguliwa mashtaka kwamba mnataka kupindua nchi na kusabisha vita

Tanzania Daima: CHADEMA tutaandamana hadi kieleweke. Kazi bado ni kubwa.

Mwananchi: Ni vita kati ya CCM dogo na CCM kongwe