Tag Archives: Tanzania
Tanzania inamwitaji Mchungaji wa Loliondo
Hivi karibuni ameibuka mtu (mchungaji) na kujitangaza kuwa anatibu (anaponya) magonjwa yote sugu na hata yale ambayo matabibu wamedai hayana tiba. Babu huyu anayeishi maeneo ya Loliondo mkoani Arusha amevitikisa vyombo vya habari vya kitaifa na hata vile vya kimataifa. Kwa ufupi ni kwamba huyu “mponyaji” amejipatia umaarufu wa ghafla. Mambo mengine yamesahaulika kwa muda na mada imekuwa ni “mchungaji wa Loliondo.” Watu kutoka pande mbalimbali za ndani na nje ya nchi wamekuwa wakimiminika kwenda kupewa tiba na babu huyo mwenye fani ya uchungaji.
Wale ambao tayari wamefika huko Loliondo wanadai tiba yenyewe ni dawa itokanayo na mti ambao babu huyo alioteshwa kwamba ungekuwa jibu la matatizo ya kiafya ya dunia miaka kadhaa iliyopita. Mgonjwa hupewa kikombe kimoja tu cha dawa hiyo na hupona mara! Vidonda vya tumbo, kansa, kisukari, UKIMWI na magonjwa mengine sugu inadaiwa kwamba hupona mara moja baada ya kupewa dawa hiyo. Kinachowashangaza na labda kuwavutia wengi ni bei ya dawa hiyo. Kwa shilingi 500 (ndiyo, mia tano) tu magonjwa yako yote yanapona. Maajabu, si eti eh?
Wakati nikitafakari mambo haya na kuona namna watu wanavyomiminika kwenda Loliondo nimegundua kwamba jamii yetu ya Watanzania iko mahututi – inaumwa. Kwa miaka mingi sasa tumekuwa tukisubiri “tabibu wa ukweli” wa magonjwa yetu lakini hajapatikana. Matabibu ambao tumekuwa nao kwa miaka mingi sasa wamekuwa wakitutibu kwa nje tu. Wamekuwa wakitibu dalili za magonjwa yetu badala ya kuponya magonjwa yenyewe. Magonjwa ambayo jamii yetu imekuwa ikiteseka kwayo ni sugu. Watanzania tumeugua tangu mwaka 1961 hadi leo – miaka 50!
Tuna gonjwa sugu la UMASKINI. Tangu 1961 (au kabla?). Sugu. Tuna gonjwa la UJINGA. Hili nalo limeua watu wetu wengi sana. Hatujawahi kulipatia tiba. Tuna gonjwa la UFISADI. Hili ni gonjwa hatari sana. Wameugua viongozi wetu karibia wote – walio juu na hata wale wa chini. Hoi bin Taaaban. Gonjwa la CHUKI. Hili nalo limeua wengi hapa nchini kwetu. Tunachukia mtoto wa jirani yetu akifaulu mtihani wa darasa la saba. Tuna gonjwa la UVIVU. Hili ni gonjwa la kutopenda kufanya kazi. Tunakaa tu na kupiga porojo – watu wanakufa.
Kwa hakika Tanzania inamwitaji Mchungaji wa Loliondo!
Mpya nyingine ya Ludovick
Leo mheshimiwa mkaguzi mkuu wa mahesabu ya nchi (CAG) ametoa kali nyingine. ‘Amemsafisha’ gavana wa benki kuu – “Nyumba zilizojengwa kwa ajili ya gavana na msaidizi wake zina thamani inayostahili.” Shilingi ngapi? Bilioni tano (5) tu! Du! Kwa hiyo leo hii hapa kwetu kuna mtumishi wa serikali amejengewa (na serikali) nyumba ya shilingi bilioni tano. Na kiranja (wa kuchunguza uozo serikalini) anaita mkutano wa waandishi wa habari na kuwaeleza, “hapa hakuna tatizo lolote, nyumba zile za gavana zina thamani halisi.” Hivi inaingia akilini hiyo? Hivi hayo matumizi (ya scale hii) ni sawa? Mmmh!
Africa needs more than numbers to explain economic growth
Yesterday was “East African Budget Day”. On this particular day, the governments of East Africa give their budget for the proceeding financial year. The budges speeches were read concurrently in four country that form the East African Community: Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Burundi, which is also part of the Community, could not read its budget because right now in Burundi they are doing the general national elections. So I guess the minister responsible finance in Burundi did not have time to prepare the budget.
There is something very common in the four budget speeches presented yesterday: numbers. When you listen to the speeches, you will hear things like, “last year, our economy grew by 6.73 percent.” Or “the GDP over the last two years has grown by 4 percent.”
There is nothing wrong with the numbers. They are good. But they mean nothing to a mother in a remote village with seven children who has been struggling to find one meal for the family. These numbers are nothing to a father in rural Tanzania who, last year, could not afford a US$ 20 school fee to take his child to school. The numbers are a nonsense to rural women in Uganda who use half of their day time to collect water from a distant river. The statistics are meaningless to villagers who travel hundred of miles to get health care.
Isn’t it time we forsook the number game and dealt with the problems of our people instead?
Employment Opportunity: A Radical Needed!
I remember having a ‘development conversation’ with a Rwandese friend of mine. I asked him: “Why, within a very short period of time, is Rwanda making a good progress?” He looked at me, took thirty seconds to ponder before he answered: “You see, in Rwanda we do not talk about development; we do development.”
I was about to shoot him with another question but he was clever enough to know what my next question was. I had wanted to ask: “What do you mean?” He turned as if looking away, to the horizon maybe, and said: “In your country (Tanzania), you talk a lot about development; unfortunately you don’t do as much.” He was right.
Today I came across a short article in the Daily News about Kagame (Rwanda’s president) view on Poverty Reduction projects: “There are projects here worth only US$ 5M and when I looked at their expenses, I found that $1M was going into buying cars. Another $1M goes to buy office furniture. More $1M for meetings and entertainment and yet another $1M as salaries for technical experts; leaving only $1M for the actual expenditure on a poverty reducing activity. Is this the way to fight poverty?”
What has he done about it?: 1) Ordered expensive cars used by government officials and donor projects be sold and the money injected into infrastructure development 2) Placed a ceiling on mobile telephone expenses for all ministers, military and security chiefs 3) Stopped the holding of workshops, seminars and conferences on poverty reduction in posh hotels; insisting they should be in government owned buildings at no cost.
We indeed need more Kagames on this continent.
miaka 4 ya JK Ikulu
Hii ni ya mwaka
Gazeti moja la hapa Tanzania limetoa tahariri inayosifia utendaji uliotukuka wa serikali yetu. Pamoja na kwamba si vibaya kuwasifia viongozi wetu pale wanapofanya vizuri ila nitakutilia mashaka kama utajiita chombo cha habari na ukawa unaona mazuri tu katika watawala. Cha kushangaza ni kwamba chombo hiki cha habari ni cha mmiliki binafsi. Nisingeshangaa sana kama chombo chenyewe kingekuwa kinamilikiwa na chama au serikali. Lakini chombo binafsi kukaa chini na kuandika tahariri inayosifu tu yale yaliyofanywa na serikali yetu kwa miaka minne; inatia shaka. Nasikia siku za nyuma magazeti ya nchi jirani yaliwahi kuchora katuni inayovionyesha vyombo vya habari vya Bongo vikilamba miguu ya watawala. Unapovisikiliza baadhi ya vyombo vyetu vya habari unajiuliza kama huyo mchora katuni alipatia au la. Kwa ufupi ni kwamba, kwa siku hizi, kupata chombo binafsi cha habari kikaandika mazuri kuhusu watawala ni tukio la mwaka. Heri ya Krismasi!
COP15 — Tanzania
A message from Tanzania to COP15
As you convene in Copenhagen from today on, I pray that you hear the outcry from the South. We people in the South (developing world) have our concerns to present to you. We know we have sent our delegates to come there but we doubt if they will be able to adequately represent us. As I write this, I am worried I might not be able to finish it. I am working on my laptop running on battery — there is no power. Electricity was cut about an hour ago due to power rationing/shedding. I am not sure if some of you even know what I am talking about when I say power rationing or power shedding. It simply means WE GET ELECTRICITY NOT AS WE WANT, ANY TIME WE WANT, BUT ONLY FOR SOME HOURS OF THE DAY. We really want to save the environment but we also want to live and not just to survive. We cut down trees and fell our forests not because we want to but because we do not have alternative. Biomass is our electricity. Biomass is our light. Biomass is our energy. As you sit to discuss about saving the planet, remember also to discuss about saving lives. Thank you.
Ushauri wa bure kwa Ngeleja
Kwa wale mnaofuatilia mambo ya Tanzania kwa karibu mtakumbuka kwamba hivi karibuni taifa lilikumbwa na mgao wa umeme. Japo ni vigumu kusema kama mgao huu umeisha ua la ila hali kwa sasa hivi (hasa hapa katika jiji la Dar es salaam) hali kidogo ime-stabilize.
Katika mazingira ya Kiafrika na hasa ya Kitanzania mambo mengi hufanywa kwa mtindo wa zimamoto. Miali ya moto ikishazimwa huwa hatuhangaiki hata kidogo kwenda kuchunguza chanzo cha moto ili kuzuia majanga mengine kama hayo kutokea siku za usoni. Tunakaa halafu tunakuja kukutana na tatizo kama lile lile na tunalitatua kwa style ile ile kana kwamba hatujifunzi kutokana na matatizo.
Wakati hali ya umeme nchini ikiendelea kutengemaa, ingawa ni kwa muda tu, ningependa kutoa ushauri wangu wa bure kwa wahusika. Ninafanya hivyo nikijua kabisa kwamba blog hii inasomwa na viongozi na watu wengi walio katika nafasi za maamuzi serikalini (kwa taarifa nilizo nazo). Kwa Mh. Ngeleja ningependa kutoa ushauri kwamba hiki si kipindi cha kupumzika. Wakati hali ikiwa inaonyesha dalili nzuri ni wakati wa kuchakarika na kutafuta nini hasa chanzo cha kukatikatika kwa umeme hapa nchini na ukae na wataalamu wako mtengeneze mpango-mkakati wa kutatua tatizo hili mara moja na ya mwisho.
Huko mbele tunakoelekea wataalamu wa mazingira wanasema wazi kwamba hali ya hewa hasa kwa bara la Afrika haitakuwa nzuri. Maeneo mengi yatakumbwa na ukame usio wa kawaida. Mvua hazitakuwa za kutegemewa tena. Hiyo lazima itufanye sisi tulio katika sekta ya nishati kuwaza mara mbili — lazima tuwe na vyanzo vingine vya umeme ambavyo siyo vile vinavyotegemea maji (Hydro-power). Lazima tuje na njia mbadala na endelevu za kutatua tatizo hili. Tunaweza hata tukaanza kutengeza vinu vya umeme karibu na maeneo ambako makaa ya mawe yanapatikana. Tuanze pia kuwaza kuhusu madini yetu ya Uranium tuliyo nayo kama tunaweza kuyarutubisha na kuzalisha umeme kutokana na nguvu ya kiatomia (atomic). Tutafute (kwa dhati) wataalamu katika eneo la kuzalisha umeme utokanao na gesi. Kuna maeneo ya Songosongo kule nasikia kuna kiasi fulani cha gesi ambacho kinaweza kuzalisha umeme.
Pamoja na njia hizo hapo juu lakini pia tusisahau kuwa na mitambo mizuri ya dharura ya kuzalisha umeme ambayo ina uwezo mkubwa wa kuzalisha umeme kuliko uwezo wetu tulio nao wa kuzalisha umeme kwa sasa.
Kwa sasa tuna uwezo (endapo vyanzo vyote vitafanya kazi katika kama inavyotakiwa) wa kuzalisha megawatt zipatazo 660. Tukiweza kununua mtambo mkubwa wa kufua umeme wenye uwezo wa kuzalisha megawatt, say, 800 kwa wakati mmoja na tukahakikisha huu mtambo uko katika hali nzuri na standby tutasahau kabisa tatizo la umeme.
Kwa ufupi ni kwamba tunatakiwa kujifunza kutokana na historia na tusiwe watu wa kurudia historia. Naamini hili liko ndani ya uwezo wa serikali yetu tukufu. Tanzania isiyo na tatizo la umeme inawezekana.
KILIMO KWANZA!
Warsha ya KILIMO KWANZA
KULE DODOMA KUNA WARSHA INAENDELEA IKIONGOZWA NA WAZIRI MKUU MH. MIZENGO KAYANZA PINDA.
INAONYESHWA live! NA KITUO CHA TELEVISHENI CHA TBC one. NIMECHUNGULIA KIDOGO NA NINAONA NI SEMINA-ELEKEZI NZURI KWA WAKUU WA WILAYA, WAKUU WA MIKOA NA VIONGOZI MBALI MBALI KUTOKA KONA ZOTE ZA NCHI.
KILIMO KWANZA!
Wateja wa simu miaka miwili iliyopita!
Telephony Subscribers and networks' market share in Tanzania
Kumbe hadi September mwaka 2007 ni Watanzania takriban milioni 8 tu waliokuwa wanatumia mitandao! Wenyewe (operators) wanasema ifikapo 2010 (mwakani) customer base itakuwa na watu wapatao milioni 15!
Hata mbuyu ulianza kama mchicha
Hata Mbuyu Ulianza kama Mchicha
Utajwapo mbuyu mara nyingi taswira tunayopata ni ya mti mmoja mkubwa sana. Taswira-akili (mental image) hii imetufanya wengine wetu kudhani kwamba mibuyu imekuwa mikubwa wakati wote. Haiwi rahisi kudhani kwamba mti huu mkubwa uliwahi kuwa mdogo. Ukishaitwa mbuyu basi – hauwezi katu kuwa mdogo.
Ukweli ni kwamba mbuyu, hata uwe mkubwa kiasi gani, ulianza ukiwa mdogo ndipo taratibu, na kwa muda mrefu, ukawa unaongezeka ukubwa. Kwa hiyo kila unapotembea na kuuona mbuyu na ukubwa wake, kumbuka kuna vijimbuyu vingine vidogo na vyenyewe siku moja vitakuwa vikubwa kama huo unaouona. Point yangu ni kwamba vitu (karibu vyote) tunavyoviona ni vikubwa leo, viliwahi kuwa vidogo hapo zamani.
Tulio wengi (mimi nikiwemo) tu mashabiki wakubwa wa kesi zinazojulikana hapa Tanzania kama “kesi za mafisadi” au “vita dhidi ya ufisadi”. Leo wakati nafikiria jambo hili la ufisadi na mafisadi nilipata mshituko kidogo. Mshituko huo ulitokana na mimi kujiuliza swali hili: “Je, mimi sio fisadi?” Hili ni swali ambalo kama utalichukua kwa kumaanisha na kiukweli, utagundua kwamba ni swali gumu kulijibu.
Kila mmoja wetu na kwa viwango tofauti tofauti inawezekana tunafanya au tunashiriki katika vijifisadi. Na kama tunavyo vijifisadi vyetu vidogo vidogo tunavyovifanya, je si inawezekana kabisa kwamba tukipata nafasi tunaweza kufanya ufisadi mkubwa?
Kama kwa mfano mimi nimepewa kuwa project/program manager. Na kama meneja nimekabidhiwa magari na vifaa vingine nivisimamie. Je ninavyosimamia hizo projects na programs ni kweli sina vinjia-njia vya kifisadi? Je kuchukua magari ya mradi na kuyatumia kama vile ya kwangu siku za wikiendi ni sawa? Je ni kweli kwamba nikiji-audit mimi mwenyewe na nikawa mwaminifu katika hiyo auditing sitakuta matumizi mabaya ya pesa ya mradi? Pesa iliyotengwa kununulia mafuta je ilinunua mafuta tu au na vitumbua? Je kununulia vitumbua hela ambayo ilitengwa kwa ajili ya mafuta ni sawa?
Mifano ni mingi. Kuna wengine tulipoanza kazi tulikabidhiwa ofisi na kompyuta. Je bado ofisi zetu ni nzuri kama tulivyozikuta? Je tumejitahidi kuziboresha hizo ofisi na vitendea kazi vilivyomo? Je kompyuta hiyo unaijali na kuitumia kwa uangalifu? Je ungeitumia kama unavyoitumia kama ingekuwa ya kwako?
Tukiweza kuuepuka ufisadi mdogo mdogo, tutakuwa na ujasiri na nia ya dhati ya kupambana na ufisadi mkubwa. Tukumbuke kwamba HATA MBUYU ULIANZA KAMA MCHICHA.
Aliyosema Kikwete
Masuala ya walimu
Nyaraka, Ilani na miongozo (vilivyotolewa na viongozi wa dini)
Yaliyojiri kwenye kikao cha NEC-CCM, Dodoma
Ufisadi, rushwa na mafisadi
Kesi ya Zombe
Nimeomba pesa, nimeomba pesa, nimeomba pesa — ADB, Benki ya Dunia, Serikali ya Saudi Arabia, Serikali ya China
(alikuwa akirudia-rudia)
Miundombinu: Lindi, Mtwara, Kigoma, Kagera
Suala la Richmond *kampuni kanyaboya*. Kumbe hata yeye aliishutukia.
Uhuru wa vyombo vya habari
Masuala ya Muungano na Zanzibar
Falsafa ya maisha bora kwa kila mtanzania
Ambayo hakuyasema:
- Tatizo la mtikisiko wa uchumi duniani
- Ukame na njaa katika mikoa ya kaskazini
Observations:
Tido Mhando tunayemjua sio yule mwandishi wa habari machachari wa BBC aliyekuwa na maswali ya kichokozi. That tells you something: If you are not careful, you will be changed by the system instead of you changing it.
Access to clean water in rural areas of Tanzania is still a problem
Leo katika taswira
Selling traditional jewelry
Hii ni mojawapo ya kazi zinazowapatia vijana wa Kitanzania mapato. Uuzaji wa mapambo na vinyago hasa katika maeneo yenye utalii ni biashara inayofanywa na vijana wengi. Bei ya wastani ya hivyo vinavyoonekana hapo juu ni kama shilingi 3000 za Kitanzania. Ila mtalii akijichanganya anaweza akalipa hadi elfu kumi. Inafurahisha sana kuona hawa vijana walivyo na ujuzi wa hali ya juu wa ku-negotiate bei.
Nani Anaongoza?
Wako wapi akina Warioba wa leo?
Wako wapi akina Sokoine wa kizazi hiki?
Nani atupatie Augustine Mrema sasa?
Ah! Nimeanza waraka wa Jicho kwa maswali mengi leo. Ila ukiwa Mtanzania na una uchungu na nchi yako ukiyaona yanayofanyika na usiwe na maswali tunaweza kuutilia shaka uzalendo wako. Kuna kipindi imefikia hatua nika-conclude kwamba hii nchi yetu (Tanzania) inajiendesha yenyewe tu. Tukitumia mizani ya moja hadi kumi (a one-to-ten scale) na tukasema 1 inawakilisha hali duni na kumi inasimama kwenye kilele cha ubora; ninaweza kusema kwamba hapa tulipofikia (Tanzania) tuna namba 2 au 3 – kiutendaji. Mambo hayafanyiki. Watendaji hatuwajui, hawaonekani.
Enzi zile akina Warioba walisema, walitoa amri, mambo yakafanyika. Akina Sokoine hawakuwahi kufanya urafiki na ulaghai, ughoghoi wala uvivu. Walikuwa wasemaji, wafuatiliaji na wachapakazi. Ulikuwa ukifanya kazi chini yao halafu ukazembea wasingekuonea haya hata kidogo. Walikuwa tayari kufa kwa ajili ya maendeleo ya watu wao. Hawakuogopa.
Japo umaarufu wake kisiasa ulikuja kushuka kwa sababu ambazo wanaozijua si wengi ila tulio wengi tutamkumbuka mtu aliyejulikana kwa jina la Augustine Lyatonga Mrema. Enzi zake watu walifanya kazi bwana. Huyu bwana alipewa wizara moja tu lakini kwa sababu ya utendaji wake hata watendaji wa wizara zingine walikuwa wanatekeleza wajibu wao ipasavyo. Hakuwa lelemama tena. Hakucheka na mtu ilipokuja kwenye masuala nyeti ya maendeleo ya wananchi.
Leo hii tumebaki na usemi mmoja – Tanzania ni nchi ya amani. Hii si kweli hata kidogo. Nani kakwambia hii ni nchi ya amani? Amani na ujinga wapi na wapi? Amani ipi wakati siwezi kuendesha gari yangu na kusimama kwenye mataa bila kufunga (tight) vioo vya gari yangu? Mtu unaibiwa kila kitu mchana-mchana tena kwenye mataa ukisubiri taa ya kijani iwake. Amani ipi wakati asilimia 90 ya wananchi wote (milioni 40) wanaishi kwa kipato cha chini ya dola moja kwa siku? Amani ipi wakati Tanzania inaongoza kwa idadi ya vifo vya akina mama na watoto walio chini ya miaka mitano tena kwa magonjwa yanayotibika? Ni amani gani unayosema wakati kila wiki tunapoteza maisha ya watu wapatao 20 kwa ajali za barabarani? Amani au ujinga?
Huku Temeke ninapoishi ukitembea njiani unajisikia vibaya. Takataka zimejaa kila kona hadi katikati ya barabara. Watu wanajimwagia uchafu popote wanapotaka, wakati wowote. Hakuna anayeweza kuwazuia. Nani? Marundo ya takataka za kila namna zimetapakaa na wala hakuna anayejali. Halafu jinsi tulivyo wajinga unaweza kukuta mamilioni ya pesa yanatengwa kila mwezi kwa ajili ya usafi wa Temeke na inaishia mifukoni mwa wajanja wachache. Haiingii akilini kusema kwamba halmashauri kama ya Temeke haina ofisi inayohusika na usafi. Na unaweza kukuta jamaa aliyewekwa kwenye kitengo cha usafi anatembelea Toyota Land Cruiser ya milioni 150. Unachojiuliza ni hiki: anapita wapi? Jibu lake ni rahisi: anapita juu ya takataka. Takataka haziwezi kumsumbua yeye hata kidogo kwa sababu gari “yake” ina AC (kiyoyozi) na muda wote anakuwa amefunga vioo – shauri yenu.
Tunasikitisha. Tunatia kinyaa. Tunasubiri UN, World Bank na IMF waje kufagia barabara zetu. Thubutu. Kwao hata vumbi hakuna. Kula kwetu vumbi kwao ni mradi. Fungu za fedha zitatengwa tutakapougua kutokana na hili hili vumbi na wao watapewa hizo fedha na kuja huku kutalii.
