Tanzanian kills two daughters in Australia

Sisters Indianna (3) and Savannah Mihayo (4) in happier times. Their father, Tanzanian resident in Australia Charles Mihayo (36), faces a life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty of murdering the two girls in Melbourne by suffocating them earlier this year. Story on page 4 . PHOTO | agencies 

By The Citizen Reporter and Agencies

In Summary

According to media reports in Australia, Charles Mihayo, 36, will be sentenced next month for the offence which carries a maximum of life imprisonment.

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inSharDar es Salaam. A Tanzanian resident of Australia faces a prolonged jail term after he pleaded guilty of murdering his two daughters aged three and four.

According to media reports in Australia, Charles Mihayo, 36, will be sentenced next month for the offence which carries a maximum of life imprisonment.

Mihayo admitted, in court, he had suffocated the children, Savannah, 4, and Indianna, 3 in Melbourne. He claimed he did not plan to kill his children but would not say why he did it, reported The Age.

The accused, appeared in court handcuffed and wearing a grey track suit and was remanded for a plea hearing on November 5.

With the guilty plea, he is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars since the maximum penalty for murder in Australia is life imprisonment.

He was first arraigned in April for taking the lives of the little girls who were found dead at their grandmother’s home in Watsonia on Easter Sunday.

Australian media reported that Mihayo, flanked by three guards, appeared in the dock behind glass, usually reserved for unruly or high-risk defendants.

“Mihayo who was living in a granny flat at the back of the property (where the crime was committed), was married to the girls’ mother, but they separated about a year ago,” reported Herald Sun, adding that the arrangements for care of the girls was not known.

The overwhelmed mother of the girls said they will be “forever missed, loved, and never forgotten”, and added: “We are utterly devastated at the loss of Savannah and Indianna,” in a brief statement released by police.

But last week, details emerged how Mihayo had played hide and seek with the girls before smothering them with a pillow in the house.

“A prosecution summary tendered at an earlier Melbourne Magistrates’ Court hearing revealed Mihayo, a Tanzania national who is a permanent resident of Australia, told his estranged partner, the girl’s mother that he wanted to ‘say goodbye’ to the girls and ‘see them one last time’ so a meeting was planned for the following day,” reported The Age:

“The girls’ mother took them to see Mihayo, who lived in a self-contained unit at the back of her mother’s house at Watsonia, just after 2pm on Easter Sunday.”

Mihayo hugged the girls and asked how long he had with them before taking them inside. The ex-partner and her mother remained at the main house where they could hear the children playing, the paper reported.

After a short time the ex-partner and her mother noticed that the girls had gone quiet inside the house. The ex-partner went to the unit door and knocked. Mihayo said ‘wait a minute’ and the ex-partner knocked again calling out to Mihayo.

Mihayo yelled out: “You will know when they get here”, before the ex-partner ran into the main house to call police.

When police arrived Mihayo opened the door with a towel in his hands and told police: “It’s done. I’ve killed them. I’ve killed my kids.”

Harrowing tales of fuel tanker fire survivors

Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) medics attend to victims of the oil tanker fire disaster yesterday. These are among those who escaped death in the incident in which the ill-fated tanker exploded as some residents of Mbagala-Charambe in Dar es Salaam scrambled to siphon petrol on Monday. One was killed at the scene while four others died at MNH while receiving treatment. PHOTO | SALHIM SHAO      

By Henry Mwangonde, The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

They were killed when the vehicle overturned at Mbagala Charambe roundabout on Monday and burst into flames. Those who survived the crash spoke yesterday of their ordeal as Muhimbili National Hospital officials took stock of the crisis.

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inShareDar es Salaam. The death toll in the oil tanker accident here had risen to five yesterday, according to the communications officer at Muhimbili National Hospital, Ms Doris Ishenda. 

They were killed when the vehicle overturned at Mbagala Charambe roundabout on Monday and burst into flames. Those who survived the crash spoke yesterday of their ordeal as Muhimbili National Hospital officials took stock of the crisis.

The injured, most of them bodaboda riders, were burnt as they tried to extract fuel from the tanker that later exploded. “I was on the other side of the road when I saw a friend carrying two jerry-cans, his body wet with petrol,” 25-year-old Nurdin Salum told The Citizen from his hospital bed. “Next thing, my entire body was burning.” He does not understand why Tanzanians do not learn from their mistakes. Many people were killed in Mbeya some years back in the same circumstances, he recalled.

Salum reckons poverty is the main cause of such accidents, given that people dash into danger without giving any thought to the consequences. Had it not been for people tampering with the lorry, he added, the situation would not have arisen.

Mr Abbas Mohammed (23) expressed regret at being at the scene of the accident at that particular time. He added: “I am married with two children. I do not know how long I will stay in hospital. Let others know that they must avoid getting close to fuel tankers.”

Most of those interviewed said they were passersby. But the acting regional police commander for Temeke, Mr Nyigesa Wankyo, told The Citizen the majority of the severely injured were trying to steal fuel from the tanker. At least 19 people were injured and one died at the scene.

The hospital received 15 patients who were in critical condition and two of them died at around 1pm the day they were brought in. Two others died yesterday morning, raising the number of the dead to five. The critically injured are being monitored closely by doctors.

Those who lost their lives, all of them residents of Mbagala, are: Ramadhan Hassan(36), Hassan Ismail (19), Maulid Rajaab (61) and Mohammed Ismail (23). The body of the other victim was burnt beyond recognition.

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We’ve given up on Kikwete, Mbowe declares

“He is a man who does not honour binding agreements and cannot therefore be trusted,”   MRFREEMAN MBOWE, CHADEMA CHAIRMAN 

By  Florence Mugarula, The Citizen Reporter

• Mr Mbowe was speaking during the opening of a two-day party Central Committee (CC) meeting to discuss the proposed Katiba and the forthcoming local government and general elections.

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0Dar es Salaam. For the second time in a week, the main opposition party yesterday accused President Jakaya Kikwete of betrayal after he emphatically endorsed the proposed new constitution. In a stinging indictment, Chadema National Chairman Freeman Mbowe said the opposition party could not trust him ever again to keep to his word and branded the head of state “unpredictable and untrustworthy”.

Mr Mbowe was speaking during the opening of a two-day party Central Committee (CC) meeting to discuss the proposed Katiba and the forthcoming local government and general elections.

He told the CC members that Chadema and other members of the Coalition of Defenders of the Peoples’ Constitution (Ukawa) who teamed up to push for the draft constitution--as proposed by the Judge Warioba Constitution Review Commission--have given up hope that President Kikwete will initiate meaningful national dialogue and deliver a result that will unify the people. 

Mr Mbowe said he was disappointed that President Kikwete failed to keep his word and honour agreements with opposition leaders that were negotiated earlier.

“We have given up on President Kikwete,” Mr Mbowe said. “He is a man who does not honour binding agreements and cannot therefore be trusted.”

If Mr Mbowe is to be believed, the Head of State has wavered several times under pressure from his party. “It is difficult to reach consensus with President Kikwete,” he added. “He is not static on agreements. He acts in the interest of his party and not the public.”

The Chadema boss accused President Kikwete of saying one thing in public and another in private. They would agree on something, he added, only for the President to change his tune the next day. Members of the Tanzania Centre for Democracy reportedly met President Kikwete to discuss issues related to the Constituent Assembly stalemate and agreed that there should be no referendum until after 2015 general election. But the ruling party stands accused of going back on its word and making approvals without consulting partners, including the proposed constitution.

According to Mr Mbowe, the document in hand does reflect the will of the majority of Tanzanians. On Saturday, President Kikwete challenged those opposing the proposed constitution to show him their version of an ideal constitution. He was speaking in Mwanza, where he was on a three-day tour of the Lake region.

The President argues that the proposed mother law has accommodated the views and interests of virtually all sections of society. A constitution of such quality cannot be dismissed out right, he adds.

Yesterday, Mr Mbowe maintained that the remarks made by President Kikwete and other CCM members are clear evidence that the government is looking for loopholes to conduct the exercise after 84 days of receiving the proposed constitution. “It is now clear that CCM is looking for an excuse to hold the referendum before the 2015 general election, but I can assure you today that Chadema is going to oppose any move related to forgery,” he said.

TCD and President Kikwete agreed that local government elections be held in February 2015 but Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda announced a few days later that the elections would be staged in December. “Mr Pinda announced a new schedule six says after our meeting with the Head of State,” Mr Mbowe said. “This means our meeting and discussions were pointless.”

According to him, the proposed constitution that was handed to President Kikwete last week was slanted in favour of the ruling party and some individuals. “There are some people in this country who think they are better and more deserving than others. They believe that CCM has the power to decide on behalf of others but it cannot act in isolation in this matter,” he added.”Every mwananchi, including political parties, are stakeholders.”

The Chadema boss warned that should chaos erupt in the country, CCM and its leaders will be held responsible by virtue of not honouring agreements and ignoring consensus.

He also accused the government of coming up with local government election rules that are not easily understood, presumably in anticipation of rigging the local government polls. “The voters are required to write the names of the candidates, their political parties and draw political party logos,” Mr Mbowe said. “This is unfair and shocking.” 

Likewise, the candidates are expected to fill forms stating their names, political parties of choice, party logos, district council logos and many more details. Difficult conditions have been set to disqualify some candidates, according to Mr Mbowe, especially those in the opposition.

Issues that top the Chadema CC agenda include appointing members of the board of trustees and district and regional secretaries. The way forward on the Katiba process will be up for discussion as will be the Controller and Auditor-General’s report on party finances. A review of the state of politics in and outside the country is also on the cards.

BBCtrending: The police officers fired for a kiss

BBC Trending What's popular and why

When is it OK to kiss a colleague? Two Tanzanian police officers, whose kiss was widely shared on social media, have prompted a discussion about just that - and both have also lost their jobs.

A relationship with a colleague can throw up any number of complications, but the two young police officers in the picture may not have thought it would end their careers. The photograph - taken in Kagera, north west Tanzania - shows the pair kissing whilst dressed in their work uniforms, and was considered grounds for dismissal. Residents of the country have taken to social media to voice their dismay.
The image was uploaded to the internet by a third officer, who also took the photo, and drawn to the attention of the authorities at the Kagera police force. Henry Mwaibambe, the regional police commander, spoke to the BBC about the steps taken, and defends his department's decision. "We followed all disciplinary procedures to make sure that they were given a chance to defend themselves," he says. "The officer looking at the case was convinced there was compelling evidence against them, and that they had breached police code of conduct. That's why they lost their jobs." In this case it wasn't the kiss itself that led to their dismissal, but the fact that that it happened in public, whilst in uniform, and was subsequently posted online. Indeed, the officer behind the camera also lost his job over the incident.
The story was picked up by the local press last week, and news of the punishment has surprised many on social media. Most believed the response was disproportionate. "They should have been reprimanded, sacking them is extreme, huuh!" posted one on Facebook. "I once saw a pic of former US President the late Reagan kissing his wife in the Oval Office... and nobody called for his impeachment," said another. "Police couple kissing taken more serious than bribery," wrote a third on Twitter.
Masoud George, a lawyer at the Tanzania Legal and Human Rights Center says that as severe as the punishment seems, the decision is unlikely to be illegal. "It is according to their code of conduct, so from a legal point of view we can't say their dismissal was unfair."
Reporting by Sam Judah

Ebola outbreak: UN health worker dies in Germany hospital

 

The Ebola patient was being treated at St Georg hospital in Leipzig

A UN medical worker infected with Ebola has died at a hospital in Germany.

Doctors at the hospital in Leipzig said the man, 56, originally from Sudan, died despite receiving experimental drugs to treat the virus.
More than 4,400 people have died from the outbreak, mainly in West Africa.
The rate of new cases at some of the "epicentre" areas has slowed down, the World Health Organization says, but the number of cases in the capitals of the worst-affected countries is rising.
Senior WHO official Bruce Aylward told reporters on Monday that the outbreak was also continuing to spread geographically to new districts in the capitals of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Elsewhere:

• The US and UK are among countries to have introduced scanning at airports
• A Spanish nurse remains in critical condition after becoming the first person to contract the disease outside of Africa last week, although doctors say there are signs of improvement
• UN Ebola mission leader Tony Banbury has called for massive support from governments worldwide, saying: "We need everything. We need it everywhere, and we need it superfast."

Proposed new law to escalate looting, Chadema claims

Lissu alleges Draft has more shortfalls than 1977 law 

By Patty Magubira, The Citizen Reporter

• Lissu says Tanzanians should emulate Kenya and Zimbabwe whose constitutions allowed them to sue their sitting leaders in case they sleep on the job

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inShArusha. Abuse of office, embezzlement, and looting of natural resources will continue to haunt Tanzania if wananchi vote for the new proposed constitution, the main opposition Chadema has cautioned.

Entrusting the President alone with the duty of disciplining leaders as proposed in the draft law was tantamount to licensing them to become lousy, corrupt, and natural resource looters.

The Chadema lead lawyer, Mr Tundu Lissu, said at the weekend that the draft law was fraught with more shortfalls than the 1977 Constitution.

Mr Lissu, who was educating leaders and members of the main opposition party on the difference between the 1977 Constitution and the Draft Law, said cosmetics changes imposed on the new proposed constitution intended to please wananchi only.

It was time Tanzanians emulated Kenyans and Zimbabweans whose constitutions allowed them to sue their leaders in case they goofed, Mr Tundu Lissu said.

He cited charges of crimes against humanity which President Uhuru Kenyatta of the neighbouring country is facing at the International Criminal Court.

Most of the changes imposed on the Draft though seemed pleasant to women, farmers and pastoralists could neither be implemented nor enable them to hold leaders accountable, he said.

The Chadema leaders and members supported their party’s decision to zoom around the country to educate people on the contents of draft law ahead of the referendum.

They, however, called on leaders of the Coalition of the Defenders of the People’s Constitution popularly known in its Kiswahili acronym as Ukawa to unite for the sake of Tanzanians.

LAKE ZONE: Madaraka: Very few leaders honour Mwl. Nyerere’s legacy

By  Midraj Ibrahim and Emmanuel Chacha,The Citizen Reporters

• Madaraka said the two or three govt structure did not bother him much but he said it was necessary to follow majority opinions as gathered by the CRC

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BUTIAMA.Madaraka Nyerere, the sixth child of the late Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, has said 15 years after his father’s death there are very few leaders who still honour him and follow his legacy.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Citizen at the weekend, Madaraka also said if he were a member of the Constituent Assembly (CA) he would vote NO for the proposed constitution, saying it fell short on some essential issues like leadership integrity and ethics.

“Very few leaders honour the late father of the nation…as most of them just respect him by mere words but not in a practical way…nowadays it is allowed for civil servants to double as businesspeople. During Mwalimu Nyerere’s leadership it was impossible for a public leader to engage in business. They had to choose between remaining as public leaders or being businessmen,” he stated.

He added; “I once heard President Kikwete saying public leaders should not engage in business but his ten years of leadership are almost over and nothing has been done to address this challenge.”

Commenting on the ongoing public debate on the proposed constitution, Mr Nyerere said he did not pay adequate attention to the Katiba Assembly sessions.

However, he noted that there were some basic issues that ought to have been included in the document including leadership ethics, saying they were significant for the prosperity of the nation.

On the Union structure, Mr Nyerere said two or three governments did not bother him much but he said it was necessary to follow majority opinions as gathered by the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) led by Judge Joseph Warioba.

He added that Judge Warioba, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim and Joseph Butiku were close allies of his father, noting that he hoped that the trio clearly knew Mwalimu’s vision of the country.

“I believe that they can’t betray him and perhaps what they are trying to suggest especially the re-establishment of Tanganyika government represents Mwalimu’s view,” noted Mr Madaraka.

He further defended Warioba’s commission from the current wave of criticism over the ongoing Katiba process, saying the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) was the one to be blamed for it remained silent when the Zanzibar Constitution was being overhauled despite knowing that it contradicted the constitution for the United Republic of Tanzania.

Mwalimu Nyerere died on 14th October at St. Thomas Hospital in London, the United Kingdom.

EDITORIAL: Why Dar city must have modern passenger train

By The Citizen

• The project, aimed at reducing traffic jams, is to be rolled out by Shumake Rails, a private American company.

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Two weeks ago, the government announced it has entered into agreement with an investor from US to establish a 13km commuter train route from the Dar es Salaam city centre to the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) by the end of  December or early next year.

The project, aimed at reducing traffic jams, is to be rolled out by Shumake Rails, a private American company.  The Transport ministry through Tanzania Railways Limited will extend the metre gauge tracks from the city centre to the airport and operate under the public-private partnership.

Upon its launch, the train is expected to ferry between 800 and 1,000 passengers per trip. It should also be noted that this won’t be a subway or an underground speed train as misconceived by some people. It will be a modern passenger train with luxury coaches plying the Dar city-JNIA route.

Though the project has been criticised in some quarters, we at The Citizen believe that the anticipated service is what Dar es Salaam City needs to lessen its maddening traffic snarl up that beleaguer the road to JNIA.

Think about these facts: It takes three-plus hours from the city centre to the airport during peak hours. During that time, a plane will have taken off at JNIA and landed at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. One that left for Mwanza will have landed and flown back!

The JNIA is currently undergoing expansion and it is certain there will be more traffic as global airlines increase their frequencies to our city.

Railway transport is always among the best ways to curb traffic jams in major urban areas worldwide. It is our belief that the envisaged plan will make movement of the people in Dar es Salaam faster and revitalise our economy, not only of the city, but that of the country as a whole.

KAFUMU: Nyerere wanted democracy that protects peace, unity

• Multiparty democracy has only nurtured hate and divisions, and building economy is no longer a priority

We continue to cherish the Father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, because of his wisdom and love to his people. Now 15 years after his death, the nation still cries as they remember the leader who assured peace and protection for the poor and disadvantaged majority.

Today national interests and values which Mwalimu upheld are vanishing. Mwalimu didn’t  believe in multipartyism, for he knew it would divide Tanzanians.

When asked about single and multiparty democracy, he had this to say: “...Democracy is not a bottle of Coca-Cola which you can import. Democracy should develop according to that particular country. I never went to a country, saw many parties and assumed that it is democratic. You cannot define democracy purely in terms of multi-partist parties...”

Many scholars also agree that it is not proper to simply take Western models of democracy and paste them over African countries. Africa needs some type of democracy that will encourage unity so that as the economic level of Africa grows, democracy grows too to propel people to a brighter future. Democracy must gradually develop, it must not be imposed.

Indeed as the Indian historian Ramachandra Guha wrote in his book “Makers of Modern India” a democratic revolution should be a staggered process that must be preceded by nationalism where nationhood and unity of a nation are built and strengthened, followed by economic revolution where industrialisation and urbanisation must take place. 

Guha cites US which proclaimed its national independence in the 18th Century, urbanised and industrialised in the nineteenth century, and became democratic only in the 20th century, after women and African Americans were allowed to vote, and on the other hand, Europe that was a continent broken up into many different nationalities, the pace of these different revolutions towards democracy varied greatly across countries.

Crucially in every European country the nationalism and economic revolution preceded the democratic revolution by several decades or more.

On democratisation of Tanzania and Africa in general; and without a strong economy and nationhood Mwalimu commented: “...Multiparty democracy is alien, it is a Western thing, a luxury Africa could not afford and it will create opposition among us, this is an imperialist dogma...” 

Yes, Mwalimu was right. Building multiparty democracy in a poor country is synonymous to nurturing division and hate between the opposition and the ruling parties; between different communities with different cultural origins such as tribes and clans who in most cases create political parties to secure their interests.

The fulfilment of Mwalimu Nyerere’s vision on the danger of multiparty democracy in Africa and Tanzania is today unveiling before our eyes when  democracy becomes a source of conflict among the people of nations in Africa.

This situation creates a political imbalance that destabilises most African countries trying to build a democracy. Practising Western democracy in Africa is now a fragile endeavour. Africa has witnessed the West trying to forcefully institute democracy in relatively peaceful countries.

Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia are countries that looked economically better and harmonious under their limited democracy and sometimes dictatorship; today hate and division and fragmentation are a real threat to these once tranquil countries. In the name of democracy these nations are falling apart.

Countries south of the Sahara like Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania are also not spared either, where we see the effects of Western democracy at work in a poor country, creating hate and division among its citizenry.

According to Mwalimu  Nyerere: “... Tanzania, divided up into 112 distinct ethnic groups, is not a fertile ground for multiparty democracy.  Tanzania is not ready for multiparty democracy as would descend the country into tribal and regional infighting...”  Although Mwalimu did not believe in multiparty democracy but the power and grip of imperialism forced him and the ruling party to embrace multiparty system against the public views that rejected the system by 80 per cent. The global political wind of change was too much for Mwalimu and he surrendered.

 Even though Tanzania embraced (against its will) Western-type multiparty democracy in developing nations, I believe, after two decades of practice; if Mwalimu was alive, he would have continued believing that Africa wasn’t yet ready for this type of democracy.

Look at Tanzania today: multiparty democracy has only nurtured hate and divisions, and building economy is no longer a priority.

Capitalistic freedom promoted by secular ideology in which individuals became free to experiment whatever they want as long as it is a fundamental human right is very dangerous. Free democracy, free press, free everything, so free in a poor country only erodes community and national unity and brings division and tension.

Mwalimu believed in the kind of democracy that gives space to citizens to develop their nation. He wanted Africa to embrace democracy in single-party systems or multiparty systems that ensure governments of national unity, in which after any election parties would bury their differences and take national interests to a sweeter height. Keep the people together and work hard.

The kind of democracy practiced in China, Russia and the Arab countries that forces people to build the economy by instilling in the citizens the sense of nationhood, pride and upholding taboos of that nation could build national unity and tranquillity.

 As we continue to remember and cherish the Father of the Nation Mwalimu Nyerere, let us uphold his good vision, hopes and optimism on democracy to inspire us once again, nurture and keep our unity as a nation and as a people.

Dr Dalaly Peter Kafumu, MP (Igunga-CCM), is a former commissioner for minerals