Category: The Citizen

Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek blamed “stupid mistakes” and exhaustion from heavy ?travel for his team’s World Cup exit after 3-0 defeat by co-hosts Mexico on Wednesday left them bottom of Group A.

Koubek said Czech football urgently needed to ?raise its technical standards to compete internationally following ?their return to the World Cup after ?a 20-year absence.

Koubek defended dropping striker Patrik Schick, ?saying Adam Hlozek was preferred for his physical ?condition and suitability to the team’s offensive strategy.

He cited a draw with South Africa as a critical missed opportunity, which ?left the Czech Republic with just one ?point from their opening two matches.

Koubek said heavy travel between , ?including flights to Mexico City, left players exhausted, questioning why Mexico were not required to travel to Dallas.

Midfielder Denis Visinsky was heavily affected by the ?high altitude ?in Mexico ?City, Koubek added, while many players arrived already fatigued from their club seasons.

“I ?have a contract and I don’t ?give up ?any fights… I will definitely fulfil my contract,” Koubek said when asked about his future.

“Czech football ?has ?been lagging behind, we need to ?improve our play… select players who can compete at this ?level,” he said.

Dozens of Kenyans took to the streets on Thursday under heavy security in memory of protesters killed two years ago when massive anti-government demonstrations erupted in Nairobi over proposed tax hikes and the surging cost of living.

Organisers had planned remembrance marches in the coastal city of Mombasa and the capital Nairobi to mark the anniversary of the June 25, 2024 unrest, when protests escalated dramatically and demonstrators breached parliament grounds before a security crackdown left dozens dead.

On the eve of the marches, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen warned that anyone seeking to engage in ‘chaos, looting, destruction of property, disruption of businesses, or commit any other criminal acts’ would face ‘the full force of the law’, adding that investigators were already looking into reports of people mobilising gangs and securing weapons ahead of the anniversary.

Dozens of marchers turned up in Mombasa escorted by security forces, while Nairobi’s streets appeared largely deserted as police set up roadblocks with water cannons and mounted razor wire barricades outside parliament. Shops and restaurants within the central business district, the site of previous protests, remained shut on Thursday.

‘Today we remember our comrades who died in the demonstrations,’ said John Maina, 26, in Nairobi. ‘They were not fighting for any profit, that is why we remember them. It is not a protest, it is a remembrance.’

In Nairobi, opposition leaders joined victims of alleged police brutality and families of slain protesters in a march towards parliament to place flowers and candles outside the building.

Brian Musyoka, a 37-year-old motorbike taxi driver, said the shutdown was adding to the economic pressures faced by ordinary Kenyans. ‘There is not much work, I may not make anything to cover the loan that paid for this electric bike,’ he said.

Calls for accountability

Protest organisers say they are demonstrating to demand justice for victims, credible investigations into past police conduct and guarantees against the use of excessive force during rallies.

President William Ruto said last week that 2billion Ksh (about US$15.5 million) had been set aside for victims of protest-related rights abuses under a national reparations framework.

However, rights groups and civil society organisations say compensation alone does not amount to accountability for alleged abuses by security forces and have called for Ruto to issue a public apology.

Cooperative stakeholders in Morogoro Region have called on the government to intervene in long-standing farmer-pastoralist conflicts and secure reliable markets for agricultural produce, saying these challenges undermine productivity despite strong cooperative performance in the region overall.

They noted that Morogoro prides itself on having 212 cooperative societies that have overseen crop sales worth more than Sh134 billion, yet persistent land-use conflicts and weak market systems continue to discourage farmers and reduce incomes.

Speaking yesterday, during the regional International Day of Cooperatives celebrations held in Ifakara, Kilombero District, the Assistant Registrar of Cooperatives in Morogoro Region, Ms Cesilia Sostenes, said the cooperative movement remains a key pillar of the region’s economic development through crop marketing, financial services, and investment activities.

She said the celebrations were held alongside the Sixth Cooperative Development Forum under the themes ‘Cooperatives for a Peaceful World’ and ‘Protect Cooperatives, Choose Integrity.’

‘Morogoro Region has a total of 212 cooperative societies, including 168 agricultural marketing cooperative societies, 36 Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (Saccos), three cooperative unions, and five joint ventures,’ she said, adding that membership stood at 69,639, comprising 38,767 men and 30,872 women.

She added that during the 2025/2026 season, cooperatives facilitated the sale of 21,408,497 kilogrammes of sesame worth Sh53.9 billion, 28,194,517 kilogrammes of pigeon peas worth Sh28.2 billion, 1,216,740 kilogrammes of cocoa worth Sh17.4 billion, and 435,337 kilogrammes of cashew nuts worth more than Sh1 billion, with farmers paid on time.

In addition, Ms Sostenes said 495,000 tonnes of sugarcane worth Sh34 billion were sold to Kilombero, Mtibwa, and Mkulazi factories, while more than Sh2 billion was collected through various levies and taxes across the region’s nine councils.

She further said other achievements include linking 23 crop cooperatives with Saccos and financial institutions to improve access to loans, as well as helping the government obtain accurate data on agricultural production and trade.

However, the Morogoro Cooperative Development Forum Chairperson, Mr Idadi Bilali, said that despite these gains, farmer-pastoralist conflicts and lack of reliable markets remain major obstacles affecting cooperative development overall.

He said the conflicts have severely impacted areas such as the Mbigiri and Mtibwa basins, where rice, sugarcane, and other farmers have suffered significant losses, with some abandoning commercial farming altogether.

Mr Bilali added that crops such as rice, maize, beans, and vegetables are still being sold to middlemen due to the absence of structured markets, depriving farmers of fair returns.

Representing Morogoro Regional Commissioner Adam Malima, Kilombero District Commissioner, Mr Dunstan Kyobya said the region should learn from other regions that have successfully strengthened cooperative systems to improve efficiency, transparency, and member benefits.

He said cooperative success would increase further if existing challenges are addressed, stressing that integrity, cooperation, and peace are the foundation of the sector’s growth.

‘Morogoro Region has every reason to become a leader in cooperatives in the country, but this is only possible if we strengthen management, resolve conflicts, and ensure farmers access profitable markets for their produce,’ said Mr Kyobya.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed health researchers to investigate the growing number of children suffering from cancer and heart diseases, warning that the trend is becoming an increasingly serious public health concern in Tanzania.

Speaking yesterday during the inauguration of a new radiotherapy centre at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, President Hassan said the rise in non-communicable diseases among children demands urgent scientific attention to establish the underlying causes and guide preventive interventions.

The East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) has approved a supplementary budget of about $4.79 million (about Sh12.61 billion) for the 2025/2026 financial year.

At the same sitting, the East African Community (EAC) tabled a proposed budget of $110.9 million for the 2026/2027 financial year.

More than 600 leaders, policymakers, innovators, academics and civil society representatives from across Africa and beyond are expected to gather in Addis Ababa on July 29 and 30, 2026, for the inaugural World Public Summit Africa, organisers have said.

Hosted at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca) under the theme ‘New World: Africa in Shaping a Common Future,’ the summit is being organised by the World Peoples Assembly in partnership with the Global Black Centre and several international organisations.

Organisers say the forum will provide a platform for advancing dialogue, cooperation and development through public diplomacy, cultural exchange and economic partnerships at a time when African countries are seeking a greater role in global decision-making.

According to the organisers, the summit reflects a growing view that traditional state-to-state diplomacy alone is no longer sufficient to address contemporary challenges and opportunities.

Instead, they argue for broader engagement involving citizens, civil society organisations, educational institutions, businesses and cultural actors.

‘The summit reflects a new approach to international engagement that prioritises people-to-people cooperation, mutual respect and shared development goals,’ organisers said in a statement.

The two-day event will feature a high-level plenary session, five thematic discussion tracks, an international business cooperation forum, a 1,200-square-metre innovation exhibition and an international awards ceremony. More than 2,000 participants are also expected to attend a closing celebration and concert at the Adwa Memorial Complex.

Discussions will focus on five themes considered critical to Africa’s future development and international engagement.

The first track, ‘Genuine Sovereignty,’ will examine strategies for strengthening national resilience through investments in infrastructure, food security and information systems, while exploring how African countries can enhance self-reliance and remain active participants in global cooperation.

The second, ‘Youth Leadership,’ will focus on education, employment and leadership development, with discussions expected to explore ways of equipping Africa’s growing youth population with skills and opportunities to compete in a global economy.

Under ‘Innovations for the Future,’ experts will discuss artificial intelligence, digital transformation, infrastructure modernisation, media evolution and the wider social implications of technological change.

A fourth track, ‘Creativity and Cultural Diplomacy,’ will explore how Africa’s cultural heritage can be used to strengthen international partnerships, build trust and foster mutual understanding among nations and communities.

The fifth theme, ‘International Scientific and Educational Cooperation,’ will focus on cross-border research, academic partnerships and knowledge exchange as drivers of sustainable development.

Alongside the thematic discussions, the International Business Cooperation Platform will seek to strengthen economic ties between African and international partners. Organisers say the forum, themed ‘From Trust Between Peoples to Trust Between Economies,’ will facilitate business-to-business and government-to-business engagements while showcasing investment opportunities across the continent.

Participants will also have access to an innovation exhibition featuring solutions in food technology, cybersecurity, financial technology, smart transport, education and digital infrastructure.

Organisers say the summit is intended to deliver practical outcomes beyond the event itself. These include plans to establish an African Network of Public Diplomacy, create a community of African public diplomacy leaders and launch a World Peoples Assembly Business Club in Africa.

Other anticipated outcomes include the development of a media platform dedicated to public diplomacy and African storytelling, as well as stronger partnerships among governments, non-governmental organisations and the private sector.

Delegates are expected to adopt four key documents at the conclusion of the summit: an African Communiqué, recommendations for the broader World Public Summit 2026, proposals to strengthen NGO cooperation across the continent and initiatives supporting the development of a public diplomacy media platform.

The Addis Ababa gathering will be the first of six regional summits planned ahead of the flagship World Public Summit 2026 under the theme ‘A New World: Values That Unite.’ Additional regional forums are scheduled for India, the Arab world, Latin America, Europe and Russia.

Organisers say the Africa summit will provide an opportunity for the continent to contribute to emerging global conversations on diplomacy, development and international cooperation while promoting a vision grounded in sovereignty, innovation, cultural exchange and shared prosperity.

Clad almost entirely in red and draped in South Korean flags, hundreds of Korean Americans transformed Liberty Park in Los Angeles’ Koreatown into a slice of home on Wednesday, chanting, singing and dancing under ?the banner of a simple slogan: “Keeping Our Roots Eternal.”

The phrase adorned flags, food stalls and merchandise across the park, capturing the spirit of a World Cup watch party that became about far more than the outcome of South Korea’s final group-stage match against South Africa.

While the action unfolded more than 1,400 miles (2,250 km) away in Monterrey, Mexico, Liberty Park briefly felt much closer to Seoul than Southern ?California.

Families queued for Korean street food and face painting before kickoff as performers took to the stage. Drummers pounded in ?perfect rhythm with cheerleaders while supporters broke into chants that echoed across the park.

Even when South ?Korea conceded a second-half goal on their way to a 1-0 defeat, the noisy atmosphere barely wavered.

During the hydration break, cheerleaders rushed ?back onto the stage, leading fans through energetic routines to Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and music from the hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters”, quickly ?replacing disappointment with celebration.

For many gathered in Koreatown, the day was less about football than about reaffirming ties to a heritage thousands of miles away.

‘Bringing our community together’

“I love Korea. I love representing my heritage,” said Irene Choi, who was born in Los Angeles and whose mother runs a ballet ?school in the city’s Korean community.

“I wish I was in Korea and I could experience it there. I never have. But this ?comes second. Every single World Cup viewing party in K-Town is always so much fun. It brings our community together.”

Mitchell Lee, a nonprofit worker Maryland ?who was visiting Los Angeles with relatives for a family wedding, said attending the gathering was never in doubt.

“Koreatown just has such a vibe,” he said. “We had to come.”

Born and raised in the US, Lee said football remains one of the strongest connections his family have to their roots.

“We love cheering together as one community,” he said.

Others admitted they were drawn less by the sport ?itself than by the shared experience.

“I’m ?not really a soccer fan,” ?said Donnie, a registered nurse who has lived in Los Angeles since childhood.

“But the World Cup kind of always brings out a little bit of national pride. It’s more fun to watch ?when a crowd is screaming and enjoying it instead of just watching it at home by ?myself.”

While many fans ?were too young to remember South Korea’s run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2002 when the country co-hosted the tournament with Japan or were born in the United States, the public gathering offered something different: an opportunity to celebrate a shared identity with strangers who ?felt like ?family.

As the final whistle confirmed defeat, leaving South Korea hoping to reach the ?knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams, the drums continued to beat and fans lingered in Liberty Park, chatting beneath fluttering Korean flags.Advertisement · Scroll to continue

For one afternoon ?in Los Angeles, the crowd embraced the feeling the slogan promised: keeping their roots eternal.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Japan’s north-east coast on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, no injuries were immediately reported and authorities said no irregularities had been detected at nuclear facilities.

Japan’s government established an emergency response team to gather information on the earthquake in the Tohoku region and said it was prepared to launch disaster relief operations if necessary.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that authorities were closely monitoring the situation following the quake.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake’s epicentre was located off the coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of about 50 kilometres. The agency said no tsunami damage was expected, although slight changes in sea levels could occur.

On Japan’s seven-point seismic intensity scale, the hardest-hit area was Aomori Prefecture, which recorded an intensity of 6-plus, a level capable of making it difficult for people to remain standing or move without crawling.

Tohoku Electric Power said no abnormalities had been detected at its Onagawa nuclear power plant or the idled Higashidori facility. The Nuclear Regulation Authority also reported no irregularities at nearby facilities operated by Tokyo Electric Power and other companies.

East Japan Railway said it had suspended some train services, including sections of the Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed rail network, while safety inspections were carried out. Some expressway routes in Aomori were also temporarily closed for inspections.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active countries. The country accounts for about one-fifth of the world’s earthquakes measuring magnitude 6 or higher.

In March 2011, Japan’s north-east coast was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest ever recorded in the country, followed by a devastating tsunami. The disaster triggered the world’s worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chornobyl disaster.

Come July 1, 2026, Mofat Company Limited, the contracted private operator for Phase II of the Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, will have a monopoly on the Mbagala, Gerezani, Kivukoni route, on which the current transport service providers, mainly the minibus daladalas, bodabosas, and bajajis, will be unlicensed, giving the Company a monopoly on that route.

Under a 12-year contract with the Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART), the Company is responsible for managing daily passenger transport, fleet deployment, and station services along the Gerezani-Mbagala corridor via Kilwa Road.

The removal of daladalas (etc) from this route may sound strange. After all, competition is the rule of the game. Indeed, modern economics is largely against monopoly, though there are exceptions. For example, there are economic activities that are seen as natural monopolies.

A natural monopoly is a market where a single firm can serve the entire demand more efficiently than multiple competing businesses. This occurs in industries with massive startup and fixed infrastructure costs, leading to continuous economies of scale where average costs fall as production increases.

A good example is where it is economically inefficient and a wasteful duplication of physical resources, for two or more companies to build identical infrastructure (such as, two sets of water pipes or power grids or sewer lines) for the same street.

The case of BRT is different and falls under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) set of activities, which came in, in the late 1970s, early 1980s, to tap the resources within the private sector, to build or provide services, which traditionally fell under the public sector.

The public sector has to create a situation which would make such activities bankable (i.e. profitable), and attractive for the private sector to invest in.

Doing so means mitigating exposure (of the private sector investment) to a number of risks.

This could be done through contractual allocation of risks to the parties in the partnership, best suited to manage them (e.g., construction risk to the contractor, demand risk to the operator).

In the case at hand, DART owns the infrastructure. Ideally, it should have also offered the bus services. But, resources, as well as managerial assets may be wanting. Recourse was done to bring in a private operator under a 12-year contract (concession).

Key aspects of the Company’s role and operations include fleet operations where Mofat is tasked with operating a fleet of hundreds of gas-powered (CNG) buses on dedicated lanes (owned by DART) to ensure fast and eco-friendly urban travel. The operator was expected to manage the demand risk.

In meeting its obligations, Mofat which started operations in October 2025, soon found that it was running at a loss mainly because of low ridership on its imported buses.

This is what, in PPP lingo, is grouped under ‘Market and Demand Risk’, that is, ‘The risk that the infrastructure or service fails to generate sufficient revenue, such as traffic on a toll road or ridership on a train line falling below projections’.

The blame was put on daladals, bodabodas and bajajs, which continued to attract passengers, compared to the luxurious, ‘airline quality’ buses which the private operator had fielded. The government was requested, to mitigate the demand risk by banning these other service providers to boost ridership on the new buses, which would, in turn translate into higher cash flow and profitability of the Company.

Mbagala is reputed to be the most populous neighbourhood in Dar es Salaam. Its residents are largely in low-income brackets, who travel a lot to and from the city centre to collect merchandise, including fish, to trade in. It is thus confounding that there should be a problem with passengers.

The problem could be market mismatch: the type of services provided, the price charged and what the people want and can afford.

Daladala and other current service providers, are reputed for being flexible, stopping regularly in between official bus stops, on request (msaada tutani), or on seeing a potential passenger.

The staff (kondas) are very helpful, especially with loading and unloading mizigo (loads which passengers are taking with them). The fare is also comparatively low.

Mofat airline standard of services and the fare structure may not match the demand and pockets of sections of the population.

Market segmentation is a reality. Mitigating the demand risk, is common in PPP arrangements, but the government may want to think about providing alternative routes for daladala owners and operators. This is a concern which was raised way back in time, when BRT was being conceived.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Minerals, Mr Yahya Samamba, said the government collected Sh1.36 trillion by June 23, 2026, equivalent to 113.34 percent of its target for the period January 2025 to June 2026, which was set at Sh1.2 trillion.

Mr Samamba said the strong performance was the result of cooperation between the ministry, the Mining Commission, and other stakeholders in the sector.

He made the remarks on Wednesday, June 25, 2026, during a working session with the Mining Commission management, assistant mining inspectors, and institutions under the ministry, including the State Mining Corporation (Stamico).

During the session, he said that 40 percent of the revenue collected was contributed by small-scale miners.

‘As the supervisor of ministry staff, I decided to meet institutions responsible for revenue collection, particularly the Mining Commission, to collectively assess our performance, identify gaps, and determine what needs to be improved in the coming 2026/27 financial year to meet the government’s target of Sh1.4 trillion,’ said Mr Samamba.

He said a proposal submitted to Parliament seeks to retain 10 percent of mining revenues within the ministry to fund exploration activities. He added that only 16 percent of large-scale mineral exploration has been completed, noting that President Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed that exploration coverage be expanded.

‘We believe that once the country achieves 100 percent exploration coverage, mining revenues could double and significantly support the national budget.

For example, the budget for the 2026/27 financial year is projected at Sh62.3 trillion,’ he said. He urged ministry officials to avoid misuse of allocated funds, stressing that proper planning and accountability are essential to ensure resources are used for their intended purposes, warning that mismanagement would undermine government trust in officials.

Mr Samamba also said the government has introduced strategies to combat mineral smuggling while improving conditions for small-scale miners, who contribute significantly to national revenue.

He noted that small-scale miners now have clearer guidance on where to sell their minerals, a measure that has helped improve revenue collection.

‘We also have a special task force that ensures all actors in the mining value chain operate in accordance with laws, regulations, and guidelines. Anyone who violates the law will face enforcement action from the police as well as the task force responsible for curbing mineral smuggling and monitoring the sector,’ he said.

Mining Commission Commissioner, Dr Janet Lekashigo, said the commission would continue to discharge its duties with professionalism, accountability, and efficiency.

She said the meeting provided an opportunity to assess the implementation of the 2025/26 financial year plans, review achievements and challenges, and develop a stronger strategy for 2026/27.

Dr Lekashigo assured the ministry that the commission would continue implementing all directives.

and guidance issued to strengthen the mining sector for national benefit.

Mining Commission Commissioner, Dr Abdulhaman Mwanga, emphasised the importance of coordination among institutions under the ministry, noting that the Mining Commission, Stamico, and the Geological Survey of Tanzania (GST) form a critical ‘triangle’ for the sector.

He described GST as the backbone of geological research, while Stamico serves as the engine of investment in the mining industry.