Category: The Citizen

A total of 150 golfers from Tanzania and neighbouring countries are expected to compete in the Vodacom Corporate Masters Golf Tournament on August 1 at the TPDF Lugalo Golf Club, with organisers promising a blend of competitive sport and high-level business networking.

The one-day tournament, sponsored by Vodacom Tanzania PLC in partnership with Oakwood Holdings Limited, will bring together men, women and junior golfers from various clubs across the region. The competition will be played over 18 holes under the stroke play format.

Now in its third year under Vodacom’s sponsorship, the Corporate Masters has grown into one of the country’s leading corporate golf events, providing a platform for business leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals to build partnerships while promoting the game of golf.

Speaking during the tournament’s launch in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Vodacom Tanzania PLC Head of Marketing and Enablement for Vodacom Business, Joseph Sayi, said the company remains committed to using sport as a platform to strengthen relationships with customers and stakeholders.

“At Vodacom, we believe sustainable business growth is built on strong and meaningful relationships. The Corporate Masters Golf Tournament is more than a sporting event; it is a platform that brings together decision-makers, innovators and business leaders to connect, exchange ideas and explore opportunities that contribute to Tanzania’s digital transformation agenda,” said Sayi.

He said the event reflects Vodacom Business’ commitment to supporting organisations with reliable technology solutions while creating opportunities for networking and collaboration across different industries.

According to Sayi, participants will also have an opportunity to interact with Vodacom’s leadership team and learn about the company’s latest digital products and services designed to help businesses improve efficiency and remain competitive in an increasingly technology-driven economy.

During the tournament, Vodacom Business will showcase a range of solutions, including cloud services, cybersecurity, digital connectivity and business technology products tailored to meet the changing needs of corporate clients.

Corporate Masters chairman Ken Kariuki described the event as one of the country’s premier corporate engagement platforms, noting that it continues to create value for participating companies through networking, customer engagement and increased brand visibility.

He said the tournament has become an important meeting point for business executives seeking new partnerships while supporting the growth of golf in Tanzania.

Besides the competition for the Corporate Masters 2026 Trophy, the event will feature 10 corporate teams, a corporate village, exhibitions, entertainment, vintage displays and a dedicated children’s corner to create a family-friendly atmosphere.

Organisers believe the tournament will once again demonstrate how sport can serve as a catalyst for business growth, innovation and collaboration, while reinforcing Vodacom Tanzania’s commitment to advancing the country’s digital transformation agenda and supporting the continued development of golf in Tanzania.

Fertilizer subsidies remain one of Tanzania’s most important policy tools for boosting food production and protecting food security, but a new study warns that subsidies alone cannot sustainably transform agriculture.

The Study titled: ‘Effect of Fertilizer Subsidy Expenditure on Agricultural Growth in Tanzania, 1995-2024’, published by the University of Dodoma in (UDOM), insists that unless subsidies are backed by investments in irrigation, improved seeds, research and efficient distribution systems the policy would not serve to expectations.

The strong condemnation by Chief Justice George Masaju against lawless, self-styled bouncers invading residential properties to execute completely warrantless, forced evictions has triggered a highly crucial, nationwide debate on the absolute necessity of safeguarding the country’s rule of law.

While stakeholders welcome his timely stance as a vital step towards legal compliance, many fear it coincides with the worrying emergence of illegal, parallel groups usurping statutory powers and executing duties constitutionally reserved strictly for legitimate Tanzanian state security organs.

Former Chief Secretary, Amb Ombeni Sefue has welcomed the government’s decision to grant newly registered businesses a one-year tax grace period, saying it implements one of the key recommendations made by the Presidential Commission on the Review of Tax System Reforms, which he chaired.

In March 2026, the commission submitted 284 recommendations aimed at addressing structural weaknesses in the country’s tax system, including legislative gaps, administrative inefficiencies, taxpayer services and the use of information and communication technology

The High Court, Kigoma Sub-Registry, has dismissed an election petition challenging Mr Clayton Revocatus Chipando’s parliamentary seat, popularly known as Baba Levo, after finding that the evidence presented by the petitioners did not warrant the respondents being called to defend themselves.

The decision was delivered on Thursday, July 16, 2026, by Judge Victoria Nongwa, who is presiding over Election Petition No. 28949 of 2025.

The petition was filed by four constituency residents who identified themselves as voters: Johary Kabourou, Luma Akilimali, Pendo Kombolela, and Lumu Mwitu.

Shopping and doing business online across East Africa could soon become safer and more reliable as the East African Community (EAC) steps up efforts to boost consumer confidence in the digital marketplace.

The EAC Secretariat on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, announced the successful completion of a high-level Knowledge Exchange Mission to Geneva, Switzerland, and Belgrade, Serbia, aimed at gathering global best practices to help the region address challenges facing cross-border e-commerce.

Tanzania women’s national football team, Twiga Stars, departed for Morocco today to enter the final phase of preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), with a high-profile international friendly against Nigeria lined up.

The match is scheduled for July 19 in Casablanca, just a week before the continental tournament kicks off on July 26, and is expected to provide the Tanzanian side with a stern test against one of Africa’s most successful women’s football nations.

According to Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) National Teams Director Almasy Kasongo, the fixture forms part of the team’s final preparations before they begin their Wafcon campaign.

The squad has been holding a residential training camp in Karatu, Arusha Region, where the technical bench focused on improving fitness, tactical discipline and team cohesion ahead of the tournament.

Following the completion of the camp, the team left Tanzania today for Casablanca, where they will continue with the final phase of preparations before the tournament gets underway.

Besides the Nigeria encounter, Twiga Stars could also face either Ghana or Mali in another international friendly before the tournament, subject to confirmation from the respective football associations.

“We are satisfied with the progress the team has made in Karatu. The players have responded well to the training programme, and today they have travelled to Morocco to continue with the final phase of preparations before the tournament begins,” Kasongo said.

He said the coaching staff remains optimistic that the team will be ready to compete against some of the continent’s strongest sides.

“We believe the technical bench has prepared the team well, and we expect the players to give their best and compete strongly against some of Africa’s top teams.

“The friendly matches will give us an opportunity to assess the team’s readiness and make final adjustments before the competition starts,” he said.

Twiga Stars face a difficult task after being drawn in Group B alongside defending champions South Africa, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

Tanzania will begin their campaign against South Africa on July 27 at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca before taking on Burkina Faso on July 31 at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Rabat.

Their final group-stage match will be against Ivory Coast on August 4 at the same venue.

The tournament, which runs until August 16, will bring together Africa’s top women’s national teams and also serves as an important platform for countries to measure their progress in the rapidly growing women’s game.

For Twiga Stars, the warm-up matches against Nigeria and potentially Ghana or Mali are expected to provide the competitive edge needed before they embark on their quest to make a strong impression at the continental showpiece.

Jerusalem. US Vice President JD Vance said some members of the Israeli government had tried to influence US public opinion to oppose a deal by the US to end the war with Iran, in a podcast episode with host Joe Rogan posted on Wednesday.

The comments echoed earlier criticism of Israeli government policy by Vance, whom many view as a potential future presidential candidate, in a widening public rift between the two countries.

Vance defended a deal reached last month to end the war with Iran, which critics in the US and Israel have slammed for failing to curb Iran’s missile program and providing no clear path to dismantling its nuclear facilities, while constraining Israel in its war with ?Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign,” Vance said.

The vice president said that, while he has “good relationships” with some members of the Israeli government, “there are some people within their system that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely”.

Vance said that many countries, allies and adversaries try to influence American policy and that “it doesn’t bother me that Israel tries to do this, ?it frankly doesn’t even bother me that Russia or some of these other countries do it”. He said it was “just the nature of being a political leader in 2026”.

“What does bother me is when those operations, those influence campaigns, actually affect American political judgment,” said the vice president.

Vance lashed out at Israeli critics of the Iran deal in June, saying President Donald ?Trump is Israel’s only ally, in a sharp rebuke that referenced the billions in US defense aid the country receives.

Israeli senior officials, speaking anonymously, have said the deal’s terms were bad for Israel because they failed to address concerns over Iran’s nuclear ?and ballistic missile program, a view they say is shared across Israel’s leadership.

The tariffs will cover thousands of products, including sugar, agricultural machinery,

When asked if he thought the US would have engaged in the most recent war with Iran were it not for Israeli influence, Vance said, “yes, ?yes I do.”

“I think the president, separate from any influence from Israel, believes very strongly, and again I agree with this, that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For 11 years, Tanzania’s government has quietly built an argument it has never had to defend in public: that it no longer needs the private bar. Since the 2018 restructuring of the Attorney General’s Chambers, every ministry has had its own state attorneys, reporting through a newly created Solicitor General.

The logic was sound on paper: reduce reliance on external counsel, retain institutional knowledge, save money.

In the last financial year reviewed in Parliament, the Solicitor General’s office reported savings of over Sh643 billion in cases the government did not lose, a genuine achievement.

Tanzania has roughly 8,802 registered advocates on the mainland roll, and a large share, by every account within the profession, are not thriving.

The state, historically the largest buyer of legal services, has spent over a decade shifting demand in house. State attorneys, however capable, are stretched across dockets from land disputes to sovereign negotiations, often without the specialist depth a private market builds through repetition.

The result is not a cheaper legal system, but a government that increasingly reaches outside Tanzania once a matter is complex enough to matter, while the private bar survives on what is left over.

This should concern anyone watching the mega projects moving through the pipeline.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline has generated 7,500 Tanzanian jobs and channelled over TSh1.325 trillion to more than 200 local firms, strong numbers on local content. But look at where they sit: engineering, logistics, construction, supply.

The law is clear on legal services, clearer than on most sectors. The Petroleum (Local Content) Regulations and The Mining (Local Content) Regulations both require a contractor to retain only a Tanzanian legal practitioner or firm.

On paper, Tanzanian lawyers should already lead this work. In practice, transactions are routinely structured with international counsel in the lead and Tanzanian firms doing the research behind them, while the regulator receiving the legal services sub-plan rarely asks whether the law is being followed.

Contrast this with what government did last July. Faced with complaints that foreigners were crowding Tanzanians out of salons, mobile money kiosks and small trade, the Ministry of Industry and Trade acted decisively: fifteen sectors reserved for citizens, a dedicated task force, licences revoked, work permits rejected.

The rule reserving legal work on oil, gas and mining transactions for Tanzanian practitioners has existed since 2018. No comparable task force or enforcement drive has ever been built around it.

The trader today has a functioning enforcement regime behind the law protecting him. The advocate has a regulation and silence.

Part of the reason is that neither side has fought to make the law work. Departments that assembled a task force for salons and mobile money kiosks have never built an equivalent for the legal services sub-plans filed with the Mining Commission and PURA.

The body meant to hold government to that standard has spent much of the last decade absorbed in a different fight.

Since 2017, bar leadership energy has gone disproportionately into confrontation with government over constitutional and political questions, important, but pursued at real cost to enforcing rules already on the books.

A bar association cannot simultaneously be government’s sharpest critic and its most persuasive partner in enforcing space already reserved for its own members. Something must give, and for eleven years, it has been the advocates themselves.

Is this sustainable? I do not believe it is. As Tanzania’s investment pipeline scales from hundreds of millions to tens of billions of dollars, the cost of a hollowed out private bar becomes an investment risk in its own right.

Foreign counsel and their clients already cite thin specialist local capacity as a reason to keep decision making offshore, a self-fulfilling prophecy if ever there was one.

A jurisdiction that wants to be taken seriously for complex capital cannot afford a legal profession that is poor, sidelined and unrepresented where its own resources are negotiated.

The fix is neither mysterious nor costly, because the law already exists. It requires a government willing to enforce local content rules for legal services as seriously as it enforces them for salons, and a bar leadership willing to spend as much energy demanding that enforcement as it spends contesting the state elsewhere.

Tanzania cannot industrialise while leaving the profession meant to write its contracts unenforced and unprotected. The question is not whether change is needed, but how much longer both institutions can afford to wait.

Tanzania’s long-distance running star Alphonce Simbu is set to lead one of the strongest men’s fields ever assembled for the TCS Sydney Marathon when the race takes place on August 30, 2026.

Simbu, one of Tanzania’s most decorated distance runners, will be among the headline attractions at the prestigious event after organisers confirmed him as part of the elite men’s field.

The Arusha-based athlete heads to Australia in excellent form following another outstanding season on the international circuit.

He boasts a personal best of 2:02:47, placing him among the fastest marathon runners in the world, and recently reinforced his credentials with a second-place finish at the 2026 Boston Marathon, one of the six World Marathon Majors.

His consistent performances have made him one of Africa’s leading marathon runners and one of the athletes expected to challenge for victory in Sydney.

The race is expected to feature a highly competitive field, with Simbu lining up against several of the world’s top marathon runners in what organisers have described as one of the deepest elite men’s fields ever assembled on Australian soil.

The quality of the field is expected to produce a fast race as athletes battle not only for victory but also for valuable ranking points ahead of major international competitions.

For Simbu, the Sydney Marathon provides another opportunity to build on an impressive career that has seen him consistently compete against the world’s best over the past decade.

His recent performances have underlined his ability to compete with the sport’s elite, and expectations are high that he can once again challenge for a podium finish.

The TCS Sydney Marathon has continued to grow in stature in recent years, attracting some of the world’s leading distance runners as it cements its place among the most prestigious road races on the international calendar.

A strong performance in Sydney would further enhance Simbu’s growing reputation as one of Tanzania’s greatest marathon runners and provide another significant milestone in a career that has already delivered numerous international achievements.

Meanwhile, contrary to earlier speculation, fellow Tanzanian runner Magdalena Shauri has not been included in the official elite entry list for this year’s race.

Shauri had been linked with a possible appearance in Sydney, but the organisers’ confirmed elite roster does not feature her among the athletes set to compete in the women’s elite race.

Tanzania has continued to strengthen its reputation in international road running through athletes such as Simbu, whose consistent performances have kept the country’s flag flying high at major global competitions.

All eyes will now be on Sydney on August 30 as Simbu seeks to add another memorable performance to his distinguished marathon career and once again demonstrate Tanzania’s growing strength in long-distance running.