Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday, March 18, 2024.
EACOP generates 30 Billion in tax revenues
Tanzania has received about Tshs. 30 Billion of tax revenues from the East African Crude Oil Pipe Line (EACOP) with the direct employment of about 5,000 Tanzanianians.
This was revealed yesterday by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Investment Committee, Deus Sangu during a parliamentary committee visit to the project site in Chongoleani Tanga.
The shareholders in EACOP are the Uganda National Oil Company (15%), TotalEnergies (62%) China National Offshore Oil Corporation-CNOOC (8%), and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (15%). It was revealed Tanzania has already contributed 87 percent of the required capital from its end, Tsh. 268 Billion.
According to EACOP’s website, EACOP is a 1,443km crude oil export pipeline that will transport Uganda’s crude oil from Kabaale – Hoima in Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga port in Tanzania. It will have a peak capacity of 246,000 barrels daily.
Plans for one ID from birth, Jamii Namba are on track
The National Identification Authority(NIDA) has confirmed that plans for the development of Jamii Namba, unique identity number that will have information about Tanzanians from birth as well as foreigners from entry to exit are underway.
This was revealed yesterday by an officer from NIDA, Konde Francis, during the meeting with the Ministry of Information, Communication and Information who said the number will be used by all government agencies as well as the private sector, removing the possibility of errors along the way.
The plans to come up with a universal identity number were initiated by a directive from President Samia Suluhu on August 10, 2023. President Samia was irritated by multiple identity numbers used to identify Tanzanians, from birth certificate number, national identity number, driving licenses, passport numbers, health insurance numbers, tax identity number among others.
“People have so many identity cards in our country,” the Head of State complained. “If you go to the banks, you find this information about Samia; if you go to the hospitals, you find that information about Samia. But can we harmonise these identities and create a single Samia identity?”
“This lack of a unified identification also threatens our national security,” President Samia explained. “We want to know who is who; we want to be able to tell a citizen from a foreigner. It’ll spare our people a lot of inconvenience.”
Jamii Namba is expected to be ready by the end of 2025.
Maasai people from Ngorongoro yearn for rights their fellow Tanzanians enjoy
Ngorongoro conservation area is one of the three administrative divisions in Ngorongoro district. The famous Ngorongoro Crater is located in this division alongside other historical locations, such as Olduvai Gorge, where historical information about early humans and the Laetoli Footprints can be found.
Due to its historical richness and natural beauty, the Ngorongoro conservation area attracts millions of tourists every year, who leave behind billions of dollars.
In a blunt eye, it’s easy to imagine that this money benefits all citizens, including the local Maasai, but contrary to that, these billions cause lifetime suffering to the very people who protected the integrity of the land for as long as one can remember.
The money obtained from tourism in Ngorongoro turned the excellent image of once a paradise on earth into a burning hell where residents suffer every kind of wickedness from a body that was tasked with overseeing their well-being and livelihoods.
In recent years, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) openly shunned one of the three key objectives of its establishment, which is to safeguard and promote the interests of the Maasai people.
Read the full analysis here
Is my gender a scary thing to make me die?
As I sit down to write this piece of mixed words, I’m wrestling with an outburst of emotions of anger, frustration, and fear. Anger at the persistent stream of femicides causing suffering in our communities.
Frustration at the systemic failures that perpetuate gender-based violence. And fear—for myself, for my loved ones, for the countless women whose lives are cut short by senseless acts of brutality.
In broad terms, gender-related killings of women and girls can be defined as intentional killings with a gender-related motivation connected to its root causes, which may range from stereotyped gender roles and discrimination towards women and girls to unequal power relations between women and men in society.
Growing up, I was surrounded by strong women—not with muscles, but resilience and love—my grandmother, mother, aunties, and sisters. I was also around men, my dad, my uncles, and my brothers. They gave me a sense of security and a belief that the world is a safe place for women.
Then there is the nightmare I had for years, and my hope is shattered. I never imagined that being a woman or identifying as a different gender could fill me with such fear and uncertainty.
Read the full analysis here
This is it for today, and we hope you enjoyed our briefing. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter (see below), following us on X (Twitter) (here), or joining us on Telegram (here). And if you have any questions or comments, please drop a word to our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
One Response
It is profoundly disheartening to witness residents being subjected to the ordeal of having to check in simply to access their own homes! The stance of The Chanzo, claiming neutrality on the sentiments expressed by the author, is deeply troubling. Media outlets bear the responsibility to vehemently oppose any form of human rights violations, particularly against the marginalized Maasai community. The media must take a decisive stand against all forms of injustice perpetrated against the Maasai people.
Moreover, it is alarming to note the complicity of certain journalists who have chosen to defend the oppressive actions of the government, misleading the international community by suggesting that Maasai residents have somehow consented to their forced relocation to Msomera. In the face of such egregious atrocities, it is unconscionable for news outlets to align themselves with exploiters rather than amplify the voices of the oppressed.
One cannot help but question the motives behind these development projects in Maasai land. It appears that a select few politicians are the primary beneficiaries, enjoying the spoils extracted from the ancestral lands of the Maasai people. The late Ali Hassan Mwinyi’s remorse over the sale of these lands, as expressed in his book, should serve as a poignant reminder of the gross violation of rights endured by the Maasai community.
Furthermore, our constitution must be amended to hold leaders accountable for their actions during their tenure in office. The recent appointment of Amani Laltaika, a staunch advocate for the Maasai community in Ngorongoro, to the high court, raises suspicions of a calculated maneuver to silence dissent. This appointment, along with that of his brother Elifuraha, smacks of a deliberate attempt to stifle dissenting voices within the community.
It is high time we reassess our approach and demand accountability. Why have civil societies grown conspicuously silent in the face of the ongoing plight of the Maasai people? The fervor with which they once championed their cause seems to have waned. Merely paying lip service to their struggles is insufficient. We must advocate for sanctions akin to those imposed on Zimbabwe, to compel our leadership to uphold the rights of the Maasai people.
The so-called ‘Msomera movement’ following the forced evacuation of Ngorongoro was nothing short of a travesty. No individual willingly embraces exile, as demonstrated by the fictional character Okonkwo, who begrudgingly relocated from Umofia to Mbanta. The decision to relocate was akin to an irreversible act of betrayal, compounded by the brutal execution of Ikemefuna and Ezeudu’s son.
To round off the sad discussion, I am convinced to say that, we cannot afford to remain complacent in the face of such blatant injustices. Let us not wait for token appointments to assuage our conscience. It is time to reclaim our voices and demand justice for the Maasai people.