Category: The Citizen

Dar es Salaam. The government has directed all public institutions to prioritise the procurement of electric and gas-powered vehicles as part of efforts to reduce operating costs, cut reliance on imported petroleum products and improve public spending efficiency.

Presenting the government’s revenue and expenditure estimates for the 2026/27 financial year in Parliament, Finance Minister Khamis Mussa Omar said the directive is part of broader public finance reforms aimed at strengthening resource management and sustainability. He said ministries, departments and agencies must integrate the purchase of electric and gas-powered vehicles into their planning and budgeting processes.

“The government directs public institutions to consider procurement of electric and gas-powered vehicles in their plans and budgets. This aims to minimise operating costs and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products,” Mr Omar said.

He said the policy is intended to improve efficiency in public expenditure by ensuring national resources are used in a more productive and cost-effective manner. “The government will continue to strengthen management and control of public expenditure to achieve the national objectives of building a strong, inclusive and competitive economy,” he said.

Mr Omar added that implementation of the directive will be guided by existing legal and regulatory frameworks, including the Budget Act (Cap. 439), the Public Finance Act (Cap.

348), the Local Government Finance Act (Cap. 290) and the Public Procurement Act (Cap.

410). He said adherence to these laws, along with medium-term planning and budget guidelines, is expected to improve discipline in public spending and ensure value for money in government operations.

According to the minister, tighter expenditure controls will support the country’s long-term development agenda and economic transformation goals under Vision 2050. The government says the shift towards cleaner and more cost-efficient transport technologies within the public sector will also help reduce exposure to volatile global fuel prices and support broader energy transition efforts. .

Dar es Salaam. The government has said it will proceed with implementing a Sh62.3 trillion budget for the 2026/27 financial year, despite heightened global and domestic economic risks, banking on tighter fiscal discipline, stronger revenue collection and policy reforms.

The budget marks an increase from Sh56.49 trillion allocated in 2025/26. Presenting the estimates in Parliament on Thursday, Finance Minister Khamis Mussa Omar said the government would focus on improving economic stability while sustaining development spending. He said priority areas include prudent fiscal and monetary policy management, improving the investment and business environment, strengthening foreign exchange availability, expanding agricultural financing, promoting climate-smart agriculture and investing in alternative energy sources such as gas and electricity.

“The government will continue implementing prudent monetary and fiscal policies, improving the investment and business environment, strengthening the National Strategy for Improving Availability of Foreign Exchange, expanding the Agriculture Development Fund and investing in climate-smart agriculture,” Mr Omar told Parliament. The minister said efforts to stabilise foreign exchange supplies are aimed at cushioning the economy against external shocks, particularly in import-dependent sectors vulnerable to currency fluctuations.

He added that the government will also continue to diversify energy sources to reduce reliance on imported petroleum products and strengthen long-term energy security. Diplomatic engagement and cooperation with development partners will also remain a priority, aimed at safeguarding external financing and sustaining investment flows into key national projects.

Beyond economic measures, Mr Omar said governance systems will be strengthened through improved rule of law, enhanced cybersecurity capacity, stronger internal audit systems and better monitoring and evaluation of public spending. However, he cautioned that implementation of the budget could still face significant risks, including rising interest rates, inflation, currency depreciation and shifts in development partners’ policies.

Other risks include contingent liabilities, climate change, natural disasters, geopolitical tensions and cyber threats, all of which could affect service delivery and fiscal stability. “These risks may lead to higher borrowing costs for both government and the private sector, increased demand for foreign currency for imports, and a slowdown in production and economic activity,” he said.

Mr Omar warned that such pressures could widen the budget deficit, increase inflation and reduce the government’s ability to finance both development and recurrent expenditure. He also noted that climate change and natural disasters could result in loss of life and damage to infrastructure and ecosystems, raising recovery and reconstruction costs.

Geopolitical tensions, he added, could disrupt external financing flows, including grants, concessional loans and foreign direct investment, which are key to major infrastructure and social development projects. In addition, changes in development partners’ policies could reduce the predictability of external support, complicating medium-term budget planning.

The minister further said contingent liabilities and debt-related obligations could increase fiscal pressure through higher debt servicing costs and settlement of unforeseen claims, limiting fiscal space for priority development spending. .

The Government has said the National Budget for the 2026/2027 financial year will focus on key economic sectors as it seeks to build a resilient economy anchored on digital transformation, strategic investment and sustainable fiscal policies for inclusive growth.

This was said on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, by the Minister for Finance, Ambassador Khamis Mussa Omar, when briefing journalists on the eve of the budget presentation in Parliament.

Ambassador Omar said the 2026/27 budget is the first to be implemented under the National Development Vision 2050, and has been prepared in line with the Fourth Five-Year National Development Plan (2026/27-2030/31) as well as the ruling party’s 2025 election manifesto. He said in the course of preparing the budget to be presented in Parliament on Thursday, June 11, 2026, the Government received 727 proposals from stakeholders in both the public and private sectors on possible reforms in taxes, fees and various levies.

The proposals were reviewed by the Tax Reforms Technical Committee and a high-level technical committee, with the recommendations incorporated into the final proposals to be tabled before Parliament.

According to the Minister, the 2026/2027 budget will prioritise measures aimed at stimulating economic growth through reforms to strengthen productive sectors, increase domestic revenue collection to enhance fiscal self-reliance, and reinforce discipline in the use of public funds.

He further said the budget will emphasise the promotion of clean and alternative energy, acceleration of formalisation of the informal sector, improvement of the investment and business environment, and expansion of digital payment systems to reduce reliance on cash transactions.

The Government assured Tanzanians that it will continue to enhance stakeholder engagement and public participation in tax reforms and broader economic policy formulation to ensure the budget benefits citizens and supports national development.

Detailed allocations on revenue, expenditure and policy reforms will be presented during the formal budget speech in Parliament.

Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi said Zanzibar is seeking to open a new chapter of cooperation with Singapore, with a focus on economic diplomacy, trade and investment.

Dr Mwinyi made the remarks on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, during talks with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the State House in Zanzibar.

President Shanmugaratnam is on a three-day official visit to Tanzania. Dr Mwinyi said the long-standing relationship between the two countries should now be directed towards identifying new opportunities for economic cooperation that would deliver greater benefits to both sides.

He said Zanzibar was keen to strengthen collaboration in areas such as skills and technology transfer, education, innovation, capacity-building and strategic investment.

‘We will strengthen cooperation in strategic sectors and promote trade and investment,’ he said.

The Zanzibar leader assured Singapore of his government’s commitment to maintaining and deepening the cordial relations that have existed between the two sides, describing them as an important bridge between the people of Zanzibar and Singapore.

He invited Singaporean companies and investors to explore opportunities in Zanzibar, particularly in the blue economy and tourism sectors.

Dr Mwinyi said the blue economy offers significant investment potential, particularly in oil and natural gas exploration, deep-sea fishing, and marine products processing.

He noted that preliminary studies have indicated the presence of energy resources in some parts of Zanzibar, creating opportunities for investment in the oil and gas sector.

On seaweed farming, he said the crop supports thousands of livelihoods and that Zanzibar is seeking investment in value-addition industries to reduce reliance on exporting raw seaweed.

The President also identified the energy sector as a key area for investment, citing rising electricity demand driven by growth in tourism, hotel development, and large-scale investment projects.

He further called for Singapore’s support in advancing Zanzibar’s digital transformation agenda through technology transfer, digital public services, capacity-building for public officials, and expanded training opportunities for Zanzibaris in Singapore.

Dr Mwinyi described the visit as the beginning of a new phase of cooperation that could unlock fresh development opportunities for both sides.

For his part, the Singapore leader said his coubtry was committed to strengthening cooperation with Zanzibar and supporting its development aspirations.

He commended Zanzibar for the reforms it has undertaken in recent years and pledged to encourage Singaporean investors to explore business opportunities on the islands.

Following the talks, Dr Mwinyi hosted a luncheon in honour of his Singapore counterpart at the Zanzibar State House.

The High Court of Tanzania, Dodoma Sub-Registry, has quashed life imprisonment and 30-year sentences imposed on two men convicted of gang rape and sodomy, after finding that defects in the charge sheet rendered the proceedings invalid.

The freed men, Mr Patrick Manyuli and Mr Samwel Frank, were originally charged at Dodoma District Court with two counts of gang rape, contrary to sections 130(1) and 131A(2)(i) of the Penal Code, and sodomy, contrary to section 154(1)(a).

They were accused of committing the offences on December 17, 2024, at Maili Mbili area in Dodoma Region against a 19-year-old woman. The judgment was delivered by Justice Dr Juliana Masabo on Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Appeal No. 5212/2026, challenging the district court decision of December 29, 2025.

The court found that the charge sheet contained incurable defects that invalidated the entire proceedings.

Basis of appeal

The appellants had initially been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment and 30 years respectively, in addition to being ordered to pay Sh1 million compensation to the victim.

It was alleged that on the night of the incident, the victim was attacked while asleep in her room by two men who broke into her house.

Prosecution witnesses told the court that one attacker had dreadlocks while the other had short hair.

Armed with a screwdriver, they allegedly threatened the victim, gagged her and dragged her to an unfinished house, where they raped and sodomised her in turns.

After the incident, the suspects fled, leaving the victim at the scene. She later reported the matter to neighbours and police before receiving medical treatment.

Evidence showed that the accused were arrested and identified during an identification parade conducted by police.

However, the appellants challenged their conviction on 14 grounds, including failure by the prosecution to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, inconsistencies in evidence, and failure to call key witnesses, including co-tenants and a social welfare officer.

High Court decision

In her judgment, Justice Masabo raised a key issue not listed among the grounds of appeal, but which she said went to the root of the case.

She noted that the charge sheet identified the victim only by initials ‘A.M.’ rather than her full name.

However, during trial, witnesses referred to the victim inconsistently, with some calling her ‘the victim’ and others using different names not linked to the initials in the charge sheet.

The judge said proper identification of a complainant is a fundamental requirement, as it enables an accused person to understand the charge and prepare a defence.

She stressed that a charge sheet must contain sufficient particulars to safeguard the right to a fair hearing.

‘The record is silent on whether there was any special order or court directive authorising the use of initials instead of the victim’s full name,’ she said.

She added that even if such authorisation existed, the prosecution was required to ensure consistency between the charge sheet and the evidence presented.

The court further held that where discrepancies arise, the prosecution must seek amendment of the charge in accordance with the law.

Justice Masabo concluded that the inconsistency between the charge sheet and evidence was fundamental and prejudicial to the accused persons’ right to a fair hearing.

She ruled that the defect was not a mere technicality but a fatal flaw that vitiated the entire proceedings from the outset.

The High Court therefore declared the proceedings at Dodoma District Court invalid, quashed the convictions and sentences, and ordered the immediate release of the appellants unless held for other lawful reasons.

Tanzania’s ambition to become a significant player in the global minerals value chain will depend on stronger investment in research, exploration and innovation, experts said yesterday during the opening of the 11th University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Research and Innovation Week.

The conference, held under the theme Harnessing Tanzania’s Mineral Wealth for Renewable Energy, Digital Transformation and Societal Security, brought together policymakers, researchers, engineers and industry players to discuss how the country can convert its mineral resources into long-term economic gains.

Prices of rice and maize flour have started to decline in Morogoro Municipality following the onset of harvesting in Kilosa, Mvomero and Ifakara districts.

Premium rice from Ifakara, Kilosa and Mvomero is currently selling at between Sh1,800 and Sh2,500 per kilogramme, compared with Sh2,800 to Sh3,500 before the harvest season.

Maize flour is also retailing at Sh1,100 per kilogramme, down from Sh1,300 previously. A trader in the Azimio area, Mr Joseph Mgabo, attributed the price decline to increased local supply following the harvest.

‘Before the harvest season, much of the rice sold in Morogoro came from other regions, which increased transportation costs and pushed prices up. Now farmers in many parts of Morogoro have started harvesting, and I expect prices to fall even further,’ he said.

Food vendor, Ms Fatuma Omary, said the lower prices had enabled her to increase food portions for customers while maintaining profitability.

‘I have increased food portions and my customers are happy. Previously, I had to reduce portions because the prices of rice and maize flour were too high,’ she said.

Residents welcomed the decline, saying it would help ease the cost of living since rice and maize flour are among the most widely consumed staple foods.

One resident, Mr Oswad Nyamoga, said the price reductions would bring relief to many households.

‘Rice and ugali are staple foods for most families. A reduction in their prices means lower household expenses and improved access to food,’ he said.

Last week I wrote about coping with grief in the workplace, and this week I have come up with some insights on how managers and teams can support a grieving employee.

Grief changes people and behind every grieving employee is a person relearning how to think, focus, and care in a changed world. For managers, this can feel unsettling. As a leader you may worry about saying the wrong thing or not doing enough, but this is your reminder that leadership is not about perfect words or quick fixes, but about presence. What an employee needs most is humane leadership that does not punish them for being human or measure their worth by the speed of their recovery.

Most managers are trained to manage performance, allocate resources, and solve problems with clear inputs and measurable outputs. Grief resists all three, it does not follow timelines, respond predictably to intervention, or resolve within policy-defined windows.

The underlying assumption is that grief is a short interruption rather than an ongoing condition that reshapes attention, motivation, and cognitive capacity. Organisational psychology consistently shows that when leaders default to this assumption, the cost is not short-term inefficiency but long-term erosion of trust and engagement.

Effective leadership during bereavement requires a mindset shift. Supporting a grieving employee does not mean lowering standards indefinitely or abandoning accountability. Clarity matters more than kindness alone. Employees cope better when they know what flexibility they have, how their work will be assessed for now, and which expectations are temporarily off the table.

Clear guidance on workload redistribution, communication norms, and boundaries reduces social friction and prevents the grieving employee from having to manage others’ discomfort.

Organisations that handle grief well adopt a longer time horizon and employees feel protected rather than penalised, they are more likely to re-engage fully over time, rather than quietly disengage or reassess their future with the organisation.

Here’s a quick practical manager’s checklist for supporting a grieving employee:

Acknowledge the loss clearly and briefly, without forcing emotional disclosure or extended conversation.

State explicitly what flexibility is available and which expectations are temporarily adjusted.

Agree on short-term priorities rather than expecting normal output across all responsibilities.

Shift from open-ended offers of help to specific, time-bound accommodations.

Reduce meeting load or cognitive complexity where possible during early stages of grief.

Check in at predictable intervals instead of frequent, emotionally loaded messages.

Frame performance conversations around capacity and support, not commitment or attitude.

Assign practical task coverage through one or two designated colleagues to reduce explanations.

Guide the team on boundaries so the employee is not managing others’ uncertainty.

Normalise professional support without implying it is required to remain productive.

Grief will visit every workplace eventually. When it does, leaders have a choice to treat it as an inconvenience to be managed, or as a human reality to be carried with wisdom. Those who choose the latter strengthen organisations by reminding everyone, especially themselves, that leadership is not just about results but also about responsibility for the people who produce them.

The Zanzibar Ministry of Blue Economy has admitted that fishers’ views and needs were not adequately incorporated in the first phase of distributing fibreglass fishing boats, despite them being the intended beneficiaries.

The docket’s deputy minister, Ms Mboja Ramadhan Mshenga, made the admission on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in the House of Representatives while responding to a question from Chumbuni Representative, CCM, Mr Makame Mohamed Sufiani.

The legislator said preparations for manufacturing and distributing the boats in the first phase did not involve fishers, resulting in some vessels failing to meet user requirements. He sought clarification on how fishers would be engaged in the next phase to avoid a repeat of the shortcomings.

In response, Ms Mshenga said it was true that challenges were encountered in the initial phase of the distribution exercise.

He assured the House that the government would take deliberate steps to involve fishers directly to prevent a recurrence of the problems.

‘Challenges were indeed experienced in the initial phase of distributing the boats,’ she said.

The deputy minister added that, to address the issue, the government plans to provide 14-metre boats in Chwaka, Ukongoroni, and surrounding areas, while training for beneficiaries has already begun.

She commended the legislator for engaging closely with citizens, particularly fishers, in understanding their challenges to help develop lasting solutions.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday outlined five priority sectors for enhanced cooperation between Tanzania and Singapore, as the two countries moved to translate decades of diplomatic relations into stronger trade and investment partnerships.

Addressing the Tanzania-Singapore Business and Investment Forum at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC), yesterday, President Hassan invited Singaporean investors to tap opportunities in ports and logistics, value addition in agriculture and mining, renewable energy, tourism and financial services.