Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

Zanzibar invites investment bids for its offshore oil and gas blocks

Zanzibar government has launched the first licensing round for its offshore oil and gas blocks located in Pemba and Unguja.

The official website of the auction shows the licensing round consists of 8 blocks of size between 2,846 km² to 5,666 km² situated within water depths between 500 meters and 3,000 meters. The blocks offered under the 1st Licensing Round include Block 1-A, Block 1-B, Block 1-C, Block 1-D, Block 1-E, Block 1-F, Block 1-G, and Block 1-H.

Speaking during the launching, the Minister of Blue Economy and Fisheries Shaaban Ali Othman said the first round will take up a total of ten months.

“All blocks are on the offshore areas of the eastern side of Unguja and Pemba Island, a highly prospective area with attractive terms. The entire process of launching round is expected to last for ten months from March 20, 2024,” said Mr Othman.

The President of Zanzibar, Hussein Mwinyi said his government is ready to offer all needed support to the investors who show interest in exploration.

ACT Wazalendo accuses foul play in Kigoma by-election: Members and leaders arrested amid controversy

The opposition party ACT Wazalendo reported that several leaders and members were arrested during the Kasingirima ward by-election in Kigoma Urban.

Those arrested include Abdul Nondo (Chairperson of the Youth Wing), Selemani Simba (Chairperson of the Elders Wing in Kigoma), Alumbula Ahmad Khalid (Ward councilor candidate for Kasingirima), Ntakije Ntanena, and Hamis Mzungu.

In its statement, ACT Wazalendo said the leaders were arrested because they were trying to prevent illegality in the election, “Our leaders and members were arrested after they attempted to prevent a CCM member, who possessed fake votes, from reaching the Livingston polling station to cast those votes.”

The party says it’s evaluating additional steps to take in what the party says is a deviation from what the government has promised about the future conduct of elections in the country.

Yesterday, residents from 22 wards of Tanzania’s mainland participated in voting to elect councilors from among 127 candidates contesting in the by-election.

The opposition party CHADEMA, through its General Secretary John Mnyika, informed The Chanzo that it would not partake in the by-election. This decision stems from the party’s concerns regarding existing electoral laws, which they believe may compromise the fairness of the by-election.

In the Kasingirima ward election, the CCM candidate Mlekwa Mfanao Kigeni won the election by garnering 437 votes while the ACT Wazalendo candidate Alumbula Ahmad Khalid received 233 votes.

Police accused of the murder of a tour guide operator in Arusha

The family of the late Omari Simon Msami, a tour guide operator based in Arusha, has accused the Arusha Police of cold-blooded murder of their relative in Karatu, Arusha, on March 15, 2024. They suspect that Omari was tortured by the police for unknown reasons at a checkpoint in Karatu, Arusha, when he was returning from accompanying a tourist.

“We came across the news on social media, prompting all relatives to convene and address the issue. We are here to ascertain what happened to him; he bears wounds, but authorities claim it’s due to intoxication,” said Stella Maria Belege, a relative of Msami.

“If they allege intoxication, we wouldn’t expect to find wounds on him; instead, he was beaten as though he were a thief,” Belege added.

Msami’s body was discovered with wounds in various parts, including the neck, which bore evidence of piercing by a sharp object, indicating severe torture. The family notes that one official statement cites intoxication as a cause of death.

The police have released a statement stating that they’ve formed a team to investigate the incident, including the sequence of events from March 15, 2024.

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.