48 killed in Kenyan clashes

At least 48 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in south-eastern Kenya, officials say.
The clashes in Tana River district, Coast Province, took place late on Tuesday between the Orma and Pokomo groups the region's police chief said.
Most of the dead were women and children, he said. Police have been deployed to the area.
The clash is the worst single incident since violence rocked the country after disputed polls four years ago.
Regional deputy police chief Joseph Kitur told AFP news agency that those killed were either hacked to death with machetes or burned alive when their huts were set alight.
The victims included 31 women, 11 children and six men, he said, describing it as "a very bad incident".
Violence between the two communities is often reported, but not on such a huge scale.
Our reporter says there is long-standing enmity between the area's pastoralist communities, who get caught up in a cycle of revenge killings over the theft of cattle and grazing and water rights.
In 2001, a series of clashes between the Orma and Pokomo left at least 130 dead in the same region.
The semi-arid region is one of the poorest in Kenya, with very little infrastructure or industry.
The government recently created a ministry to promote development in Kenya's arid and semi-arid areas, but there has been little improvement in peoples' lives, she adds.
Mr Kitur said the attack had been carried out by the Pokomo on the Orma, according to initial investigations.
Danson Mungatana, the lawmaker for the area, said the killings were the latest in a string of attacks and cattle raids and had been taken in retaliation for a previous incident.
"There have been problems simmering for a while," he told AFP

Another bus accident: 20 cheat death

JUST a week after several people perished in a road accident involving a Sabena bus, about 20 passengers who were travelling in a bus christened Airbus cheated death after the bus overturned at Ituangala Village in Sikonge District, Tabora Region yesterday.

The Sikonge District Medical Officer, Mr Samuel Malembeka, said that the hospital received 24 passengers who were in critical condition, saying two were referred to Tabora Regional Hospital.

“Two passengers including one woman whose arm was fractured were referred to Tabora Regional Hospital,” he said.

According to Mr Mtafsiri, who was one of the passengers, the Tabora bound bus overturned after knocking a log left on the road by unknown  people, suspected to be hijackers.  

Balozi Mahalu ashinda kesi ya Uhujumu Uchumi

MAHAKAMA ya Hakimu Mkazi Kisutu, leo imemuachia huru Bila hatia aliyekuwa Balozi wa Tanzania nchini Italia Profesa Costa Mahalu na Ofisa Utawala wa ubalozi huo, Grace Martin waliokuwa wakikabiliwa na kesi ya Uhujumu Uchumi na Kuisababishia Serikali hasara ya Euro 2 milioni.

Hukumu hiyo kwa Profesa Mahalu na Martin imetolewa na Hakimu Mfawidhi mkazi wa Mahakama ya Kisutu Mh. Ilivin Mugeta kwa kumuachia huhu mahalu ambaye alikuwa akitetewa na mawakili wakongwe Mabere Marando na wenzake.

Prof. Mahalu alikuwa akikabiliwa na mashtaka sita yakiwamo ya uhujumu uchumi na kuisababishia Serikali hasara ya Euro 2,065,827.60, katika mchakato wa ununuzi wa jengo la Ubalozi wa Tanzania nchini Italia.

Hukumu ya kesi hiyo iliyokuwa ikinguruma mahakamani hapo kwa miaka kadhaa sasa, imefikia tamati leo na Hakimu Mkazi Mfawidhi wa Mahakama hiyo, Ilvin Mugeta ambaye amekuwa akiisikiliza.

Awali, hukumu hiyo ilipangwa kusomwa Julai 11, mwaka huu lakini iliahirishwa kutokana na Hakimu Mugeta kukabiliwa na majukumu mengine. Kesi hiyo iliahirishwa na Hakimu Mkazi, Aloyce Katemana na kupanga kuwa hukumu hiyo itasomwa leo.

Kiongozi wa jopo la mawakili wa washtakiwa hao, Mabere Marando alisema jana kwamba anaamini kesi hiyo ambayo imechukua muda mrefu, leo inafikia mwisho kwa Mahakama kutoa hukumu.

Endapo Mahalu na Mwenzake katika makosa kama hayo yaliyokuwa yakiwakabili wangepatikana na hatia adhabu yake ingeweza kuwa kifungo kisichozidi miaka 15 jela.

Kwa mujibu wa Kifungu cha 60 cha Sheria ya Uhujumu Uchumi, Kifungu kidogo cha pili, Mahakama inaweza kutoa amri nyingine ikiwamo mshtakiwa kulipa fidia.

Hukumu ya kesi hiyo leo ilikuwa ikisubiriwa na kwa shauku si tu na Profesa Mahalu na wenzake ambao wangependa kujua hatima yao, bali pia na umma wote wa Watanzania ambao umekuwa ukiifuatilia kwa muda wote kesi hiyo.

Wakati wa utetezi, Rais wa Awamu ya Tatu, Benjamin Mkapa ambaye ununuzi wa jengo hilo ulifanyika wakati wa uongozi wake, alipanda kizimbani na kumtetea Profesa Mahalu na mwenzake, akidai kuwa mchakato wa ununuzi wa jengo hilo ulifuata sheria.

Mkapa katika ushahidi wake wa utetezi licha ya kudai kuwa mchakato huo ulifuata taratibu na kwamba ni yeye aliyebariki, pia alimmwagia sifa kedekede Profesa Mahalu akidai kuwa ni kiongozi mwadilifu na mwaminifu katika historia yake ya utumishi wa umma.

Akiongozwa na mmoja wa mawakili wanaomtetea Mahalu na mwenzake, Alex Mgongolwa, Mkapa alieleza mchakato wote wa ununuzi wa jengo hilo na malipo yake kwa kuwa lilinunuliwa kwa maagizo ya Serikali yake.

Wakati upande wa mashtaka ukidai kuwapo kwa uhujumu uchumi kutokana na kuwapo kwa mikataba miwili wakati wa ununuzi wa jengo hilo, Mkapa alidai kuwa aliifahamu mikataba yote hiyo na malipo kufanyika kupitia akaunti mbili tofauti.

Alieleza kushangazwa kwake kusikia kuwa aliyekuwa Katibu Mkuu Kiongozi wakati huo, Martin Lumbanga katika ushahidi wake alidai kuwa hakujua mchakato wa ununuzi wa jengo hilo, akisema hajui ni kwa nini Lumbanga alisema hivyo.

Mbali na Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa ambayo wakati wa ununuzi wa jengo hilo, Rais Jakaya Kikwete ndiye aliyekuwa waziri wake, Mkapa alisema wizara nyingine zilizohusika ni Ujenzi na ile ya Ardhi, Nyumba na Maendeleo ya Makazi.

Alidai kuwa wizara zote hizo zilituma wataalamu wake kwenda kufanya tathmini ya thamani ya jengo hilo kabla ya ununuzi wake. Alisema taarifa iliyotolewa na Waziri wa Mambo ya Nje wakati huo, Kikwete bungeni juu ya ununuzi wa jengo hilo ni sahihi.

Pamoja na mambo mengine, taarifa hiyo inaeleza kuwa jengo hilo lilinunuliwa kwa Sh.2.9 bilioni na kwamba hati za umiliki wake zilishawasilishwa wizarani na kupelekwa kwa Mdhibiti na Mkaguzi Mkuu wa Hesabu za Serikali (CAG).

“Maneno hayo ni sahihi. Hayo ndiyo ninayoyajua mimi,” alisema Mkapa na kuongeza kwamba hajawahi kupata malalamiko kutoka Italia kuhusu ukiukwaji wa sheria wakati wa mchakato wa ununuzi wa jengo hilo wala kwa mmiliki akidai kuwa alilipwa pungufu ya makubaliano.

Akijibu swali la Wakili Mgongolwa kama alishapata malalamiko yoyote kutoka kwa CAG kuhusu ununuzi wa jengo hilo, alijibu kuwa hajawahi kupokea malalamiko hayo.

Akijibu swali la Wakili wa Serikali, Ponsiano Lukosi kama aliwahi kuuliza ni kwa nini mwenye jengo alitaka alipwe kupitia mikataba miwili, Mkapa alijibu kuwa hakuuliza kwa kuwa alichokuwa anahitaji ni kupata jengo.

Akijibu swali kwamba kama lengo la mwenye jengo kutaka kulipwa kwa mikataba miwili lilikuwa ni kukwepa kodi ya Serikali ya nchi yake, Mkapa alijibu: “Hilo ni tatizo lake na nchi yake, mimi nilikuwa nataka nyumba na nimepata nyumba, nasema Alhamdulillah.”

Pia Mkapa alisema anamshangaa wakili wa Serikali kudai kuwa pesa hizo kulipwa kwa awamu mbili kunaonyesha kwamba Profesa Mahalu alikuwa na lengo za kuzichukua na kuzitumia kwa masilahi yake... “Mimi nitashangaa sana kusikia hivyo na hasa nitakushangaa wewe maana Profesa (Mahalu) mimi namwamini.”

Utetezi wa Profesa Mahalu
Katika utetezi wake, Profesa Mahalu alikana mashtaka hayo na kudai kuwa alipofika katika ubalozi huo alikuta ofisi hizo zikiwa na hali mbaya hali iliyosababisha kutoa fedha zake za mfukoni na kununua samani zenye hadhi ya ofisi ya ubalozi.

Alisema aliyekuwa Waziri wa Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, Kikwete pia alifika katika ofisi za ubalozi huo na kushuhudia hali hiyo mbaya na kwamba aliunga mkono hoja yake kwamba ofisi hiyo ni mbovu na akashauri ipatikane ofisi yenye hadhi ya ubalozi.

Alisema mwanzoni mwa Juni, 2001 Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara hiyo alimpigia simu akimpongeza kwamba maombi ya wizara yao katika bajeti ya kutaka kila ofisi ya ubalozi inunue jengo lake itapitishwa na Bunge.

Alidai kuwa Katibu Mkuu alimtaka yeye na maofisa wengine wa ubalozi kuanza kutafuta majengo. Alisema baada ya hapo aliwaagiza maofisa wake kwenda kutafuta majengo ndani na nje ya Jiji la Rome kwa ajili ya kulinunua.

Martin katika utetezi wake alidai kuwa, Balozi Mahalu hakuisababishia Serikali hasara ya Euro 2 milioni, bali alileta faida kwa taifa kwa kuwa na jengo zuri na kwamba anahitaji kupewa shukrani.

Akiongozwa na Wakili Marando kujitetea dhidi ya tuhuma zinazomkabili, Grace alidai: “Mheshimiwa kwa ufahamu wangu, Balozi Mahalu mashtaka yote sita yanayomkabili hakuyatenda, aliwasilisha mikataba miwili kama taarifa iliyofanyika kihalali.”

Pia Martin alihoji sababu ya upande wa Jamhuri kutomleta mmiliki wa jengo hilo la ubalozi kukana risiti hiyo au Mkurugenzi wa Taasisi ya Kuzuia na Kupambana na Rushwa (Takukuru), Dk Edward Hosea kuulizwa juu ya ununuzi wa jengo hilo akidai walikwenda nchini humo kufanya uchunguzi.

Balozi Profesa Mahalu akizungumza na waandishi wa habari mara baada ya kushinda kesi yake katika mahakama ya kisutu leo.

Tanzanian woman jailed 15 years for drug trafficking

A Tanzanian woman will spend 15 years in jail for attempting to smuggle 6,9kg of heroin with a street value of over US$200 000. Fatima Musa Saguti was nabbed at the Harare International Airport before boarding a Kenyan Airways flight destined for Ghana on June 27.
The heroin was valued at US$207 000.

Saguti denied the charge of unlawfully dealing in dangerous drugs when her trial opened before Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe.
She claimed that her fiance’s Zambian friend had given her the suitcase containing the dangerous drug to take to Ghana to his fiancée and was not aware of the contents.

After a fully contested trial, the court convicted Saguti of the offence in aggravating circumstances due to overwhelming evidence.
In Zimbabwe, crimes involving such drugs attract a mandatory sentence of not less than 15 years.
In passing sentence, Mr Mahwe noted that Saguti was part of a syndicate of drug traffickers, considering that the heroin was brought from Zambia.
He said she committed a very serious offence and in the absence of special circumstances, the offence attracts a mandatory sentence of not less than 15 years.

“The accused said she was sent with the suitcase by someone, surprisingly she did not check the contents to see if they tallied with the weight,” said Mr Mahwe.
“She said she was in Zimbabwe for five days but failed to tell the court where she was residing. She said she came into the country to look for her customer since she is in the business of buying and selling red-bull (an energy drink) but she also failed to reveal the identity of the said customer.

“With this conduct, the accused knew what she was doing and there are no special circumstances to warrant the court to disregard the mandatory sentence in her case,” he said.

Prosecutor Ms Memory Mukapa had earlier urged the court to impose a mandatory sentence on the basis that the way the offence was committed.
She said it was a well-planned crime.
Ms Mukapa said if it was not for the detecting machine at the airport, Saguti could have escaped unnoticed.

The prosecutor further told the court that Saguti’s passport showed that she was using the Zambia-Zimbabwe-Tanzania route frequently. - The Herald

I won't resign over Zanzibar boat accident - Mwakyembe

TRANSPORT Minister Dr Harrison Mwakyembe has maintained that he would not resign following the sinking of MV Skagit near Chumbe Island recently.

Winding up his budget estimates for 2012/2013 yesterday evening, Dr Mwakyembe said neither his ministry nor the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) share blame in registration of the ill-fated ship.

He explained that Zanzibar, through the Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA), registered the ill-fated ship and that his ministry had no authority over the registration.

“My authority ends at Chumbe Island and I have no authority in Zanzibar. Sumatra has registered about 100 ships to strictness of the law but this is not the case in Zanzibar,” the minister said. The National Assembly endorsed the budget estimates yesterday evening.