Taxi Bubu

Kapteni wa mtumbwi akisubiri abiria hapo pwani ya Michamvi.



TrekEarth

9 tons of fake medicine seized in East Africa

(CNN) -- Authorities have seized 9,072 kilograms (20,000 pounds) of counterfeit medicine and arrested 80 people suspected of illegal trafficking in six East African nations, Interpol said Thursday.

More than 300 premises were checked or raided in the two-month operation across Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zanzibar, according to a news release from the international police agency.

The confiscated loot included anti-malaria drugs, vaccines and antibiotics. There was also a significant quantity of government medicines diverted to illegal resale markets.

It was the third such seizure operation in as many years in East Africa, intended to curb the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit medical products.

Representatives of the six nations are scheduled to meet in Zanzibar next week to discuss the seizure and the extent of the counterfeiting problem, Interpol said.
The World Health Organization defines counterfeit drugs as "medicine, which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled with respect to identity and/or source."

Counterfeiting can apply to both brand-name and generic products, and forged products may include those with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient active ingredients, or with fake packaging, WHO says.

The United Nations agency created a global task force in 2006 to deal with the problem, which has been growing as international markets expand and become globalized and internet commerce has taken off.

The fake products can prove detrimental to public health efforts in disease-ridden countries and in worst-case scenarios can cause death, according to the WHO task force.

U.S. Envoy Hopes for Fair Polls

The US ambassador in the country, Mr Alfonso Lenhardt, has expressed his hopes that this year General Election will be peaceful and fair.

He made the remarks in Chukwani, just outside Zanzibar town, when talking to reporters after inspecting a new building for House of Representatives which was inaugurated recently by President Aman Abeid Karume.



Mr Lenhardt said he is happy that the recent move to reconcile Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and Civic United Front (CUF) has gone well and there are indication that October 31 General Election would result into a government of national unity.

He noted that without peace there was no democracy which can be practiced. He said if it is held under peaceful atmosphere, the election would create a conducive atmosphere for the resultant government to implement the development agenda.

He said the recent referendum has shown that Zanzibaris were ready and able to make decisions without fighting.

"My message and a message from American people is to wish you peaceful and fair elections. Even President Barack Obama has told President Jakaya Kikwete that he wishes Zanzibaris peaceful elections," he said.

He noted that Zanzibaris were duty bound to ensure they cherish the peace and tranquility even after the election.

He said the new building for House of Representatives should save as a catalyst in building true democracy in the Isles.

Ambassador Lenhardt also congratulated journalists for their hard work to educate wananchi on the importance of maintaining peace during the referendum process.

Speaking earlier, the chairman of a six member committee formed by the House of Representatives to oversee the referendum, Mr Ali Mzee Ali, congratulated US government for its assistance to Zanzibar.

He said US government contribution to Zanzibar was immense in various sectors of economy, social and political.


All Africa.com

"Kilimanjaro III" Kuimarisha Usafiri wa Baharini Zanzibar

Incat Crowther Designs Another Fast Cat Ferry

Incat Crowther announced a contract to design a third 121.3-ft Catamaran Passenger Ferry for Coastal Fast Ferries in Tanzania, Africa. To be built by Richardson Devine Marine (RDM), Kilimanjaro III will build on the experienced gained in the operation of sisterships Kilimanjaro I and Kilimanjaro II, previously designed by Incat Crowther for Coastal Fast Ferries.

Kilimanjaro I and II are significantly larger vessels than any fast ferries that have been deployed on the Zanzibar – Dar Es Salaam route, yet the vessels are nearly always running at full capacity. Needless to say, the operator is extremely happy with the success of these vessels, and has been working with Incat Crowther and RDM to develop a vessel that can take further advantage of the operation’s revenue-making potential.

Kilimanjaro III’s two significant enhancements are its increased passenger capacity and new generation hull form, which offers increased efficiency and improved seakeaping. The result is a vessel that will carry more passengers at less cost per-passenger to the operator.

As well as supplementing the operational capacity on the Zanzibar - Dar Es Salaam run at a higher service speed, Coastal Fast Ferries plan to use the vessel to expand their operation by extending the route to the island of Pemba. Kilimanjaro III is specifically suited for this added offshore work.

Taking advantage of its increased beam, Kilimanjaro III will carry 558 passengers in a mix of seating levels and styles. The main deck passenger deck features 249 economy class seats, with those nearest the aft kiosk equipped with tables. The aft end of the main deck has been reconfigured with a larger luggage room, located directly adjacent to the side crew ramps to speed up turn around.

The upper deck has outdoor seats for 107 passengers. Amidships there is a first class cabin with 74 seats. The sundeck has seats for a further 60 passengers. Kilimanjaro III will be powered by a pair of Cummins KTA50 engines, each producing 1340kW, and will have a service speed of 30 knots.

Incat Crowther is pleased to continue its relationship with Coastal Fast Ferries and believe the growth in business is a result of the company’s attention to client service and adding value to the client’s operation.

Specifications:
Length, o.a. 125 ft
Length, w.l. 122.5 ft
Beam, o.a. 34.5 ft
Draft, hull 3.7 ft
Draft, prop 5.11 ft
Depth 12 ft
Construction Marine grade aluminum

Capacities:
Fuel oil 1,585 gal
Fresh water 330 gal
Sullage 330 gal
Passengers 558

Propulsion & performance:
Speed 29 knots
Main engines 2x Cummins KTA50
Power 2x 1340kW @ 1900rpm
Propulsion 2x Propeller
Generators 2x Cummins, 170kVA, 50 Hz
1 x Cummins, 17kVA, 50 Hz

Angalizo:
Boti za Kilimanjaro awali zilikuwa zinajulikana kama Sea Express. Hadi sasa kuna Kilimanjaro I na II.


MarineLink.com

Mabadiliko ya address

Blog iliyokuwa inakwenda kwa address ya http://www.angaliabongo.co.tz, sasa hivi inapatikana kwa address hii:
http://wwww.angalia-bongo.com na ikiwa na mtazamo mpya na mambo kem kem.

Wakimbizi wa Kizenj, karibuni tena Zanzibar

Wale wanzenji wote waliokimbimba Zanzibar kutokana na mtafuruku wa uchaguzi wa mwaka 1995 na mwaka 2000, mnakaribishwa tena Zanzibar.

Zanzibar ya leo ni tofauti sana na ile mliyoikimbia. Sasa kuna makubaliano na kutakuwepo na serikali ya umoja wa kitaifa mara baada ya uchaguzi mkuu mwaka huu. Hivyo basi sio sahihi tena kujiita wakimbizi ilhali hali ya nchi ni shwari.

Aidha naiomba serikali ya Uingereza kuwarudisha wazenj wote waliongia nchini humo kwa madai ya ukimbizi, ombi hili ni pamoja na serikali ya Kenya ambako kuna wakimbizi wa kizenj katika mapango huko Mombasa.

Sina shaka kuwa Wazenj wa UK wengi wao wamepata bahati ya kusoma huko na kuwa na taaluma, hili ni muhimu kwa kujenga taifa jipya la Zanzibar... Kule mapangoni sina hakika kama waliweza kupata nafasi ya kujiendeleza.

Cha msingi kwenu wakimbizi wa kisiasa ni kurudi nyumbani, kwani hakuna vujo tena, kura zenu tunazihitaji hali kadhalika maarifa yenu. Hii ajialishi kama ukuweza kufanikiwa huko ugenini.

Karibuni tena nyumbani, tena mjisikie huru kuliko huo uhuru wa kubaguliwa katika nchi za kigeni. Karibuni sana

Skuli....

Shughuli

Halikuniki

Halikuniki bin Gozi gumu

Meghji family saga exciting enough to be a miniseries

An enterprising writer should quickly pen a multi-generational miniseries about the Meghji family.

Who, you ask, are the Meghjis?

They are the people who will begin building a 189-room Courtyard by Marriott Hotel at the Edmonton International Airport next spring.

The next-to-the-planes, eight-storey hotel will be linked to the airport by a heated pedway and boast everything from a fitness spa and top-notch restaurant to banquet facilities and large presidential suites.

"You could say it's the icing on the cake for our family-owned Platinum Investments company," 37-year-old Rahim Meghji told me.

Rahim and his brother, Ali Meghji, 35, are the young face of the Ismaili Muslim family and are gradually taking over the business reins from their uncle, 64-year-old Amin Meghji.

Rather than icing on the cake, it's the natural ending to the first miniseries.

As for the beginning, it goes back more than a century to Gujarat in northwest India. "Our family lived in poverty; and led by my great-grandfather, they sailed across the Indian Ocean in a small boat in 1893," Amin says.

"The boat was so overloaded they threw everything they had overboard, including their shoes. They arrived in Zanzibar penniless."

Amin's father was nine at the time and went to live on a coconut farm. Later, his father bought the farm with help from his wife's family before moving to Dar es Salaam, then Tanzania's capital.

"My father and my two older brothers created a soap, glycerine and oil manufacturing business that did very well," Amin says. "But the government nationalized everything, including residential and commercial properties. We lost everything except some savings.

"My mother was paralyzed with shock at the loss of our empire, suffered a brain hemorrhage and died within the hour in 1972."

The family left for Kenya and rebuilt their business in Nairobi.

"Again we did very well, but the government began taking over businesses and we feared for our future," Amin says.

"My father died in 1975, but not before telling us to get out of the country. We sold our business for about half of what it was worth and came to Canada in 1976."

Finding themselves amid the Alberta oil boom at the end of the 1970s, the close-knit, extended Meghji family bought and expanded a 10-unit, west-end motel. That was followed by a 178-unit, $12-million downtown apartment building.

"We lost everything again in 1981 when the market crashed," Amin says. "The building was 70-per-cent vacant and we couldn't make mortgage payments at 21-per-cent (interest)."

The Meghjis rose again in 1998 and bought the Forum Inn near Rexall Place, renaming it Coliseum.

In 2004, the family opened the 160-room Hilton Garden Inn in the west end, followed two years later by the Hampton Inn and Suites.

"They are rated the top two city hotels by travellers on the Trip Advisor website," Rahim says.

"We hope our Marriott Courtyard opening soon in the west end, and our nearby Marriott Residence Inn, due to open next year, will be just as successful."

Amin is sad his older brother, Aladdin, the visionary of the family, died just before the Hilton opened.

This miniseries would end with Marriott Canada senior vice-president Michael Beckley saying at the airport Friday: "We see Platinum as a key partner in Alberta, Western Canada and beyond.

"Marriott is the fastest-growing hotel brand in North America and has gone from 12 hotels to 60 in Canada in the last 10 years."

Rahim quipped: " The airport hotel will be our flagship. If hotels in Canada are nationalized, the whole family will jump off the High Level Bridge."


Canada.com

After Zanzibar Referendum Comes Constitution Dilemma

The constitutional amendments in Zanzibar on Monday evening, which redefined its territory as a sovereign state within the United Republic of Tanzania, have reignited the controversy over the future of the Union.

Constitutional experts faulted the changes endorsed by the House of Representatives, which they charged, were "meant to neutralise the Union, if not to kill it systematically".

With the Constitution of the United Republic proclaiming Tanzania to be a country resulting from the merger of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, as the one and only sovereign state, the experts were of the opinion that the recognition of Zanzibar as a state would "steal Tanzania's statehood". And they warned that this could herald the break-up of the United Republic of Tanzania.

An extraordinary session of the House of Representatives on Monday evening overwhelmingly passed 10 amendments, which also paved the way for the formation of a government of national unity in Zanzibar after October 31 General Election.

According to the amendments, Sections 1 and 2 of the Zanzibar Constitution, which previously identified Zanzibar as part of the United Republic of Tanzania, have been deleted.

The changes redefine Zanzibar is a state formerly known as the 'People's Republic of Zanzibar' with its territory composed of Unguja, Pemba and all the small surrounding islands, as it was before the 1964 merger with Tanganyika.

Moving the Constitutional Amendment Bill, the State Minister (Constitution and Good Governance), Mr Ramadhani Abdallah Shaaban, said: "The new clause stipulates that Zanzibar is among the two countries that form the United Republic of Tanzania."

But a senior law lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr Sengondo Mvungi, described the amendment as the biggest threat ever to the existence of the United Republic of Tanzania. He explained that the House of Representatives had disregarded the laid-down procedure by altering constitutional provisions touching on the Articles of the Union.

Dr Mvungi cited Article 98 (b) of the Union Constitution. Under the article, any Bill for an Act to alter any provisions of the Constitution or any provision of any law relating to any of the matters specified in List Two of the second schedule to the Constitution shall be passed only if it is supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all Members of Parliament from Tanzania Mainland and not less than two-thirds of all MPs from Tanzania Zanzibar.

And the matters specified in List Two, which require to be supported by two-thirds of all MPs from Mainland Tanzania and two-thirds of all MPs from Zanzibar, include the existence of the United Republic of Tanzania.

"This article of the Constitution cannot be altered by the Zanzibar House of Representatives alone. They have totally no mandate or authority on this issue," Dr Mvungi said.


He also pointed out that the fact that President Jakaya Kikwete had already dissolved Parliament in readiness for this year's elections, meant there was no room to initiate such changes.

Contacted for comment last evening, State Minister Shaaban strongly defended the amendments, saying they were meant to emphasize Zanzibar's position as a partner state in the United Republic and not a part of the Union Government.

"The United Republic is nation. The amendment means that Zanzibar is a second country forming the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar. What we have done is to confirm our state boundaries," he said.

For his part, Dr Mvungi said that declaring Zanzibar one of the two countries that form the United Republic of Tanzania was to change the structure of the Union to form a confederal authority between the people to Zanzibar and Tanganyika.

"This means that Tanganyika retains its sovereignty and statehood and so does Zanzibar. So you form a confederation. The statehood automatically moves out of that the United Republic of Tanzania and goes to Zanzibar and Tanganyika," he explained.

If the amendments are implemented there is not going to be a united republic of Tanzania. The nation has broken up," he said in a conversation with The Citizen on Monday before the Zanzibar approved.

Zanzibar's Attorney General could not be reached for comment yesterday, but a senior official in his Chambers said the amendments were the 10th on the Zanzibar Constitution. The changes, he clarified, only affected the Zanzibar Constitution and had nothing to do with the Union.

When The Citizen pointed out that the amendment of Union matters needed approval by two-thirds of the MPs from both Tanzania Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania, Mr Saleh Mbarouk, said: "The interpretation of the changes will be given by the Attorney General. What I know is that members of the House of Representatives are not forbidden to pass such amendments."

But the Union Government's Deputy Attorney General, Mr George Masaju, contacted in Dar es Salaam to comment on the developments, said he had not seen the final draft of the Bill passed in Zanzibar on Monday.
"I'm hesitant to address this matter, as I have not seen the final draft. Give me time to find out what exactly has been passed by the House of Representatives in order to comment on the issue," he said.

Another lawyer, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the changes had violated the Constitution. He said Article 98 (b) of the Union Constitution stipulated the procedure for effecting amendments touching on the existence of the United Republic.

"Strictly speaking, such changes do not any value in the eyes of the law. They actually do not exist. They are unconstitutional," he said.

The president of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), Mr Felix Kibodya, speaking in his personal capacity, said although he strongly supported the reconciliation process that had culminated in the constitutional changes, the declaration that "Zanzibar is a state has gone beyond the aim of bringing Zanzibaris together".

He said that for the changes to have any legal authority, they must be endorsed by the Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania, as specified in Article 98 (b).

"My understanding is that for the amendments making Zanzibar a state to have legal effect, they must have the blessings of parliamentarians from both sides through a procedure stipulated in our constitution," he said.

He added: "How can Zanzibar be a state without a commander-in-chief of the armed forces? How can it be a country without defence minister, Inspector General of Police or a foreign minister?"

He said though it was crucial to bring about peace and unity in the Isles, this should not come at the expense of the Union. "Zanzibar is a part of the United Republic of Tanzania," he insisted.

Under the newly amended Zanzibar Constitution, the Isles' President has been given powers to mark the territory's borders without consulting the Union Government.

According to the laws enacted by the House of Representatives, for effective implementation of government responsibilities, the Zanzibar leader is also empowered to divide the Isles into regions, districts and other areas.



AllAfrica.com

Why Zanzibar Referendum Outcome Left CCM More Bruised

Zanzibar made history last Saturday by overwhelmingly endorsing constitutional changes in a referendum that will pave the way for the formation of a government of national unity later this year.

Such a government will be the first ever in the country since the armed revolution that rooted out the Arab Sultan rulers in the early sixties, and also in the modern times following the introduction of multiparty politics in Tanzania in 1992.


The momentous verdict was issued by 188,705 voters who participated in the exercise at 66.4 per cent against 95,613 at 33.6 per cent of those who were not in favour of the outcome that will now significantly alter the way politics is played in Zanzibar.

Political leaders, representatives of the donor community and even the common man on the streets have immediately welcomed the referendum outcome, with a majority saying it would finally guarantee peace and tranquillity in the Isles that had hitherto remained perilous every election year.

But as the dust settles, different interest groups will take stock of what transpired on the campaign trail and what the final result would mean for their role in the future of Zanzibar. Some are not entirely ruling out new political realignments prior to and after the October 31 General Election.


"It was a positive vote for unity by the people but as observers we could not fail to notice that deep antagonism, mainly within the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi remained," explained Dr Benson Bana, the Chairman of Tanzania Election Monitoring Committee and also head of the University of Dar es Salaam's Research for Democracy and Education in Tanzania (Redet).

That voters on Pemba Island regions gave an emphatic 'Yes' vote and are still the more enthusiastic of the new political order than their colleagues in Unguja Island may have not been entirely surprising. As in the past elections, Pemba has tended to vote for the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) to the last man standing and in the referendum sided with their leaders who campaigned for 'Yes'.

The opposition's supremacy in the referendum results showed that the people of Mtambwe District in North Pemba Region, the home town of Mr Seif Hamad, the CUF leader, had the highest Yes votes, with 95.1 per cent of the 5324 people who cast their votes. Mr Hamad is CUF's secretary general and will run for the presidency under the party in the October 31 general election.

"The people in Pemba voted the way they did because they know this was their only chance to end decades long feeling of alienation from government. They are the ones who have suffered more and paid the huge cost of a system of winner takes all despite the fact that polling results divided Zanzibar into two, almost equal parts," said businessman Said Mohammed said.

Mr Hamad has already been nominated by his party to run for the Presidency in what would be his fourth attempt. Having served as Chief Minister in the CCM government, the opposition leader has not shied from admitting that deliberately skewed government planning have consigned Pemba to poverty due to past political rivalry.

For the sake of this huge constituency, Mr Hamad, who alongside President Amani Abeid Karume engineered the final and significant push for reconciliation and tagged alongside the President to campaign for 'Yes', was at hand to welcome the victory last Saturday.

He declared; "This is a win for Zanzibar, its people and the united republic of Tanzania." President Karume whose extra energy to drive through the vote was pleased with the voters who have given him what political commentators say would be one of his presidency's most important legacy.

While this task is almost done, the remaining few days could prove trickier if divisions within CCM that played out ahead of the referendum are anything to go by. In Zanzibar today, it was expected that Karume could after all now have reason to whip those in CCM's inner circles and in government who gave lukewarm support for the referendum.

A District Commissioner in the seat of government was last week sent packing in a move linked more to his remarks critical of the government's campaigning for a 'Yes' vote. "I will not be surprised if that did happen but what is dangerous for CCM will be what kind of realignments that could follow if he was to sack ministers in the last days in office," a senior party official who requested to remain anonymous said.

All Africa

Hamad Masauni aibuka kidedea Kikwajuni

Aliyekuwa Mwenyekiti wa Umoja wa Vijana CCM, Hamad Masauni Yusuf, ameshinda katika kura za kugombea nafasi ya ubunge kwa tiketi ya CCM katika jimbo la Kikwajuni kwa kura 990.

Hamad ameweza kumshinda Naib Katibu Mkuu wa CCM Saleh Ramadhani Feruzi ambae aliweza kupata kura 155 na kushika nafasi ya tatu chini ya Ahmed Mohamed aliyepata kura 511.

Zanzibar ni Mseto

Matokeo rasmi ya kura ya maoni juu ya serikali ya umoja wa kitaifa yametolewa. Kura za ndio ni 188,705 na kura za hapana ni 95,613. Hii inamaanisha kuwa serikali ijayo ya itakuwa ni ya umoja wa kitaifa.