WOTE TUFAIDI MAJI YA MTO NILE

TANZANIA ni moja ya nchi zilizosaini mkataba wa ushirikiano wa matumizi endelevu ya Bonde la Mto Nile kati ya nchi 10 zinazotumia rasilimali ya maji katika mto huo.

Wiki iliyopita mawaziri wanaohusika na maji kutoka katika 10 ambazo zinanufaika na maji na rasilimali za Mto Nile walikutana kutia saini makubaliano ambayo yangesaidia kwa kiasi kikubwa kuondoa ukiritimba wa kutumia rasilimali za Mto Nile.

Katika kikao hicho, tunaambiwa ni nchi nane tu ambazo zilisaini makubaliano hayo kati ya nchi 10.

Hata hivyo, ingawa nchi mbili ambazo ni Sudan na Misri hazikusaini makubaliano hayo bado zina nafasi ya kufanya hivyo hadi katikati ya mwaka ujao.

Kwa maoni yetu, makubaliano haya yatasaidia kwa kiasi kikubwa nchi husika kutumia rasilimali za Mto Nile bila upendeleo na kwa uwazi zaidi kuliko ilivyokuwa huko nyuma.

Tunaamini kwamba hata nchi ambazo zimegoma kusaini makubaliano ya kushirikiana katika matumizi ya Mto Nile zitafanya hivyo kwa manufaa ya Waafrika wote.

Ni vema wenzetu wakaona umuhimu wa nchi ambazo ndio chanzo cha maji ya Mto Nile nao wakaweza kufaidi maji hayo kwa kilimo na hata kuzalisha nishati ya umeme.

Tumeshuhudia maeneo kama Ethiopia na hata mikoa ya Kanda ya Ziwa hapa nchini wakazi wake wakikumbwa na uhaba wa maji ya kutumia, lakini kutokana na sheria za kikoloni ambazo waweka kwamba vyanzo vya maji ya Mto Nile visitumiwe na badala yake wataopaswa kutumia maji hayo ni Misri tu.

Ni kweli Misri hawana njia nyingine ya kupata maji, lakini dawa si kususia kusaini makubaliano ya matumizi ya rasilimali bali ni kukaa pamoja na kuangalia njia za matumizi bora.

KWA MWENDO HUU AJALI ZITAISHA?

USAFIRI WA PIKIPIKI UTAZAMWE KWA JICHO LA TATU

AJALI za barabarani zinazotokana na uendeshaji wa pikipiki zinazidi kuongezeka kadri siku zinavyosonga mbele huku mamia ya watu wakipoteza maisha na maelfu kupata majeraha makubwa.

Taarifa kutoka Kikosi cha Usalama Barabarani zinasema kwamba zaidi ya watu 667 wameripotiwa wamekufa na wengine 5,525 wamejeruhiwa vibaya katika ajali za barabarani zilizosababishwa na pikipiki kuanzia mwaka 2008 hadi hivi sasa.

Sababu kubwa ya kutokea kwa ajali hizo imeelezwa kwamba ni uzembe wa waendesha pikipiki kwa kutozingatia taratibu za usafiri huo ikiwemo kutovaa kofia.

Vilevile, taarifa zaidi zinasema kwamba wengi wa waendesha pikipiki hizo hawana leseni na hata hawazitambui sheria za barabarani.

Ni kweli usafiri wa pikipiki unasaidia kwa kiasi kikubwa kupunguza adha ya usafiri hasa maeneo ambayo miundombinu yake ya barabarani si mizuri, lakini hatuwezi kuruhusu maafa kwa watumiaji wa huduma hiyo.

Tunaamini askari wa usalama barabarani wanapaswa kwanza kuhakikisha kwamba wale wote ambao wanaendesha pikipiki hizi wanazingatia sheria za usalama mojawapo ikiwa ni leseni halali na kuvaa kofia kwa abiria na yule anaeendesha.

Mara kwa mara tumeshuhudia pikipiki zikibeba abiria hadi katika maeneo ya mjini, lakini askari wa usalama barabarani wamekuwa hawazikagui na hivyo kuendeleza wimbi la kusababisha ajali.

Vilevile, tunawaasa wale wote ambao wanamiliki vyombo hivi vya usafiri kuhakikisha kwamba wanaajiri waendeshaji ambao wamefuzu vema mafunzo na wawe wenye leseni halali za kuendesha pikipiki.

Ni maoni yetu kwamba kama wamiliki wataajiri watu wenye leseni na wanaojua sheria zinazotawala usafiri wa barabarani basi kasi ya kusababisha vifo itapungua kwa kiasi kikubwa.

KAAAAZI KWELI KWELI

Je Tutafika jamani na hali hiii? hivi ni kweli kumbe kuhusu hili au tunadanganyana na kupeana moyooo?

JIJI KUANZISHA RADIO

HALMASHAURI ya Jiji la Dar es Salaam, inatarajia kutumia Sh200 milioni, kugharimia ujenzi wa kituo cha radio na televisheni.

Radio hiyo itakayojulikana kama la City Radio, inatarajiwa kuwa katika moja ya vyumba vya jengo la halmashauri hiyo na tayari mkandarasi atakayefanyakazi ya ukarabati ameshapatikana.

Habari zinasema kazi hiyo itakamilika ndani ya kipindi cha wiki sita kuanzia sasa.
Akizungumza wakati Baraza la Madiwani la Halmashauri ya Jiji lilipotembelea eneo hilo jana, Mkuu wa Kitengo cha Itifaki na Uhusiano wa Umma wa Jiji la Dar es Salaam, Gaston Makwembe, alisema tayari halmashauri imeshapata kibali kutoka Mamalaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania (TCRA) kinachoruhusu kuanzishwa kwa kituo hicho.
Makwembe alisema mamlaka kibali hicho ni kwa ajili ya radio tu na si kwa kituo cha televisheni.
Alisema katika hatua hiyo jumla ya Sh 100 milioni zitatumika katika kukarabati ujenzi wa jengo la kituo, kununulia mitambo na vifaa mbalimbali kwa ajili ya radio hiyo.

"Tumeshapewa kibali cha mwaka mmoja kwa ajili ya kukarabati jengo litakalo tumika kwa ajili ya kuanzisha radio ingawa wametupa masharti kuwa kama tutashindwa kutekeleza ndani ya mwaka mmoja, watatunyang'anya masafa,", alisema Makwembe.

Kwa mujibu wa Makwembe, jina lilopendekezwa awali la Bandari ya Salama, halitatumika na badala yake, itaitwa City Radio.

Kwa upande wao madiwani, wamepinga vikali mpango wa kuingia ubia na China katika kuanzisha kituo hicho, kwa maelezo kuwa wanataka kutumia rasilimali za ndani na si za China.
Madiwani hao walisema hawaoni sababau ya kuingia ubia na nchi hiyo kwa kuwa awali nchi hiyo ilitaka kumilikia asilimia kubwa katika vipindi na kurushwa kwa lugha ya Kichina kama ingeingia ubia na jiji.
Mmoja wa wabunge, Charles Keenja alisema haoni sababu ya Jiji kuingia ubia na China kwa sababu hata Tanzania inaweza kuendesha kituo hicho.

COMMISSION ORDERS TBL TO PAY SERENGETI

Tanzania’s leading beer manufacturer Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) suffered its biggest blow of its time yesterday when it was ordered to pay its major competitor for abusing markets powers by preventing and restricting fair competition in the beer market.

The Fair Competition Commission (FCC) ruled yesterday that TBL should pay its main rival, Serengeti Breweries Limited (SBL) an equivalent of its five percent of annual turnover basing on the current audited accounts of the company.

The decision by FCC comes as salvage to SBL which has for nearly a decade complained of being excluded in the market through anti-competitive practice by TBL.

The fine has to be deposited with the commission in 28 days unless the giant beer manufacture files an appeal against the decision.

The decision by FCC follows a complaint filed in September last year by SBL that sought intervention of the Commission over unfair trade practices by TBL that prevented and restricted competition in the beer market.

SBL, with about 17 per cent of the market share, has for long time been accusing its competitor of running a systematic campaign of removing its signage and posters from retail outlets countrywide in order to prevent its visibility to the public.

It alleged that the act by TBL, with over 80 per cent market share, was grossly unfair and amounted to abuse of dominance by restricting competition.

SBL had also accused TBL of entering into agreement with retail outlets managers on a countrywide scale for exclusive branding of TBL’s products with a condition of removal of any existing brand adverts of its competitor.

TBL had, throughout the case, denied the anti-competitive allegations and maintained that the agreement between them and outlet owners were competitive.

But in a decision lasted for two hours yesterday, FCC chairman Mr Nikubuka Shimwela said the commission was satisfied that SBL made their case to the required standards as regard to the issue of removing SBL posters and signage (POS).

He said testimonies of five SBL’s witnesses were sufficient to prove several incidents of such nature-obstructing their branding appearance in the bars and outlets which are considered as TBL’s brand houses.

An outlet owner had testified before the commission that beside a written agreement he had with TBL, he was also instructed orally to remove SBL table cloth so that he would be supplied with 14 crates of Kilimanjaro beer per week as motivation.

“The commission holds that such agreements were anti-competitive because they had an object effect and likely effects of preventing, restricting ad distorting competition,” FCC said.

FCC yesterday further declared null and void all branding agreement TBL had entered with beer outlet owners countrywide and ordered the dominant beer company to “immediately refrain from removing its competitor’s POS materials at the outlet and entering into anti-competitive branding agreement with outlet owners.

FCC also decided on a cross-complaint lodged by TBL at the beginning of hearing of the complaint in December last year. TBL alleged in the cross-complaint that SBL has been using its crates and bottles in the market. TBL had in 2008 complained before the commission on SBL’s conduct of using crates and bottles belonging to it.

TBL also alleged that SBL had been using its bottles and crates to pack its products and had even gone to the extent of embossing its mark on the TBL’s bottles.

In another complaint, TBL claimed that SBL has never injected new crates and bottles in the market which indicates that SBL is trading on the TBL’s empty crates and bottles.

But the commission observed that not only SBL but also TBL has to be held responsible on the mixed usages of the bottles and crates in the trade through the on-going arrangements and understandings which were going on between them.

With regard to embossment, the commission held that TBL failed to prove that SBL embossed TBL bottles with SBL marks because the alleged embossment of bottles was not what was submitted during the hearing.

The commission yesterday said TBL has failed to prove that SBL has never injected crates and bottles in the trade because SBL proved to be injecting crates and bottles in certain times.

“The understanding and arrangements of TBL and SBL on the usage of the 25 lack crates and the circulating bottles amounted to agreements, which in the judgment of the commission were anti-competitive against each other and therefore unlawful,” FCC said.

FCC yesterday dismissed claim by TBL that SBL misused market powers, saying “SBL was not capable of misuse its markets power because of its minimal market share it has in the Tanzania mainland market.”

FCC further ordered the two companies to publish three times in the three local dailies circulating nationally on working days, (both English and Kiswahili), TV and Radio media explaining how the dispute has been decided by the commission and inform the public about the salient features of each one’s bottles and crates.

The battle between the two companies dates back in 2003 when the two companies adopted a Code of Conduct which, among other, prohibited defacement or removal of competitor’s signage or POS materials of a competitor.

But since 2008, SBL alleged a number of incidences of removal of its posters and signages in Dar es Aalaam, Mbeya, Morogoro, Dodoma, Mwanza, Arusha, Moshi and even in Zanzibar.