Tanzanian Regulator Cuts Gasoline Prices by 1.8%, Diesel by 2.3%

Tanzania, East Africa’s second- biggest economy, reduced the price of gasoline by 1.8 percent as global crude prices declined, the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority said.

Gasoline will cost 2,032 Tanzanian shillings ($1.24) per liter for the next two weeks, the regulator said in a statement published in the Dar es Salaam-based Guardian newspaper today.

Diesel prices were cut by 2.3 percent to 1,954 shillings and kerosene, used for cooking, was lowered by the same margin to 1,934 shillings, it said.

Zanzibar Says Initial Probe Shows Ferry That Sank Was Overloaded

 

The ferry that sank off Tanzania’s coast, leaving 240 people dead, was probably overloaded, Zanzibar Police Commissioner Musa Ali Musa said.

The MV Spice Islander sank at about midnight on Sept. 9 while en route to Pemba Island, 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Zanzibar’s main island of Unguja, Musa said in a phone interview today from Zanzibar City. At least 607 people survived the incident, he said.

“The capacity of the ferry was 500 people,” Musa said. “Early investigations show that the ship was overloaded, which may have been the cause of the accident.”

A team of rescue workers that includes the Tanzanian army is continuing to search for victims, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Malingha Doya in Dar es Salaam at dmalingha@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net


 

Tanzania’s Economic Growth Accelerated to 6.7% in Second Quarter

 Tanzania’s economic growth accelerated to 6.7 percent in the second quarter as farming and manufacturing output increased.

The figure was provided to reporters in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, by Morrice Nyattega Oyuke, a director at the National Bureau of Statistics. The economy grew an annual 5.8 percent in the first quarter, the bureau said on Sept. 9.

Agricultural output increased an annual 3.5 percent and manufacturing grew 6.2 percent, the agency said. The first- quarter rates were 2.6 percent and 4.8 percent respectively.

Tanzania vies with Mali to be Africa’s third-biggest producer of gold after Ghana and South Africa and has the world’s only known deposit of tanzanite, a gem. The government aims to increase output by 8 percent a year through 2016 in the nation of about 40 million people.

Growth may accelerate in the last quarter as the government begins disbursing funds after parliament approved its budget, Haji Semboja of the University of Dar es Salaam said in an interview. Output has also been capped by a drought that drained Tanzania’s main hydropower dams and led to power rationing.

--Editors: Ben Holland, Heather Langan.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Malingha Doya in Johannesburg at dmalingha@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net

It was a scene straight from hell

Firemen and rescue workers at the scene of one of the worst fire tragedies in recent times at Lunga Lunga slum in Nairobi’s Industrial area. Joan Pereruan | NATION

It was a scene straight from hell. It was gory.

Six hours after the 8am fire, the scene looked like one cut out from the nastiest of horror movies that Hollywood has ever produced.

As I stepped onto the smouldering site, I began counting bodies. All were burnt beyond recognition. What was left was a mass of black and white and skeletal-like outline of a human being. You could have been in a lab anywhere; only that this was real in the Sinai slum.

The bones had all turned white and if you accidentally stepped on one; it crumbled into ash. The flesh was all black — like badly burnt nyama choma (roast meat).

There were remains of babies, children, and adults all strewn everywhere. Even pigs and piglets lay side by side. If you love pork; you wouldn’t even think about it.

Skulls had turned white, some were cracked; the ribs were white, jutting out from the remainder of the charred body.

If you’ve seen that picture of dead livestock in Kenya’s arid lands at the height of drought, then, picture a body of a human being that’s all turned into bones.

The officialdom; the neighbours; the onlookers and the rest of us just jumped over the bodies as we walked around taking in the scene.

The police did a good job at keeping crowds at bay.

The bodies were not covered: There was a man whose charred remains still had part of his zip. A few others, had their intestines hanging loosely by their sides.

They were faceless bodies; but human beings nonetheless. They were people’s brothers, mothers, fathers and children.

Some more bodies lay in a pile right next to a manhole that had been blown off by the explosion. A body of a pig was sandwiched between two of human beings.

Dozens of bodies lay in a trench, one on top of the other. More bodies lay in the river. There was also one of a woman who died with a child on her arms.

Tears flowed as some neighbours recalled their relatives; but these were subtle. The shock was jaw-dropping; the terror was stomach-churning, and the tragedy of it all was just apocalyptic.

Most of the victims died on their backside.

Source Daily Nation

Nation in mourning as toll rises (KENYA)

Stephen Mudiari | NATION Volunteers search for bodies of Sinai fire victims in Ngong River on September 13, 2011. Scores of people have been reported missing.

President Kibaki on Tuesday declared two days of mourning as the government sought India’s help to treat the victims of the Sinai fire tragedy.

This followed a Cabinet meeting over the country’s worst fire disaster since the Sachang’wan incident in January 2009.

This followed a Cabinet meeting over the country’s worst fire disaster since the Sachang’wan incident in January 2009.

“The Cabinet has declared tomorrow, Wednesday September 14, 2011, and Thursday, September 15, as days of national mourning following the Sinai fire disaster. During the two days, the national flag shall fly at half-mast while there will be no celebrations,” a Presidential Press Services statement said.

It went on: “The Cabinet expressed sincere sympathies to the families of those who lost loved ones, wished quick recovery to persons who suffered injuries and sent a message of hope to the many rendered homeless. The Cabinet promised government support for those afflicted by the fire tragedy.”

Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o put the death toll at between 100 and 120 after five more patients with severe burns died at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

“This number will depend on how many bodies we receive in the funeral homes,” the minister said without being specific about the death toll.

He said the five were among the 112 individuals admitted to KNH on Monday. Fifteen were discharged after treatment, leaving the 92 with severe burns at the facility.

Prof Nyong’o said they were seeking specialised help from India.

“We are already in talks with our colleagues in Gujarat, India, with the aim of exploring ways in which they can assist us in this tragedy,” he said.

Dr Loise Kahoro, one of the only 10 plastic surgeons in the country, said they would welcome any help.

The hospital’s chief executive, Mr Richard Lesiyampe, said most of the patients had sustained between 80 and 100 per cent superficial burns, adding that it could cost more than Sh70 million a month to treat the patients.

“Burns require special attention and their treatment is quite expensive... the costs are computed from the requirements such as alternate day dressing, antibiotic creams, non-adhesive gauze materials and crepe bandages,” he said.

Some of the patients will also require multiple surgeries to recover fully.

“This can only be done in sessions leading to high requirement for blood, extensive provision of pain killers and high requirement of food supplements with high nutrients. The patients will also require supportive services of occupational therapies and physiotherapy as well as counselling,” he said.

Speaking about the incident, the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) refused to take responsibility for the tragedy pending investigations to determine the cause of the fire.

The day Idi Amin wanted to annex western Kenya

Former Uganda’s President Idi Amin Dada chairs the 12th Organization of African Unity (OAU, OUA) summit in August 1975 in Kampala. Picture: AFP

The dispute between Uganda and Kenya regarding the ownership of Migingo Island in Lake Victoria rekindles memories of another dramatic flare-up in 1976, when Ugandan President Al-Haji Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada attempted to redraw the boundaries of the two countries.

Amin wanted back all Kenyan districts that were part of Uganda before the colonial re-demarcation of the territorial boundaries. These included Turkana, part of Lake Rudolf (now Lake Turkana), West Pokot, Tranz-Nzioa, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Central Nyanza, South Nyanza, Narok, Kisii, Kericho, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo, Marakwet, Nyandarua, Nandi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Tambach, Maji Moto, Maji Mazuri, Gilgil, Nakuru, Lake Baringo and Naivasha.

He claimed that these areas were very fertile and produced nearly all the wealth in Kenya.

He backed down only when President Jomo Kenyatta threatened to block Uganda’s imports through the port of Mombasa.

Past geography

While opening the Lotuturu Self-help Mobilisation Scheme, 83 kilometres north of Kitgum in East Acholi District of northern Uganda on February 14, 1976, president Amin issued a statement in which he claimed he was informing the people of Uganda about their past geography.

The Voice of Uganda newspaper edition of February 16, 1976, reported that Amin directed that every Ugandan should buy a pamphlet, that was being published, detailing the boundaries of the country.

He said Uganda’s borders were beyond Juba and Torit in the Sudan and all areas of western Kenya, up to about 30 km from Nairobi.

Following the scramble and partition of Africa by imperial powers in 1884, Uganda fell into the British sphere of influence. Uganda was later divided into six provinces in 1902.

These were: Rudolf Province, which included the Turkana and Karasuk; Eastern Province, which included Nandi, Kavirondo, Eldoret, Naivasha, Maasai, up to the border with Tanzania; Central Province, which included Karamoja, Sebei, Mumias, Busoga and Bukedi; Buganda Province, which included Entebbe, Masaka, Kampala, Bugangaizi and Buruli; Nile Province, which included the whole of the present Nile Province, Lango, Acholi, Juba, and Baragazalo which is about 600 miles away from Kampala; Western Province, which included Rwenzori, Boga, Hoima and Masindi.

“In order to educate the public mind of all the sections of Uganda, I also promised that I will be providing geographical and historical facts as documented by the British colonial administration on the transfer of Uganda’s lands thereby affecting its boundary,” Amin wrote in his book titled, The Shaping of Modern Uganda And Administrative Divisions, published in 1976.

“In stating this, I had in my possession a document indicating that with the appointment of Sir Harry Johnson, the British government gave a clear mandate for this Special Commissioner to arrange and reorganise the internal administration of Uganda including its external boundary, particularly in the British sphere of influences which Johnson did from 1st July, 1899 to December, 1901,” Amin added in the book published by the defunct Government Printer in Entebbe.

“Uganda’s boundary outside the British sphere of influence was still a matter being debated in European capitals. However, Britain knew that certain land-marks such as the watershed of River Nile and the Congo in the northwest and the whole floor of Western Rift Valley including Mufumbiro Mountains lay in the British sphere and it only required actual survey on the ground,” Amin argued.

Assuring his neighbours, Amin added: “There was no intention of Uganda claiming an inch of any territory of her neighbours, whether Kenya, Sudan, Zaire (Congo), etc. As a firm believer in OAU [now AU] and as its Chairman, I know of the OAU July Resolution of 1964 which ‘solemnly declares that all member states pledge themselves to respect the borders existing on their achievement of national independence.”

Strikes paralyse learning in Kenya and Uganda

Pupils take advantage of the absence of teachers to play. Picture: File

                

Learning was in the past week paralysed in Kenya and Uganda following strikes by teachers, highlighting the challenge EAC economies face in managing education.

In Nairobi, about 200,000 teachers went on strike demanding the hiring of 28,000 new colleagues on permanent terms.

However, by the end of the week the situation was resolved, with Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta saying the 18,060 teachers on contract will be given permanent jobs next month. An additional 5,000 new teachers will be employed in January next year.. (Read: Deal struck to end teachers strike)

Tanzania is also bracing for a strike as Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU) demanded $27 million salary arrears and $11 million in allowances the government owes teachers. TTU president Gratian Mkoba said the union had given the government a 30-day ultimatum which ends on September 19 to pay the teachers.

An educationist said the strikes, which have affected close to 20 million children in primary and secondary schools, highlighted the governments’ indifference to the quality of education offered in schools in the region.

“For a long time now, the governments have just been addressing teacher’s demands on the basis of strikes,” said Andrew Riechi, a lecturer at Kenyatta University.

He argued that teachers in the region suffered from low morale and were overworked while being paid less compared with other public professionals.

With a $966 million annual wage bill, the Kenya’s Teachers Service Commission is by far the largest employer, above other government agencies, banks and the insurance sector.

Before the agreement, Mr Kenyatta had said the demand to employ 28,000 more teachers, meaning an extra $55 million to the wage bill, would be too much pressure on the strained public purse.

But the teachers would hear none of this. “The strike will go on until they give us a reasonable solution, which is the employment of 28,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, and another 23,000 teachers for early childhood learners,” said Kenya National Union of Teachers secretary-general David Okuta.

AFRICA CHALLENGED TO INCREASE ECONOMIC GROWITH TO 7 P.C

The World Bank says Africa's economy should start growing at seven per cent per annum in order to lift a larger segment of its population out of poverty.

World Bank vice-president for the African region Obiageli Ezekwesili said the continent's current five per cent economic growth rate was not sufficient to lift majority Africans out of poverty.

She said renewed strategies which include raising competitive levels through value addition, increasing employment opportunities, building on the continent's vulnerability and resilience to external economic shocks would help spur the required growth to address escalating poverty levels.

She further said that African countries needed to improve their governance levels. Despite the economic gains the continent has recorded in the past, countries continue to face persistent long-term development challenges, among them undiversified production structures, low human capital, weak governance, climate change and low levels of women empowerment.

According to the World Bank, governance and leadership are the main challenges underlying Africa's development. Ezekwesili said the continent needed to approach the governance and public sector capacity from both the demand and supply sides.

On the demand side, she says there is need to strengthen the citizen's voice using instruments of social accountability and to exploit the immense potential of ICTs to provide them with innovative ways to enable citizen-centred governance.

"Growth is important for poverty reduction, but currently it is not sufficient," Ezekwesili said in her keynote address to journalists from 27 African countries, including Zambia, who convened via a video link on Thursday to dialogue on the role of the media in Africa's development.

"The quality of the growth, the sustenance of the growth, and the structure of the growth matters to how rapid the poverty can be tackled…5.7 per cent projected in the coming year and beyond is not sufficient. The continent must begin to grow at a level of at least seven per cent per annum on a consistent basis,” she said.

Further, she said that a sustained upward growth trend of seven per cent would lift a larger population of the continent out of poverty.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN