Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on April 17,2024.
CCM’s Secretary-General condemns the statement of youth leader who wants to make critics disappear: ‘It’s a foolish utterance’
The secretary-general of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has condemned the statement of a youth leader who proposes for the party to make critics disappear.
The Chairperson of the CCM’s youth wing in Kagera, Faris Buruhan made the statement on April 16, 2024, in the regional internal meeting where he said: “If there is someone who thinks they have the freedom to go online and spend the whole day insulting leaders, if we make them disappear, Police don’t look for them.”
The statement sparked debates in various spaces online with some contributors reminded of situations where critics disappeared between 2016 and 2017, people like Ben Saanane, Simon Kanguye, or journalist Azory Gwanda who remain missing to date.
Read the full story here
Legal scholars frustrated by Tanzania’s ‘sabotage’ of judicial mechanisms: ‘it’s a shame’
Renowned Tanzania’s legal scholars, including retired Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, expressed their frustrations and disappointment on Tuesday over what they consider a “sabotage” of judicial mechanisms by the East African nation, implied in the country’s refusal to enforce local and regional courts’ decisions.
The scholars’ opinion occurred against the backdrop of sustained complaints from litigants, human rights activists, and members of the general public about the government’s repeated failures to enforce courts’ decisions, especially those ruled against its favour, threatening the rule of law and judiciary independence in the country.
One court’s decision whose lack of enforcement baffled the great legal minds of the country concerns a March 3, 2016, High Court of Tanzania ruling that found sections 13 and 17 of the Law of Marriage Act, 1971, unconstitutional by allowing a marriage of a girl below 18 years old.
Read the full story here
LAAC chairperson calls for the government to reveal the report regarding the 10pc local council loans
The Chairperson of the parliamentary Local Authorities Accounts Committee (LAAC), Halima Mdee has called for the government to release a report on the assessment that made the government return the loans using banks and council starting July 01.
On April 16, 2024, the government through the Regional Administration and Local Governments state minister in the President’s Office (PO-RALG), Mohamed Mchengerwa revealed that the government will return the 10 percent local council loans starting July 2024.
Several councils including Dar es Salaam councils, Dodoma, Kigoma Ujiji, Songea, Newala, Mbulu, Siha, Nkasi, Itilima, and Bumbuli will use banks for testing. While the rest of the council (174) will use an improved system by the council which involves the use of the Wezesha portal.
The 10 percent loan is a revolving loan scheme from the local government distributed on the 4-4-2 formula, for Youth, Women, and People with Disabilities respectively. Local government authorities are required to set aside 10 percent of their annual revenue for the loans.
The government announced the suspension of the local council loans on April 12, 2023. This was in response to the damning report about the loans by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) Charles Kichere, who, in his report for 2022/2023, revealed that Sh2.5 billion were issued to groups that ceased business operations, and Sh895.94 million were issued to 48 groups that did not exist.
Speaking in parliament yesterday, Mdee called for the government to reveal the report to avoid past mistakes in the implementation.
“We don’t have a law in place or regulation to support the new system for issuing loans. The Prime Minister promised to bring the report on the 10 percent loans assessment before coming up with a new system. But no one has seen the findings or understands how the government has made the decision,” argued Mdee
The Chanzo Digital Freedom and Innovation Day is here
April 21st, 2024, is World Creativity and Innovation Day! In light of this important date, The Chanzo is hosting Digital Freedom and Innovation Day—an inspiring gathering of innovators and thought leaders on April 20, 2024.
The event will be hosted at the National Museum main theater from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The event aims to celebrate triumphs made, remaining challenges, and imagine a better tomorrow where people are freer to innovate, create, exchange, and express their ideas online. You can read the full concept of the event here. The event is free, you can sign up here to attend.
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