Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on June 13, 2024.
Tanzania’s priorities for the 2024/25 fiscal year
Tanzania’s Finance Minister, Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba, outlined the government’s priorities for its 49.3 Trillion budget for the financial year 2024/25.
Speaking on June 13, 2024, while presenting the budget in Parliament, Dr. Mwigulu emphasized the importance of strengthening human resources, increasing ICT usage, and improving the business and investment environment.
“Other important areas in the implementation of the 2024/25 budget include funding public servant salaries, servicing government debt, the 2024 local government elections, and preparations for the 2025 general elections,” said Dr. Mwigulu.
Additionally, preparations for the National Development Vision 2050 and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are also highlighted.
“The priority areas identified in the plan include stimulating a competitive and inclusive economy, enhancing industrial production capacity and service delivery, promoting trade and investment to drive human development, and developing human resources,” Dr. Mwigulu added.
The government plans to collect and spend a total of 49.35 trillion Tanzanian shillings for the fiscal year 2024/2025. Of this, 20.7 trillion shillings are allocated for administrative services and servicing government debt, 10.29 trillion shillings for development and economic activities, 6.17 trillion shillings for education, security, law enforcement, and safety, and 2.65 trillion shillings for healthcare. Water, housing, and community development have been allocated 1.42 trillion shillings.
Ready to Run and Serve Conference kick-off in Dar es Salaam
The International Republican Institute (IRI) hosted its Ready to Run and Serve Conference on June 13, 2024, at the University of Dar es Salaam library.
This knowledge-sharing event aims to build the capacity of aspirants for Tanzania’s civic and general elections. The event featured experienced politicians, former members of parliament, and party leaders. IRI utilized its well-developed curriculum, “From Winning to Governing,” to mentor and support young aspirants in participating fully in their country’s political affairs.
“We are specifically targeting youth and women in this event and we are using the curriculum that IRI has been building and revising for years. We try our best to domesticate it to fit the environment here, from winning to governing the environment effectively,” explained IRI Resident Program Director, Sentell F. Barnes.
Several themes emerged during the panel discussions, where experienced politicians shared their knowledge with young aspirants. Zitto Kabwe, who first ran for office in 2005 straight from university and later established the third-largest party in the country, emphasized the importance of investing in party networks over personal branding.
“The first and most important task is to build the party’s network. I often tell young people, whenever I have the chance to speak to them, and I repeat this to all young people: if you have a party network, you are assured of a 30% chance of winning,” said Kabwe.
Catherine Ruge, a former member of parliament and women’s wing leader for CHADEMA, argued that self-confidence is crucial, particularly for women.
“It’s about self-confidence. That is a very big problem and a huge challenge, especially for women based on my experience. You might want something, you have something you want to do, you want to be a leader, but you still hesitate and are afraid to move forward simply because you lack confidence. So let’s first eliminate fear, be confident, and if you decide to run, be ‘serious’ and run,” she said.
Joseph Rwegasira, the Deputy Mayor of Kinondoni Municipality and a CCM member emphasized the importance of building trust.
“Because a leader [or] leadership is a trust, a group of people, or people who give you the mandate to lead means they expect you to do what they feel is a solution in the community surrounding them,” he explained.
INEC clarifies controversy surrounding commission appointments, civic election supervision
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) clarified on Thursday, June 14, 2024, that there is no legal provision requiring its employees to resign for the appointment of new commissioners. This statement responds to the ACT-Wazalendo Party’s call for the commission’s employees, including the chairman, vice-chairman, and commissioners, to resign to facilitate new appointments.
INEC’s Director of Elections, Ramadhani Kailima, addressed the media on June 13, 2024, during a meeting about improving the permanent voter register. He emphasized that the legitimacy of the commissioners’ positions is based on Section 27 of the INEC Act of 2024, which states, “Once this law comes into effect, anyone who is the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, or Member of the Commission will continue to hold their positions until the end of their term.”
Kailima challenged those calling for resignations to cite a legal basis for their demands. “Those who complain should be asked, which law requires these employees to resign,” he said.
Kailima also clarified that INEC is not legally obligated to oversee Local Government Elections, saying The commission is required to oversee local government elections according to a law enacted by parliament which has not yet been enacted
“The absence of this law,” he said, “deprives INEC of the responsibility to oversee those elections, and instead, they continue to be overseen by the Office of the President, Regional Administration, and Local Government Authorities.”
Opposition parties as well as civil society have been calling for INEC to assume its mandate on overseeing the general election citing that the law that gave the President’s Office, Regional Administration, and Local Government Tanzania (PO-RALG) mandate has been discarded.
Responding to Kailima assertion, the Secretary General of ACT Wazalendo, Ado Saibu said Kailima is misleading the public.
“This is the second time I have heard Dr. Kailima, the Director of INEC, say that since the law governing local government elections has not been enacted by the Parliament, the authority to oversee those elections lies with PO-RALG, this is not true legally, it is misinformation,” said Mr Shaibu.
He added: “Dr. Kailima should tell us where TAMISEMI got that authority from. I challenge him to show us the law that gives TAMISEMI this authority, and I am confident he cannot do so because it does not exist”
Police arrest former Simiyu regional commissioner on sodomy charges
The Mwanza Region Police Force has arrested former Simiyu Regional Commissioner Dr. Yahya Nawanda (46) on allegations of sodomizing a university student in Mwanza city. Mwanza Regional Police Commander Wilbroad Mutafungwa stated that Nawanda was apprehended on June 13, 2024, and is currently in custody for questioning.
“The Police Force has arrested and is continuing to interrogate Yahya Esmail Nawanda, the former Regional Commissioner of Simiyu, on charges of sexually assaulting a female university student against the order of nature,” Mutafungwa said. The incident allegedly occurred on the night of June 2, 2024, at Rock City Mall in Ilemela district.
The victim is receiving medical treatment and psychological support. Commander Mutafungwa urged the public to refrain from sharing information about the incident on social media in ways that could further harm the victim.
“The victim is suffering psychologically due to how people continue to report these incidents. Reporting such incidents has its protocols that preserve the dignity of the individuals involved,” said Mutafungwa.
Reports indicate that the 21-year-old first-year student was coerced into performing the act inside a car, which was captured by security cameras. On June 3, the student reported the incident to the police and was taken to a hospital for examination.
Dr. Yahya Nawanda was removed from the Regional Commissioner post on June 11, 2024.
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