Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday, August 26, 2021.
Tanzania, Sweden sign 117 billion for Productive Social Safety Net
Tanzania and Sweden have signed a deal worth 450M (SEK) equivalent to Sh117.8 billion for the support of the second phase of the Productive Social Service Net (PSSN II).
The PSSN aims at supporting poor households to improve access to income earning opportunities and social economic services. In his statement regarding the second phase of the program, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance and Planning, Mr Emmanuel Tutuba highlighted that over a million of households will be the beneficiary of the program. “After launching PSSN II, a total of 1,013,635 households were verified for their eligibility in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar” emphasized Mr. Tutuba.
The project involves cash transfer programs, labour intensive public works for generating temporary employment, enhanced livelihood programs to promote self employment, entrepreneurship skills, saving and strengthening institutional capacity and integrated delivery systems for delivery of services and benefits during the program.
“Sweden’s development cooperation aims to create opportunities for people living in poverty and under oppression to improve their living conditions”, wrote the Sweden Ambassador, Mr Anders Sjöberg in a tweet following the signing event. “The PSSN empowers women and support girls and boys to grow up healthy and stay in school, key to break the cycle of poverty”.
During phase one of the project the Government of Sweden granted about sh.196 billion and in June 2021, they had already released a 26.2 billion advance for the second phase.The programme is expected to run up to September 2023 with a total budget of about 2.02 trillion.
Parliament ethics committee seeks to arrest Ukonga MP Jerry Silaa
The Parliamentary Committee on Justice, Ethics and Powers has sought the approval of Speaker of Parliament Job Ndugai so that Ukonga Member of Parliament (CCM) Jerry Silaa can be arrested after failing to attend a committee meeting.
The head of the Committee Emmanuel Mwakasaka said Mr Silaa did not report his absence and that the committee waited for him until 2.00 PM and so they have asked the Speaker to grant his arrest warrant and be brought to the committee meeting tomorrow at 10.00 AM.
Mr Ndugai had ordered Mr Silaa and Josephat Gwajima (Chama cha Mapinduzi – Kawe) to appear before the Parliamentary Privileges, Ethics and Powers Committee to answer various allegations levelled against them. He accused the two of making false and degrading statements about the parliament, something that is a violation of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly.
Mr Gwajima, who is also a pastor, has been using his religious platform to encourage people against getting the COVID-19 vaccine, calling it fake and inefficient. Mr Gwajima has made it clear that he would rather lose his position as an MP than getting himself vaccinated. He has accused senior government officials of receiving bribes so that COVID-19 vaccines can be imported into the country.
On his part, on July 23, 2021, Mr Silaa made a statement during a political rally in Dar es Salaam that implied that Members of Parliament do not pay taxes, saying MPs should be paying taxes so that they can have the moral authority to tell their people to do the same.
Mr Silaa had already appeared before the committee in Dodoma on August 24, 2021, and he was to reappear yesterday before going AWOL.
Tanzanian among terror suspects arrested in Kenya
A 35-year-old Tanzania national whose identity is yet to be revealed is among terror suspects arrested on Monday by Kenyan police in the coastal city of Mombasa, The Citizen newspaper reported Thursday.
The Tanzanian and a 30-year-old Kenya accomplice were arrested in a dramatic ambush at Mombasa’s Likoni Channel as they waited to board a ferry.
The Tanzanian reportedly lived in Kenya before and in 2016 was among those involved in an ambush of Kombani Police Post in Kwale County, the paper said. On January 2, they also allegedly attacked Tandoori Club in Diani and also threw a grenade at a local police station.
Police said the two suspects are Al-Shabab returnees with contacts in Mvita Mombasa and Kwale. The suspect’s names have not been revealed for purposes of investigation, according to the police.
Initial suspicion is that they planned to attack a police station in Mombasa on August 27, 2021, the death anniversary of the fiery Sheikh Aboud Rogo.
The two were on Tuesday presented before an anti-terrorism magistrate’s court in Nairobi where the police were granted 21 days to complete investigations before charging them.
In November 2020, Tanzanian Rashid Mberesero died in a Kenyan jail while serving a life sentence following a conviction that he had taken part in the Garissa University College terror attack that took place on April 2, 2015, and left 148 people dead.
Kenyan prison authorities said then that Mberesero died by suicide inside cell number 24, block H at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison on Friday.
This is it for today and we hope you enjoyed our briefing. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter (see below) or follow us on Twitter (here) as that is the best way to make sure you do not miss any of these briefings. And in case you have any questions or comments, please consider dropping a word to our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
