Wapiga kura waliopo kwenye Daftari la Kudumu la Wapiga Kura wataweza kutumia simu zao ndogo za mkononi (vitochi au viswaswadu) kuanzisha mchakato wa kuboresha au kuhamisha taarifa zao.
Thursday 18 July 2024
VISWASWADU KUTUMIKA KUBORESHA DAFTARI LA KUDUMU LA WAPIGA KURA
KUELEKEA UTEKELEZAJI WA MRADI WA KUBORESHA MIFUMO YA CHAKULA NCHINI, MWENDAMTITU MBARALI KUIMARISHA ULINZI NA KUKOMESHA MIFUGO KWENYE SKIMU
Na Christina Cosmas, Morogoro
Mwenyekiti wa skimu ya umwagiliaji ya Mwendamtitu iliyopo Wilayani Mbarali Evaristo Mgiye alisema hayo kwenye Kongamano la wadau wa Wizara ya kilimo na FAO wakijadili mbinu za kuanza kutekeleza mradi huo mara baada ya mwaka mmoja kuanzia sasa ambao utatekelezwa kwenye nchi 35 duniani ikiwemo Tanzania unaofadhiliwa na mfuko wa mazingira (GEF).
Mgiye alisema watahakikisha watakaoingiza mifugo na kuharibu miundombinu ikiwemo barabara wanachukulia hatua kali za kisheria ili kuiweka skimu kwenye mazingira bora na kuleta tija ya mradi huo.
Aidha aliiomba Serikali kuwaongezea nguvu ya kuboresha miundombinu kwenye skimu hiyo ambayo ina uwezo wa kuiingizia Halmashauri pato la shilingi Bilioni 1.5 kwa mwaka itakayotokana na kila gunia la mpunga kukatwa kwa shilingi 1,000 na kuwezesha suala la chakula nchini.
“serikali itujengee miundombinu kwa maana mifereji ina changamoto kubwa ya kujaa mchanga, pamoja na kujenga, suala la mchanga linapaswa kuchukuliwa hatua kwa utaalamu kwa kuangaliwa zaidi sababu maji yakipita kipindi cha mvua mchanga unaletwa mwingi, ambao unafanya maji yanasambaa na kupotea sababu ya kupoteza mwelekeo na ujenzi huo utasaidia kuondoa upotevu wa maji pia” alisema Mgiye.
Mgiye alisema kwa kila hekari huzalisha gunia 30-35 kwa sasa ambapo wakulima bado wanakosa mazao baada ya mifereji kujaa mchanga na ikiwa changamoto hiyo itatatuliwa wataweza kuzalisha gunia 35-40 kutokana na eneo lenye ukubwa wa hekta 15,000 walilopo.
Alisema wameshatumia zaidi ya shilingi Milioni 100 katika kufanya tathmini ya uharibifu na kupata ramani halisi ya eneo kwenye skimu hiyo kama walivyoelekezwa ambapo wanaiomba Serikali kuona namna ya kurejea kuwasaidia ili kukamilisha ujenzi kwenye eneo hilo.
Naye Afisa Umwagiliaji kutoka Tume ya Taifa ya Umwagiliaji wilayani Mbarali mkoani Mbeya Titus Osano alisema Tume imejipanga kuendelea kutoa elimu kwa wakulima na kuhakikisha miundombinu na mazingira yanayowazunguka yanakuwa katika hali ya usawa kulingana na matakwa ya mradi huo.
Alisema uharibifu wa mazingira unachangiwa na shughuli za kibinadamu ikiwemo kilimo kama vile wa bonde la Usangu ambapo wao wanatoa elimu itakayowahakikishia kupata uzalishaji mkubwa kwenye mazao wanayolima huku wakitunza mazingira.
Osano alisema kwa kutumia katiba na sheria zilizopo kwenye kila skimu watahakikisha miti inazidi kupandwa kuzunguka vyanzo vya maji na kuhakikisha makopo ya viuatilifu yanachomwa au yanatunzwa kwenye mazingira mazuri zaidi ili kuepusha athari zozote za kijamii na mimea.
Akizungumzia bonde la Usangu alisema zipo zaidi ya skimu 70 katika bonde hilo huku kukiwa na vyama vya wakulima vingine vilivyopata kibali kuendeleza kilimo katika maeneo hayo ambazo zinapaswa kufuata kanuni bora za kilimo huku zikizingatia utunzaji wa mazingira.
Hivyo Osano aliwashauri wakulima kuhakikisha wanafuata miongozo ya skimu za umwagiliaji zilizopo chini ya serikali na Tume ya Taifa ya Umwagiliaji kwa kutunza miundombinu ambayo ni mifereji na vyanzo vya maji na kufuata taratibu zilizopangwa katika kuhakikisha skimu hizo zinaratibiwa vizuri kwa kufuata miongozo iliyopo.
Mradi wa kuboresha mifumo ya chakula (food systems integrated program) unatarajia kutekelezwa baada yam waka mmoja kuanzia sasa katika maeneo ya Usangu jijini Mbeya na Zanzibar kwa kutumia zaidi ya Dola za kimarekani Milioni 9 ambazo ni sawa na zaidi ya shilingi Bilioni 20 za kitanzania.
DC KILAKALA ASISITIZA MIRADI KUKAMILIKA KWA WAKATI ILI WANANCHI WAPATE HUDUMA
Wednesday 17 July 2024
KAMPUNI YA SHERIA YA KIGENI YADAIWA KUJINUFAISHA KUPITIA MADAI YA KUWATETEA WAHANGA WA UKIUKWAJI WA HAKI ZA KIBINADAMU MGODI WA NORTH MARA
Marwa was finally paid Sterling Pounds 55,500 while the firm took home Sterling Pounds 88,001.
Leigh Day spokesperson Caroline Ivison, nonetheless, denied the firm benefiting from claimants as was the case with Marwa saying the allegations were false.
“We strongly refute the allegations on inappropriate and excessive fees,” said Ivison, explaining that significant legal costs were compounded by the intensity at which African Barrick Gold defended itself in the litigation as well as the duration of the case.
“No money allocated to claimants’ compensation was deducted for legal costs, we explained everything clearly to every client,” said Ivison as she declined to divulge details of their clients’ payments saying they were confidential.
Marwa was shot and injured in 2008 when invading the mine. A politician and activists linked him up with Leigh Day which filed a law suit in the UK before it was settled out of court.
Marwa, who is only one of the victims Leigh Day filed law suits against the gold mine on their behalf, said the politicians and activists told him the firm raised funds in support of claimants like him.
“So, all what we needed was giving full cooperation and following their instructions, assuring us that we would be compensated handsomely,” said Marwa as he recalled:
“I was happy when I received the Sterling Pounds 55,500 before my visiting cousin, who is a teacher at a neighboring village, clarified to me what exactly was in the agreement letter I signed.
His cousin wondered the firm, which pledged to assist the claimant free of charge, walked away with more than Sterling Pounds 88,001.
“It pained me a lot, I felt and still feel they used my problem for their own benefit,” Marwa lamented.
In its agreement letter, Leigh Day states: “Given the difficulties and risks of litigation, including extremely substantial risk of not being successful in the litigation, we consider that the total sum constitutes very good settlement of the claim.
“If you accept the settlement, the compensation paid in respect of the claim will be significantly more than you would have achieved if you had sought to resolve the claim without Leigh Day through the North Mara Gold Limited Grievance Mechanism.
“The amount that is proposed to be paid in settlement of a claim has been calculated by using the maximum total amount that could potentially have been awarded if your claim was successful.”
Marwa mulled resorting to court to seek assistance only to be discouraged by the politician he considered supporting him not picking calls after the payment was done.
Litigations and lawsuits on allegations on human rights abuse at North Mara Gold Mine is a climax of a well calculated syndicate.
A cartel comprising business persons, politicians and local and international human rights activists have for quite a long time been spoiling ties between the gold mine and the hosting community.
On the frontage, intrusions into North Mara appear as grievances against the mine, but a deep dive into the deadlock debunks the ugly organised criminal invasions.
Marwa admits some sponsors had organised the incident that led to his injuries, assuring him and his accomplices of their safety, as police officers on duty had agreed to cooperate with the intruders.
The intruders never noticed the law enforcers agreed with were not on guard at the area, they kept on moving forward even after several warnings.
“The police officers were resolute, making us angry, thinking they were betraying the deal into which they entered with our boss
We decided to fight and I got injured as we confronted the police officers, several law enforcers were injured as well,” Marwa explained.
A several months’ investigation by The Tranquility News reportersteam revealed that the so-called mining invasions are actually an organised crime.
Wealthier and influential business persons, politicians and civil servants run the cartel assisted by several unfaithful mine’s staffs.
The cartel has all along been enjoying the cover of human rights abuses once its invading squads clash with police officers guarding the mine.
The invasions are categorised in four classes, with the first one involving youth, women, and the elderly having little or no harm at all.
All what the first unarmed category does is collecting few stones around the mine without intruding into the mine or causing any violence.
The second and notorious category comprises hired youth from different parts of the Lake Zone. The third category, which consists of direct beneficiaries of gold ores stolen from the mine includes influential and wealthier people who recruit the youth in the second category.
This is the violent category armed with machetes, daggers and other tradition weapons that invades the mine in a broad daylight, as they dare police officers in their large numbers.
“On the façade they look like just youths aggrieved by the presence of the mine, fooling some human rights outfits to regard them as victims.
“They are very good at playing the victims’ role, but in reality, they are the assaulters,” says Timasi Peter, the chairman of Mujata, an NGO that deals with welfare of the society.
The third category facilitates all activities, including bribing officials when the need arises, and hiring, paying and protecting the youth invading the mine to fetch them gold ores ready for processing and selling at gold markets within Tarime District.
“The invasionsare well focused and calculated to make them appear as just expressions of grievances against the mine,” former village leader said on condition of anonymity.
“The litigations and lawsuits are not against the mine, they are actually against Tanzanians owning the mine through Twiga Minerals Corporation,” Timasi said.
Barrick and the Tanzania Government had jointly set a model for the natural-resource rich country to benefit from the godsend and avert resource curse, Timasi, who resides at Nyakunguru Village situated a stone’s throw away from the mine, explainedΩ
UCHECHEMUZI MAPUNGUFU SHERIA ZA HABARI KUSAIDIA UPATIKANAJI SHERIA MPYA
Hayo yameelezwa na wadau katika kikao cha tathimini ya utekelezaji wa programu ya uchechemuzi wa sheria za habari Zanzibar kilichowashirikisha waandishi wa habari wa vyombo mbalimbali kisiwani Pemba.
Zaina Mzee ambaye ni afisa programu hiyo kutoka TAMWA ZNZ, amesema program ya uchechemuzi wa mabadiliko ya sheria za habari zinazokwaza uhuru wa habari Zanzibar imeonyesha kuleta mabadiliko ya maboresho kwenye baadhi ya vifungu vya sheria za habari ambazo ni kandamizi.
Alieleza, kupitia programu hiyo tayari TAMWA ZNZ kwa kushirikiana na wadau mbalimbali ikiwemo Kamati ya Wataalamu wa Masuala ya Habari Zanzibar ZAMECO wamefanya vikao na taasisi za serikali ambazo zinahusika na utungaji wa Sheria kwaajili ya maboresho ya vifungu vya Sheria husika.
Alieleza, "kupitia mradi huu tumefanya vikao vingi na wadau wa Sheria ikiwemo tume ya kurekebisha Sheria, wajumbe wa Baraza la wawakilishi, NGOs pamoja na wandishi wa habari unguja na Pemba.”
Akitoa maelezo ya tathimini ya vipindi, makaka na habari, Mohamed Khatib ambaye ni mtaalam wa tathimini na ufuatiliaji alisema shabari, makala na vipindi ambavyo vimetolewa vimeonyesha ni jinsi gani wandishi wamekuwa na uwelewa wa kutosha juu vifungu vya sheria ambavyo ni kikwazo kwao.
"Tumepokea makala nyingi kutoka kwenye social media, magazeti, na vipindi vya redio. Kwa kweli zimechambua Sheria na mapungufu pamoja na mapendekezo ya nini kifanyike ili kusiwe na vikwazo Kwa wandishi wa habari," alifafanua Mohammed.
Baadhi ya wandishi wakichangia wameushauri kuwa na mwendelezo wa uchechemuzi wa vifungu vinavyokwaza uhuru wa habari ili sheria hizo ziwee kufanyiwa marekebisho na kuwawezesha waandishi kutekeleza majukumu yao kwa uhuru.
Mwanddishi wa habari Masanja Mabula alieleza, “waandishi wa habari tunatakiwa tutumie fursa hii ya elimu tuliyopata ya kuzijua sheria na mapungufu yake kwa kuidi kuyaandikia mapungufu yaliyopo ili yafanyiwe marekebisho.”
TAMWA ZNZ kwa kushirikiana na wadau wa habari ilifanya mapitio ya sheria nane (8) za habari zenye vifungu vinavyokwaza uhuru wa habari Zanzibar ikiwemo Sheria ya usajili wa wakala wa habari, magazeti na vitabu namba 5 ya mwaka 1988 iliyofanyiwa marekebisho na sheria no.8 ya 1997, Sheria ya Tume ya Utangazaji Zanzibar namba 7 ya mwaka 1997 iliyorekebishwa na sheria namba 1 ya mwaka 2010.