WHY ZITTO WAS PERSUDED TO WITHDRAW HIS NAME

Dr Slaa said the decision to convince Mr Zitto to withdraw his name was a consensus one and largely meant to rescue the party from divisions taking into account its interest."Due to strong competition between Mr Zitto and Mr Mbowe, the party elders, working for the interest of Chadema, decided to convince Mr Zitto to withdraw his name from the list to keep the party strong," said Dr Slaa.He however denied the existence of camps insisting that the party was still strong and no one was larger than the party in Chadema.

The first party chairman and the founder of Chadema Mr Edwin Mtei who led a group of elders to persuade Mr Zitto to withdraw his name said it was wisdom which was used to persuade Mr Zitto to pull out of the race and leave Mr Mbowe to contest unopposed."We saw him (Zitto) as still having more time and energy to save the party for long time to come taking into consideration his age, he still has the 2015, 2020 to take the country's presidency in future," said Mr Mtei.Mr Mtei vowed to use his experience in politics, strength and strategies used by Mr Zitto to build up a strong team, which will beat rival parties in the November civic elections and next year's general election.“This is a message to our friends CCM that we will come out of election stronger than before, he party is stronger and no any divisions, our enemies wants to see us splitting, this will not happen,” narrated Mr Mbowe amid campaigns aiming at retaining his seat last week.

Mr Mbowe had earlier denied reports that there were growing differences between him and Mr Zitto, who had picked the nomination forms to challenge him before he withdrew few days after. Mr Mbowe said “We have no enemies in the party, we all have a common goal and that is wrestle CCM from power, people mare misguiding us, we are united and our unity is much stronger than they think.”

Corruption allegations.
Chadema elections was engulfed by underground rumors that some leaders used money to bribe voters, they were head saying other parties had injected money in the party to make sure that division is created to destroy Chadema.Dr Slaa was forced to intervene the growing rumors threatening to call in the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to investigate the allegations.He however said "I have received reports that money was being dished out openly. I will call in the PCCB and if they net the culprits, it will be upon them and not the party."
He made the call a day after the election in the youth wing was suspended after complaints of dissatisfaction had been addressed to Dr Slaa with accusations that there was foul play in the election and some people were circulation money to bribe voters.

Accusations grew more even after Zitto’s mother, Ms Shida Salum, who is also the party's national chairperson for people with disability, accused party headquarters of victimizing her son.She was showing her disappointed that instead of taking action against the real perpetrators of the election chaos, some leaders were accusing her son of sabotaging the party. "I know my son Zitto is not corrupt, and he cannot be bought by anybody. The party headquarters must be cleaned up. I have spoken to Dr Slaa on what is happening there. Please, clean up your office."

Nomination forms
Reports that Mr Kabwe was seeking to unseat Mr Mbowe first surfaced, when the youthful politician was on a visit to Germany last week.He later confirmed that he would be running for the chairman's position in the party's upcoming national elections, revealing that he had completed his candidacy forms at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar, before flying to Europe.Mr Kabwe, who is an economist by training, said then that there was an urgent need to forge unity within the party ahead of next year's General Election.The 2010 elections, he added, would be a watershed moment that would lead to a major political decision.

"My vision and reading of the situation is that we might this time be forced as a country to have a Prime Minister from outside the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi. We (Chadema) cannot afford to approach that possible scenario divided," he noted.It was now time, he added, for new blood to take over the reins of leadership from where Mr Mbowe and his colleagues had reached "because there is a need to strengthen the party from within more than ever before."

However, Mr Mbowe welcomed Mr Kabwe's challenge as healthy competition within the opposition party.He said Mr Kabwe was free to run against him for the chairmanship, saying it was not only an indication of political maturity, but also of how democratic Chadema was.However, Mr Kabwe's later withdrew from the race, leaving Mr Mbowe as the sole candidate for the top post.

Mr Mbowe took over the party leadership from Mr Bob Makani. This was after the latter was elected the Hai MP in 2000. Mr Makani won 64.5 per cent of the vote, which was the highest in the constituencies taken by opposition candidates.Mr Mbowe took over the party leadership from Mr Bob Makani. This was after he was elected Hai MP in 2000. He won 64.5 per cent of the vote, which was the highest in the constituencies taken by opposition candidates.In 2005, Mr Mbowe was nominated as Chadema's presidential candidate. It was the first time since the party was founded that it had nominated a presidential candidate.

He came third out of 10 candidates in the December 14, 2005 presidential election, winning 5.88 per cent of the vote.Mr Mbowe is al so a businessman, owning Club Bilicanas, one of the best nightclubs in Dar es Salaam. He is also the owner of Freemedia Limited, the publisher of Tanzania Daima, a national daily newspaper, as well as Protea Hotel Machame, in his native town of Machame, in Kilimanjaro Region.

He is married to Dr Lillian Mtei, daughter of Mr Edwin Mtei, the first Governor of the Bank of Tanzania and the Chadema founding chairman.Mr Kabwe's political star has been rising since 2005, when he became the youngest elected MP, beating CCM's candidate in the Kigoma North constituency.

DEATH PENALT INNOCENT AT PEOPLE AT RISK

seating gently and humbly with most of his verbal full of bible quotations, Mr William Kalemba (72)explains on how he escaped death penalty after having stayed in jail for 21 years and later released this year.Mr Kalemba says he have stayed hardly seven months without permanent place to live as he finds it difficult to settle after using more than two decades in jail waiting to be hanged to death.He was sentenced after he was involved in a love triangle the fights accidentally caused the death of his own wife in 1988.He was then sentenced to death in 1993 and transferred from Mbeya to Dodoma at the Isanga prison.

Mr Kalemba is a resident of Mbeya, he today lives alone after finding all his relatives had passed away and left with only three old sisters. They used 24 hours crying not believing that they have met once again after 21 years.Mr Kalemba explains 21 years of pressure, not knowing when and at what time he was supposed to die; who is the next one to die was the question which has lingered in his head for over 15 years in a condemned department in prison.Several people who he met and lived with them found them hanged, I was lucky to survive all these hard times, it was Gods plans that I don’t die in the prison,” said Mr Kalemba.Today, Mr Kalemba is carried only one message to the public that “people should read Psalms 130, line 1-4, that is my message to all.”

With the world increasing pressure on the abolition of the penalty as they term it as cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment which violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Civil societies, international organizations, diplomats, Non-governmental organizations have been pressurizing the country to conduct a nationwide dialogue on whether Tanzania should retain or abolish capital punishments.On Saturday when the world marked the World against Death Penalty Day, they capitalized the need to review the country’s laws and make the death penalty illegal as it goes against human rights and it is brutal in nature.In Tanzania, the theme of the day was “it is easy to hang an innocent person, let’s fight against death penalty.” Mr Kalemba said death penalty was the most horrible penalty and terrific hence lacks a lesson a murderer can learn since is hanged and the story ends there.

“The most thing I remember in prison is when I witnessed my fellow mates taken to a hanging place and never came back, I will never forget that experience as I kept waiting who’s next for over 15 years,” said Mr Kalemba.Many people, Mr Kalemba said “Are sentenced to death innocently, I had three friends who were everyday crying that they were sentenced to death innocently, the real murderers are not hanged.”

Mr Kalemba was sentenced to death in 1993, and sent to Ruanda prison in Mbeya where he stayed for six months before he was transferred to Isanga prison in Dodoma end of 1993.He appealed the case in the same year and in 1994 he went back to Mbeya for his appeal, the appeal was not successfully and it was declared that he serve the death penalty as pronounced in the 1993 judgment.

“I was sent back to Isanga end of 1994 where I went to wait for my time of hang, I stayed 15 years at the condemn department but in 2006 the government decided I save for a life sentence instead of death penalty,” said a sad looking Mr Kalemba.After two years, my sentence was again changed to 30 years sentence where I was given a remission of 10 years plus the 15 years I served in condemn, I was then expected to serve five years only where in April 2009, I was set free for president’s sympathy, Mr Kalemba added.

Number of cases.
Since the country got its independence in December 1961, at least 2,478 people have been sentenced to death with only 232 having actually been hanged. It is a 9.39 per cent of the total number of death line criminal.According to reports in the media, President Jakaya Kikwete in August 2008 exchanged the death sentences of 400 people to life in jail. The penal cord Act Revised Edition 2002 pronounces the execution of the death penalty which contravenes with the article 14 of the constitution which talks on the right to life.Despite international efforts, figures of death penalty application worldwide remain high, according to figured by Amnesty International, in 2008, at least 2,390 people were known to have been executed in 25 countries and at least 8,864 people were sentenced to death in 52 countries around the world.

Five countries with the highest number of executions in 2008 were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United States of America; they carried out 93 per cent of all executions carried out in 2008. The European Union in their statement to the media last weekend, they said the abolition of the death penalty was one of the thematic priorities in the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights with over 30 projects supported so far worldwide.The South Africa Human rights NGO Network (SAHRiNGON) once tabled a shadow report at the Geneva offices of the United Nations and the UN called on the (Tanzanian) government to abolish the sentence as soon as practicable.

Civil society organizations in South Africa successfully persuaded the Constitutional Court into abolishing capital punishment in 2005, where in the case the South African court used arguments by Tanzanian Judge James L. Mwalusanya on a case in our own country to declare the death penalty unconstitutional.In 2006, the law reform commission carried a research on capital punishments on whether Tanzania should abolish the death penalty or not, according to a report, the majority of those asked voted for the sentence to be retained.However a straw vote taken by the Human and Legal Rights Commission showed more than 70 percent of Tanzanians prefer a repeal of the penalty, in which the findings were criticized by human rights activists against the LRC findings.

Why Death Penalty is bad.
“Capital punishment is irrevocable. All judicial systems make mistakes, and as long as the death penalty persists, innocent people will be executed,……It is also discriminatory and is often used disproportionately against the poor, the powerless and the marginalized, as well as against people whom repressive governments want to eliminate,” said Mr Kalemba while sheding light tears.Mr Kalemba said the death penalty was too unkind and a defiance of human rights which should be abolished.“I was personally sentenced to death by the high court of Mbeya, I served 21 years in jail, thank to the retired president Benjamin Mkapa who rescued me from death penalty, it is too bad,” said Mr Kalemba.

Mr Kalemba further said “I oppose the penalty because it does not help to make a person who has been hanged to regret what he or she did, the reason to commit murder is associated by the bad behavior, stupidity and superstitious conducts.”I really thank former president Benjamin Mkapa and President Kikwete for leaving me alive, may long and healthier life be upon them, God has a meaning by leaving me alive after witnessing many of the people I shared a room with being changed to death.Returired Chief Justice Barnabas Samatta who was speaking at the climax of the world Against Death Penalty Day after he had received a peace demonstration in Dar es Salaam over the weekend, said dialogue should be made to abolish death penalty as other countries have done.

Judge Samatta said “as we all know, dialogue and differences in views on the legality of death penalty have been there for ages….because the right to live is not warned by the constitution, since that is so, there are arguments that there is no one to end that right in any circumstances Judge Samatta said the article 18 of the constitution which reads “every person have the right to information in the country and the world at large which are important for the wellbeing’s.”
Albino cases.

This year’s world Against Death Penalty Day which was commemorated on Saturday came just two weeks after the death sentence was pronounced to three people for murdering an albino in Shinyanga high court.Masumbuko Madata, 32, Emmanuel Masangwa, 28, and Charles Kalamuji, alias Masangwa, 42, all residents of Shinyanga Region, were sentenced to death by the High Court sitting in Kahama for the brutal murder of a 13-year-old boy Death penalty has been backed by the majority as the main punishment in the fight against albino killers in the country which has attracted headlines of the local and international media.
International call to the abolition.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in which Tanzania is signatory, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1948, recognizes each person’s right to life. It categorically states that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”(Article 5). In Amnesty International’s view, the death penalty violates these rights. The community of states has adopted four international treaties specifically providing for the abolition of the death penalty. Through the years, several UN bodies discussed and adopted measures to support the call for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty.

More than two-thirds of the countries in the world have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice, however some of the African countries which have already abolished death penalty in Africa includes Burundi and Togo, Liberia, Senegal, Cote D'Ivoire, South Africa, Djibouti, Mauritius,: Guninea-Bissau Angola, Mozambique, Namibia.

AT AN OPHANANAGE CENTRE WITH HOPE

Four years Hajira Abdallah living at the SOS children’s village in Dar es Salaam was born to mother who lived at Mbagala Kuu Dar es Salaam, innocent in her eyes now living at an orphanage centre.Her eyes ray with innocence but a sense of happiness hangs around her lifestyle and playing as she the environment kept conducive for her as a young child who seems knowing nothing.

Her mother Ms Havijawa Omary is relieved that Hajira was sent to SOS orphanage centre when she was two years old as her mother died leaving her with a neighbour grandmother who then because of economic hardships, surrendered her at the village centre.She became the first child to be received by the SOS orphanage centre where she is leaving with 122 other children as a family in a village of 13 fully equipped houses.

At the centre, every house is given to a someone who takes care of the children’s whom they call her mother, the children’s know no one than the mother and among themselves they call brother and sister. “I feel home as mother is taking care of me every time I need her and everything I need, my life is good and I go to school every day,” said Ms Hajira who is not also aware that she is served by someone who is not her mother but a mother of the house who is used to take care of her.

She became the first child at the start of the SOS children’s village in 2007 here in Dar es Salaam; she is comfortable and with good health and well dressed every time people visit at the centre.At the centre, all the children’s are happy and full of hope as the future of their lives are well planned and living in a small paradise inside the orphanage village as the houses are of high quality, they east standard and balanced diet served by their mothers who house ten children’s in every house.

With an increasing number of orphans centres in the country, securing a decent and well equipped centre is getting harder in Dar es Salaam orphans especially children’s needs special care to mould them to become responsible citizens ion future.Many orphanage centres survive in hard conditions to provide needed care for children’s especially food, shelter, health and education.SOS Children’s Villages International is an independent non-governmental and non-denominational social development organization; which focuses on long-term family- based childcare approach to orphaned and abandoned children. In this approach children are cared for on a long-term basis in individual family houses, which together constitute a village.

Herman Gmeiner founded this organization when he established the first SOS Children’s Village in 1949 that is 60 years ago, in Imst, Austria. In SOS Children’s Villages we are committed to the welfare of children –often throughout the whole of their childhood- and to strengthening families and communities as a preventive measure in the fight against abandonment and social neglect.“In SOS our desire for the children of the world is to see that each child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security. We want to build families for children in need, to help them shape their own futures and to share in the development of their communities,”

Our desire for each child coming into our care is to see them becoming successful and contributing members of society. We respect varying religions and cultures and we work in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Currently, SOS operates in more than 132 countries in the world and it has more than 470 children’s villages, it operates schools, Social Centers, Medical Centers and Vocational Schools. Thus for over fifty years those who follow the footsteps of the founder have spread the SOS idea to different countries, cultures, religions and ways of life; and like all weather plants that it is, it has flourished every where.

Apart from the SOS Dar es Salaam which was established in 2007, the first Village was established in Zanzibar in 1991 and the second being in Arusha. In Dar es Salaam, the Village has a total of 13 Family Houses able to accommodate 130 children at full capacity. At present we already have 122 children in the Village, in 13 houses. Our plan is to reach the maximum capacity of 130 children by early 2010.

Mr Vitalis Mboya the village administrative officer said “Hajira is from Mbagala Kuu, her parents passed at the age of two years; she was taken by a neighbor and brought to us in early days of the village.”Mr Mboya said the village receives under six years old children’s and affords to accept not more than 14 years but only if they accompany those children’s under six years.
Upon reaching here, we guarantee children’s education, accommodation, health services and build them until they reach a period when they can stand alone as adults, “we take them to best schools, we give them parent care of high standard for them to feel at home.”

There are over 2 million AIDS orphans in Tanzania and the number is rising at a frightening rate. Keeping orphans at school is crucial for their future as education provides a safety net in a child’s life and schooling also helps break the cycle of poverty. In this village, Children are empowered by regarding themselves as active members of a community rather than just victims.

At Least 50 million orphans are found in the African continent, the legacy of AIDS and other diseases, war and high rates of death in pregnancy and childbirth. More than half a million women die a year during pregnancy and in childbirth.For reaching four years, despite being at the orphanage village that cares most, she has however has reason to smile as in Tanzania for every 100,000 babies born, 578 die before reaching five. Hajira could easily have been one of them.

Hajira is served by her mother called Havijawa Omary who is called mother and serves 10 children’s in which seven are primary school pupils of Gonzaga and Grace primary school and other three still at Kindergarten level.But Ms Havijawa (30 years) said she is comfortable of serving children’s, taking care of their development in class their dressing and books inspection after coming out from school.“In this work you need to be creative and love to children’s, I have my budget of Sh660000 and I make sure that they eat a balanced diet, they are lucky as they live in a comfortable and high standard life,” said Ms Havijawa.

The world's largest orphan and abandoned children's charity, Child sponsors and donors worldwide provide a new family and home for more than 78,000 children in 490 unique Children's Villages in 124 countries. As such, the SOS Village Director in Dar es Salaam Dr Alex Lengeju, relates the life’s of children’s at the village as the reason for hope for children’s who had lost parental hope

"Moulding a child to feel at home is our core business here, we give them hope, education, health care and send them to the best schools in Tanzania and Ghana where we have our centre,” said Dr Lengeju insisting that they are also cared until they finish their higher learning education.
Children’s for help are those whose parents are not there for them due to AIDS orphans, street children, child soldiers or children orphaned by war, poverty or natural disasters, they are given a mother and a family in a home within an SOS Children's Village.

Bu the village director Dr Alex Lengeju said the aim of the centre is to mould children’s who does not have parents and even those parents who can not afford giving them the care a child needs.
On 23rd June 2009, SOS Children’s Village Dar es Salam joined others SOS Family in the world to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the SOS Day which is the founder’s birthday the late Hermann Gmeiner, for his honor the day was named SOS Day.Ironically, for now, many children’s does not land a place at the centre due to an president increasing number of orphans.

ITS MORE THAN JUST BHANG AND CANNABIS

People have been asking themselves a number of questions when they see artistes on stage performing. The first question is why most of these artistes are always in dreadlocks? Is it necessary for every artiste to have dreads? These and many more questions linger in many people’s minds without answers.

There have been also a perception that people with dreadlocks(rastafarians) are always bad and have always faced the problem of acceptance in society, According to the rastafarians, dreadlocks are good because they have a spiritual attachment. They believe that they are bound to God and always stand for truth and justice as well as peace and love. These, they say have been part of their greetings because they believe that they have a calling to preach peace and love to the world.

Rastafarians believe in true God whom they call Jah, and that Haille Selassie is His greatest follower. They follow all good things done by the late Empiror Selassie of Ethiopia because according to them, he is the king of all kings and he will come again to rule the world.

The Rastafari movement, or Rasta, is a new religious movement that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate, whom they call JAH or Jah Rastafari. He is also seen as part of the Holy Trinity as the messiah promised in the Bible to return. The name Rastafari comes from Ras (literally "Head," an Ethiopian title equivalent to Duke), and Tafari Makonnen, the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie I.

Although the exact origin of dreadlocks remains unknown and highly debated, some of the earliest examples of this hairstyle are religious in their orientation. The Biblical book of Judges makes note of Samson’s “seven locks of hair”. It is believed that this unique style originated in Kemet, Africa, as a mark of spiritual status amongst tribal priests.

The twisting of the hair has also achieved more modern significance through its association with the Rastafarian movement. People with this political stance fled in the 1930’s when the position of Ethiopian emperor was granted to Ras Tafari, who was later thrown into exile during an invasion. As a result, many of his warriors took an oath not to cut their hair until the emperor’s reinstatement. Later, this movement developed more religious and ideological undertones until it became a hallmark for socialism, nationalism, and black power. Because Rastafarians supported the use of marijuana, due to its effects of well-being, those with dreadlocks today are frequently associated with the cannabis culture.

Rastafarians also believe that by keeping their dreadlocks, there is conciousness in them and that they have to be humble. They make some sacrifices because they are costive to the extent that they meet a lot of critics in society who percieve them as being of no value, Nyongesa Namakangala famously Mtapa who is also an artiste, said that rastas believe man himself is God because God came through man, and that only black people call themselves God because they are real.

“That is why we rastafarians give man high respect because we see any man as real, so peace and love have to prevail between men on earth. That is why the Luo in Kenya worship Odeto as God and the Luya worship Elija Masinde who also had dreadlocks. So Rastafarians are people of religion and believe in the Bible like christians do,” said Mtapa.

However dreadlocks are taken very differently in Africa. They are seen as a symbol of African pride, some take it as spiritual and covenant and also as a rebellion to the system of capitalism which is more oppressive than any other system in the world. So rastafarians resist the system and decide to work on their own and not to work for others, “Africans like to express their path and believe that having alot of hair is a symbol of wisdom and intelligence. African intelligence lies in the amount of hair on the head, so you become wise and more conscious than any other person,” insisted Mtapa.

In the world of performing arts, most artistes are always in dreadlocks as if it is one of their work ethics. Some artistes take it as fashion when they are performing and that it gives them a touch of an artiste.

Indeed some make dreadlocks to help them be attractive, that when on stage the dreadlocks attract crowds. This is in line with the view that an artiste is someone who must be looked at and must entertain the public with the aim of passing the message to the people, However, artistes find it difficult to get jobs as everyone takes a rastafarian for someone who is immoral and his image cannot be perceived well in public. This makes very few of them to find their way in the formal sector.

“Africans are artistes by nature. If you deny them white collar jobs they can create their own. That is why you find rastafarians engaging in performative arts and in so doing, we live a life that we want- a free life and minding what we want to be,” said Mtapa.

The rastafarians like dreadlocks because of the nature of their jobs. They also believe that by having dreadlocks, they can easily be identified wherever they are because they mingle freely with their fans.Estherlyne Wanjiru who is a dancer in Kenya Performing Arts Group said that she likes dreads because she wants to look different. She also said that she likes being natural because she sweats alot when on stage thus does not like chemicalised hair.

“I prefer long hair because they add flavour to my fans and make me look different from others and be easily identified on stage,” said Wanjiku. However, most artistes and moreso women take it as a fashion forgetting that it is broader than fashion as it entails alot of Biblical teachings.“Most people take dreadlocks as being fashion only and they do not know that they have already been called and hence they need to know more about Rasta so that they keep the spirit of a rastafarian who is alive,” Said Steve Biko who is also a dreadlocked artiste.

Though rastafarians are struggling to be identified and known like other religions, they are still perceived negatively by the communities surrounding them as being associated with evil things. They are also perceived as bad mannered people who can not set an example in the community and are indeed associated with deviants.“It is true that dreadlocks have for a long time been associated with deviants in the society. But this is slowly changing due to a number of reasons: first they have become neater over the years and they are worn by people who show a lot of confidence in whatever they do. Thus they are slowly being accepted, though Kenya is a largely conservative society” said Ida Kathure.

Kathure added that Rastafarians have no secrets,” The general public tends to have a lot of suspicion about you. People always create an aura of mystery around you. Even if you are as obvious as you can,” she said.

As a matter of fact, dreadlocked people are never easily accepted at work. The only thing they do is to slowly warm themselves into other peoples hearts through their work ethics, confidence and professionalism. As male workers with locks, people always tend to underestimate their abilities. Initially, locks were a sign of rebellion, they still are, but what they rebel against differs from one person to another. Others say that they rebel against capitalism and its systems and others rebel bad things in society like corruption, injustice, and exploitation of people and the state of unemployment.

People with dreadlocks admit that they use bhang because it is natural and has no harm on human beings.“Bhang is very cool because man is natural just like bhang. Bhang has been there even before the God I worship brought man on earth, the God who is also a perfect creator,” said Biko.Biko also said that the system of government does not ban Bhang but only controls it because every one uses it in one way or another and it was even found in King Solomon’s grave who was considered the wisest man on earth that also had dreadlocks.

WOMEN ASSUMMING THE POWER OF A HUSBAND IS CONTRARY ACCEPTABLE IN WESTERN TANZANIA

From general perspective, culture is people’s way of life but will vary from region to region. Kenyans and Ugandans would be surprised by the ways of the kurya community, in the Mara region of western Tanzania.In this part of the world a woman can marry a fellow woman and live together as wife and husband and the wife obeys what the husband wants. This is wakurya culture. It is not unusual for a woman to marry a man, but its normal that women maries another woman provided that a woman ‘husband’ has a sizable herd and is wealth. She may then marry a fellow woman is search of an heir.

One may ask, how can it be? Yes it does happen and these couples live a good life and have as many children as possible. however the husband can order the wife to sire children with a suitor of her choise.these children bear the family name of the husband who is essentially the head of the farmily.it is intriguing but then …..It is culture; it is the norm. A practice that has been there for ages.

General accepted marriage.
Marriage takes place when two people male and female agree and accept each other to live forever as a wife and a husband, in biblical teachings, a man and a woman once they have agreed to marry each other they are swooned before church leaders to live as a wife and husband till death do them apart and not otherwise. in quaranic teachings marriage indeed states involving a male and a female to join together and form a family of which the husband is to be incharge of the family and even children born they bear the name of the father and not the mother.

And in most African tribes, the same applies where marriage is between a male and female partner and it is an obscene for partners of the same sex to live as a wife and a husband and one performing the role of a husband and one the role a wife. it is culturally an obscene in Africa especially east Africa.

Women to women marriages
you can be surprised in the fact that in western Tanzania in Mara region, among the Kurya societies and communities legally practice women to women marriage and they live as wife and husband where one woman plays the role of a wife and another the role of a husband.

How can it be? Yes it can be! in this case the elderly woman especially widowed woman who is wealth and indeed she don’t have a son who will inherit her wealth when she dies, can opt for marrying a young girl who can bare children for the name of the woman husband, and in other factors is for female labour for the rich woman husband.

”This is the custom of orderly women procuring young girls whom they go through a marriages ceremony appears to be prevalent among tribes with widely different origins and customs. The purchase money as misnamed "dowry" and the woman husband becomes absolute owner of the girl.” Said Ramadan Marwa a resident of Musoma This is however the practice for rich widows who are too old to attract men herself to marry a young girl whose work is to look after her. Such young girls are in fact slaves and take lovers in accordance with the orders of their female husband. If any child is born to the young girls, they are considered as the children of the widow and her deceased husband and use his name as their patronymic. Marwa indeed said that Woman to woman marriages is today mainly contracted by independent women who have accumulated wealth and who seek to protect their wealth against male relatives.

Such women take on the role of men and should be looked upon as "female husbands". Although wealth accumulation by women may be a factor accounting for the increased occurrence of woman to woman marriages.

In such cases, women are more comfortable when they marry to their fellow women because doing so, they are free from men’s harassment as sometimes are subjected to beatings and torture as the culture of wakurya which states that a husband have to beat a wife being culturally recognized as the sign of love.Nyambuge Chacha who is married to a woman said that she enjoy being married to her fellow woman because by doing so she is free to date a man she want and not subjected to one man only.

“My woman husband is treating me very good and I like this life, as am free as life of my own though I get orders from my husband and I respond positively, I have two children and my husband is old,so my children will inherity more than one thousand cows and two houses” said Nyambuge while louphing.These women to women marriage practicing in this area, the practice is clearly disrupting the male domination operating in their everyday lives, their stories may begin with land and struggles over material resources, but they are also stories of love, commitment, children, sexual freedom, vulnerability, and empowerment. The "implosion" of all these things makes these women's stories unique and all the more compelling to feminists who are constantly searching for unique practices of feminism that resemble, but are not engineered by, western feminism

Rhobi Itinde said that though the practice of women marrying women is now disappearing, but the fact is that there are some places which still practice and also her cousin is married to a rich woman in a nearby village.“My own cousin is married to an old woman in a near village, she has two male children and because of these two male childrens, the woman husband’s family are happy and she is enjoying been in that life” said Rhobi.

She also continued that despite the positive side of the practice culturary, it is very dangerous in the age of HIV/AID, as a woman husband may order you to date with a man of her choice and as a wife you must respond to that with an intention of making sure that you get pregnant with the man without considering the possibility of sexual transmited deseases.

Legal dilemma:
“this women to women marriage has a legal dilemma where by a women marrying another woman is recognized under local customary law declaration and, if so, what right does such a relationship confer to the ‘marrying’ woman and/or her husband in respect of such ‘wife’ and her children, during the subsistence of such relationship”. Said Issaya Kebacho a practising lawyer.

Isaya futher said “the Customary Law (Declaration) Order did not provide for a marriage between a woman and another woman. Thus, although the practice of a woman marrying another woman might have been recognized among the members of the Wasimbiti (kurya) tribe, it was abolished by the Declaration ……. The practice therefore ceased to be binding among the members of that tribe as of the date the Declaration came into force in (Tarime) district and as such it cannot be adjusted by courts".

Legally, Issaya said that the only remedy for people who still recognized customs concerning such marriages, to have disputes arising from such customs settled within their tribal councils, if such councils exist. They (could) not resort to the courts for remedy since such customs are not recognized in the declaration. The marriage Act of 1971 of the constitution of the united republic of Tanzania recognizes the male to female marriage and not otherwise.

As a result of harsh economic condition, today, it has been possible for a wife married to a female husband to be without a specific appointed male consort (umutwari) in which case, she enters into sexual relationship with lovers who may be anonymous. Such a consort is said to assume the rights of a husband in some respects (which shouldn't be the case) while disregarding a husband's responsibilities in others.

RESIGNATION FOR REPUTATION OR PREFENCE

This week saw a change in the governance of Tanzanian when president Jakaya Kikwete named a new prime minister after the occupant of the position resigned following corruption claims against him, Mr Edward Lowassa quit on Thursday 2006 after being named in a corruption scandal. He unduly influenced the decision to award the power contract to an energy-generating company, causing the nation heavy losses.

The energy deal worth $179 million (KSh12.5 billion) involved Richmond Development Company that was to generate emergency power in 2006, Mr Kikwete named Mr Mizengo Kayanza Pinda to replace Mr Lowassa thereby becoming Tanzania's 10th prime minister.

Mr Lowassa is the first Prime Minister to be implicated directly by the Special Parliamentary Committee, just two years in office, since Tanzania achieved its independence about four decades ago. Other big shots who were also implicated in the multibillion shillings scandal include Cabinet Ministers Dr Ibrahim Msabaha, Nazir Karamagi and Igunga MP Rostam Aziz.

The MPs,both in the ruling party and opposition, put aside their political and ideological differences to criticise the way government leaders were running public offices, Mr Lowassa said there was no watertight evidence to prove the allegations and added that, “I have realised that the cause of all these allegations is my position as prime minister. I have, therefore, tendered my resignation to the president this morning."

But even before dust settles on the energy scandal, another former Prime Minister, Joseph Warioba, has said investigations into the TSh133 billion (KSh8.8bn) Central Bank scandal are likely to unearth insights to grand corruption more shocking than the Richmond energy firm saga, "The Richmond report has opened up the doors. It is very possible that the investigations into the BoT scandal will come up with even more shocking revelations," Mr Warioba said.

President Jakaya Kikwete has already acted by firing the Central Bank governor, Mr Daudi Ballali, However, Mr Warioba added that resignation should not be perceived as an act of disgrace but rather, a democratic move that depicts a sensed of accountability.

But that may not augur well with those who perceive that resignations take away power from them. In Kenya, very few high profile indivviduals would be willing to resign to clean their reputation.In 1994, Dr Richard Leakey, renowned paleontologist and director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, resigned after weeks of a growing political storm in which he was accused of corruption, racism and mismanagement."I have no wish to give my life at this time, and the stress and pain of being vilified by senior politicians and others is more than I think is good for my health," Mr. Leakey said at a news conference. "I have offered my resignation."

He rejected the allegations and called for a public inquiry with clear terms of reference.Former Finance Minister David Mwiraria resigned in early 2006 after being linked to a corruption scandal. He was accused of warning off investigations into Anglo Leasing, a multimillion dollar corruption scam that involved contracts for a company that existed in name only. Mr Mwiraria refuted the allegations saying he was stepping aside to clear his name, after he was mentioned in a report by the government's former anti-corruption chief John Githongo.

The 31 page report also mentioned then Vice-President Moody Awori, Education Minister George Saitoti, Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi and Transport Minister Chris Murungaru.
They all publicly denied the claims. Mr Murungi and Mr Saitoti later resigned in 2006 as Mr Murungaru was sacked. Mwiraria was reinstated as the Minister of environment, Murungi as Minister of Energy and Saitoti as Education Minister three months after he resigned.

Mr Githongo also alleged that the president, Mr Mwai Kibaki, knew about the scam but did nothing to stop it. He agreed to testify before parliament's public accounts committee and also co-operate with Kenya's anti-corruption commissionGithongo resigned in 2005 amid reports that his life had been threatened because of his corruption work.

And late last year, a secret report named retired president Moi and his web of shell companies, secret trusts and frontmen that used to funnel hundreds of millions of pounds into nearly 30 countries including Britain.The 110-page report by the international risk consultancy Kroll, alleges that relatives and associates of Mr Moi siphoned off more than £1bn of government money. But they would not hear of it.

It details how Mr Moi's sons - Philip and Gideon - were reported to be worth £384m and £550m respectively; his associates colluded with Italian drug barons and printed counterfeit money; his clique owned a bank in Belgium; and £4m was used to buy a home in Surrey and £2m to buy a flat in Knightsbridge; and that the threat of losing their wealth prompted threats of violence between Mr Moi's family and his political aides;

Mr Moi and his associates, if true, would put the Mois on a par with Africa's other great kleptocrats, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) and Nigeria's Sani Abacha.The report, commissioned by President Mwai Kibaki shortly after he came to power on an anti-corruption platform in 2003, was submitted in 2004 but never acted upon. Kroll said it could not confirm or deny the authenticity of the report nor could they talk about the scope, content or results of any work they had done for the government, which remained confidential.

WITH NEITHER ARMS NOR LEGS, BOY SITS FOR NATIONAL EXAMS

As more than 1 million class seven pupils countrywide start their National Primary Examinations on Wednesday, September 12., among them there is an odd candidate. The strangely handicapped 17-year-old Emmanuel Abdiel Urio, of Tuvaila Primary School, in Arumeru District. He has neither arms nor legs.

For the past seven years of his primary education, Emmanuel, who was born with only a head and torso, has been using his chin and shoulders to ‘clamp’ a pen when writing. Despite this serious handicap, the limbless pupil is however expected to complete writing his examination papers within the same time slots allocated to other normal candidates.

"No problem I can manage!" said the overconfident Emmanuel when we visited him in his class early this week. "At the moment I am very much used to my style of writing, if fact, I usually accomplish my class work faster than most pupils," he maintained.

But despite his capabilities, shouldn’t something be done to ensure that Emmanuel who only has a head and limbless torso is given special treatment during examination time? The school Headmaster, Julius Elibariki Maturo, pointed out that, it was probably the first ever case to occur in the entire Region and possibly also in the whole of Tanzania.

"But Emmanuel has been doing well both in his class level exams and the recent Mock examinations neither of which he ever needed any special assistance," said the head teacher. "His is a very rare case, normally the pupils who are given special treatment and extra time allocation during examinations are the blind and mentally handicapped."

Tuvaila Primary School, is found within the remote Tuvaila village, an area located about two kilometers from the ‘Maji-ya-chai’ shopping center. Maji-ya-Chai area is situated over 30 kilometers from Arusha town, along the main Moshi-Arusha highway. For the first time in History, this institution is going to produce a candidate without both the lower and upper limbs, to sit for the 2007 National Examinations for Standard Seven.

Emmanuel will be the only handicapped candidate sitting for the final papers at the school this year. "Tuvaila Primary has a total of 14 mentally retarded pupils, among them five girls but these, being in lower class, will sit for the exams next year.

But for Emmanuel himself, the forthcoming exams that are to take place on both Wednesday, September 12 and Thursday, September 13 are just as normal academic sessions as any other class work. After all, in the previous exams he still managed to beat most of his classmates despite being handicapped. According to his head teacher, the most recent test which was used to grade the candidates at the school, Emmanuel finished in the 50th position out of 114 pupils. This means the limbless boy defeated 64 other class-seven students.

"He writes very well using his chin and shoulders," said the deputy headmaster. " The lacks of upper limbs is still a major stumbling block when it comes to reading. He does it with great difficulties, " said another teacher at school.

Emmanuel used to attend school daily on his customized wheel chair which also served as his desk while in class. Missing both his upper and lower limbs, Emmanuel would probably need constant caring while at school.

"Not at all!" says the headmaster. "However he never goes to the school toilet and prefers to be whisked back home whenever he feels the call of nature." According to Maturo, Emmanuel likes to keep some of his personal affairs extremely private and only few trusted friends are allowed to escort him home when attending bathroom.

"You see I find the school toilets to be rather scary!" Said Emmanuel with a smirk. As it seems he would rather avoid them altogether and has been steering clear of school toilets throughout his primary school days. His teachers at school admit that, should the handicapped boy feel like going to the toilet on exam days, he may want to be taken back home. Emmanuel lives half a kilometer from school.

"Lets hope it won’t come to that, at least it never happened during past examination sessions, but should it occur this time, we hope the invigilators will understand," said the head teacher."Emmanuel is my fifth born," said his mother Magdalena Ephata, "Unfortunately my other children died I am now left with three boys: Emmanuel and his two brothers." Magdalena aged 39, explained that when still a small child her son had a very bad start in school.

"This was the result of trauma he had suffered at a local "child care" center in Arusha where he was taken to stay and where he lived for almost a year. "I no longer trust these NGOs and charitable homes," reflects the mother sadly. "My son almost died there, they used to beat him badly, he was also neglected and almost starved due to inadequate food."

The boy's father died when Emmanuel was only eight years old. Also dead are the boy's elder siblings.Coming from a poor family, Emmanuel and his brothers depend on their mother who earns her living by working as a hired labourer in local farms. "But one thing for sure, I make it my sole responsibility that my children eat very well."

HOW CHADEMA HAS SURVIVE IN TANZANIA STORMY POLITICAL VIEW

Chadema members follow the proceedings during the last week's elections in Dar es Salaam The opposition Chadema is going through a gradual process of transformation and consolidation amid allegations that it has maintained popularity in Kilimanjaro Region only.

The party has gone through traumatic events and experiences which have tested it to the limit, and which could have easily led to the collapse of other parties.
At least for the time being, Chadema is second to the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in Tanzania Mainland in terms of strength, and this is not an accident.
Civil rights activist Martin Luther King once remarked, I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.

Chadema leaders echoed this stance in the run-up to and during the party's elections in Dar es Salaam last weekend after questions were asked as to whether genuine democracy existed within the party. Conflicts, dissatisfaction and clandestine camps were some of the challenged the party faced ahead of the elections which saw Mr Freeman Mbowe being elected as the Chadema national chairman.

Secretary-general Willibrod Slaa said the party's focus -taking over the country's leadership reins -had enabled it weather the storm that had threatened to split it down the middle. Dr Slaa added that Chadema was more united than ever after the turbulence of the past few weeks.

Chadema's biggest test since its founding in the early 1990s came when deputy secretary-general Zitto Kabwe stunned supporters and political rivals alike when he declared that he would challenge Mr Mbowe for the chairmanship. He, however, pulled out on the insistence of party elders. Divisions and intra-conflicts had led to the weakening of some of what used to be major opposition parties particularly after the 1995 General Election, starting with NCCR-Mageuzi.
The same trend was observed with the Civic United Front (CUF) after the 200 General Election. Many people feared that Chadema was next and party stalwarts had to summon all their wisdom and persuasive powers to hold the party together. If there is a unique quality that the party can boast of is the fact that it has never been seriously affected by defections.

Some of the prominent figures who decided to abandon the party include its co-founder, the late Edward Barongo, who defected back to CCM, claiming that Chadema was 'elitist' and did not fight for the interests of poor people.
Barongo had served in the first post-independence government of Mwalimu Nyerere. He had served as a Cabinet minister, regional commissioner and board chairman. He also had a large following in Kagera Region where he was respected as a freedom fighter.

Despite all this, his defection did not do any irreparable damage to the party.
The defection of the current Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) chairman, Mr Augustine Mrema, from CCM to NCCR-Mageuzi in 1995 had serious repercussions for the ruling party due to the support that Mrema enjoyed in rural areas.

Chadema founder Edwin Mtei failed to lure Mrema to the party, and it wasn�t surprising when a sizeable number of Chadema members decamped to join Mrema in NCCR-Mageuzi.

Chadema has in recent years lost prominent members to CCM. They include former Kigoma Urban MP Walid Amani Kabourou and the incumbent Dar es Salaam CCM regional chairman John Guninita. The two had unkind words for Chadema and its leaders as they crossed over to CCM. However, there are people such as Prof Mwesiga Baregu and Mr Anthony Komu who gave maintained their trust in the party after crossing over from conflict-hit NCCR-Mageuzi.

Chadema recently received a big boost with the coming on board of former MPs Chiku Abwao and Wilfred Lwakatare, who crossed over from NCCR-Mageuzi and CUF, respectively. Prior to the Zitto storm, the party survived another huge test after Tarime MP Chacha Wangwe died in a car crush in July last year. There were reports that Mr Wangwe was killed by his rivals within Chadema, sparking days of rioting in Tarime. However, Chadema went on to retain the seat after Mr Charles Mwera narrowly defeated CCM's Christopher Kangoye in a closely contested election. It marked the first time that an opposition party had retained a parliamentary seat in a by-election.

Prof Baregu told The Citizen that what was taking place was a consolidation of the opposition through a party which had survived "tragic occurrences". He added saying that this development was shaped by internal party dynamics through its grandiose propaganda "Operation Sangara" and its expansion to the grassroots in the rural and peri-urban centres. The president of the African Progressive Party of Tanzania (APPT-Maendeleo), Mr Peter Mziray, says that what is happening is a 'justifiable' process, adding that some opposition parties will just wither away, leading to the existence of one strong party.

Dr Mohamed Bakari, a senior lecturer in political science, shares this view, saying there are people who have shifted their loyalty from other opposition parties to Chadema while at the same time there are few who have been disillusioned with the CCM leadership and therefore they see their hopes within Chadema. Chadema founder Edwin Mtei, who led a group of elders to persuade Mr Kabwe, to withdraw his candidacy said it was wisdom which persuaded Mr Kabwe to pull out of the race and leave Mr Mbowe to contest unopposed. "We saw him (Zitto) as still having more time and energy to save the party for long time to come taking into consideration his age, he still has the 2015, 2020 to take the country's presidency in future," said Mr Mtei.

Mr Mtei vowed to use his experience in politics, also to synthesise these strengths and strategies used by Mr Kabwe to build a strong team, which will beat their rival parties in the October civic elections and next year's General Election. Mr Mbowe said: "This election is a message to our friends in CCM that we will come out of even stronger than before. Our enemies wanted the party to be deeply divided, but this did not happen."