Category: The Citizen

I am an overthinker who also enjoys living in the moment. This is especially evident in my love for nature. To experience nature, you have to be fully present. Not a second later. You can only notice how tree branches dance to the tune of the wind as it happens, never otherwise.

In Água Viva, the narrator calls this the instant. The now, if you will. The narrator opens up her consciousness, sharing her thoughts and life as she experiences it. Throughout the book, we are invited into the narrator’s life and her inner thoughts. She speaks of death. Joy. Good. Evil. God. And the interconnectedness of living things.

As I said, this book requires you to read it while fully present because Lispector’s writing demands that. The funny thing is that, in most cases, this is how I write. I observe and write life as it happens. And I find that this kind of writing forces you to hold on to an instant before it disappears.

There are times when I feel as though I am not living to my potential, and this happens quite a lot, as I imagine it does for many dreamers like me. The narrator wonders how she can feel so alive and still feel that she hasn’t reached her limits yet, that she is not doing all that there is to do. And it made me wonder: how does one know they have reached the limit of their potential? Is it when one has achieved all that they dream of? But life doesn’t give one everything they want. I guess that’s how life makes living fun?

But I love what she says to herself, almost in the same breath: ‘But I take risks. I live taking risks.’ There is no other way to live this life except by taking risks day in, day out. Because you can only realise your potential by taking action, and action requires risk.

At one point, her thoughts lead her to question who she is at her core. Her train of thought in this aspect comforted me because it put my experience into words so much better than I could have myself.

‘But what am I? The answer is just: what I am. Though I sometimes scream: I no longer want to be I. But I stick to myself and inexorably there forms a tessitura of life.’

This is exactly what it means to be human: asking yourself who you are time and again.

Life is fleeting by the second. It waits for no one. As you keep living, death is approaching and just waiting for your time to come so he can claim you for himself without a second thought about how it will turn the lives of your loved ones upside down when he takes you with him.

The narrator introduces death to us as she thinks about how alive she feels. ‘I am really alive; I am leaving – says death, without adding that he’s taking me along. Death takes place in my very being – how can I explain to you?’

The question of freedom has been on my mind a lot recently, and I wrote about it while reflecting on Epictetus’ Of Human Freedom. The narrator in Água Viva also grapples with it as she pours herself onto the page and on the canvas as she paints.

She asks: ‘Am I free? There is something still holding me. Or am I holding it? It is also this: I’m not entirely unbound because I am in union with everything.’

This resonated deeply because I am realising that I might never be fully free for as long as I am human. Something will always have a hold of me, and I a hold of it.

You will care about something, and when you do, you will never be free.

Água Viva is a book that requires you to be in the instant. To read it with your full heart to appreciate it. Because at the heart of it are the mundane thoughts that are also profoundly necessary for life to make sense. The narrator thinks about God. About art. About what it means to be unapologetically human, with fear, doubt, hope and courage. It is a book about nature as a phenomenon and the nature of human beings.

As you finish reading this review, pay attention to your thoughts and what is happening around you in this instant. Because this instant won’t be there a second later; once the wind settles, so do the tree branches.

Last year, I sat down with a woman who inherited her wealth through a family business. She had invited me to discuss a ghostwriting opportunity, and if I’m being honest, I walked into that meeting carrying my own assumptions. I assumed she had inherited success. She had the privilege, the connections and the opportunities that most entrepreneurs could only dream of.

Then she said something that stopped me. “I wasn’t given a business,” she told me. “I was prepared for one.” As our conversation unfolded, she explained that before stepping into leadership she had worked across different parts of the business, learning its operations from the ground up. She spoke about earning the trust of employees who had worked alongside her family for years. “Inheritance gave me an opportunity,” she said, “but it didn’t make me competent.”

It wasn’t just her work ethic that challenged my assumptions. It made me think differently about the role of the founder. Perhaps Tanzanian family businesses don’t struggle because the next generation isn’t ready to lead but because founders never build businesses that can survive without them.

According to the Family Business Institute, only about 30 percent of family businesses successfully transition to the second generation, around 12 percent survive into the third, and just 3 percent make it to the fourth. Across Africa, where family-owned businesses form the backbone of many economies, succession remains one of the greatest threats to long-term survival.

The irony is that the very qualities that make founders successful are often the same qualities that make succession difficult. Great founders are hands-on. They know every supplier, every customer and every employee. They negotiate the biggest deals, approve every payment and solve every crisis. In the early years, that level of involvement is often what makes the business succeed.

But over time, the founder becomes the business. And all that knowledge lives in one person’s head. Relationships depend on one person’s reputation. Decisions wait for one person’s approval. The organisation stops functioning as an institution and starts functioning as an extension of its founder. It’s unsustainable throughout the generations.

In many African families, another dynamic quietly complicates succession: respect.

From a young age, many of us are taught to honour our elders, to listen before we speak and to avoid publicly questioning those who came before us. Those values strengthen traditions, but in business, they can unintentionally weaken decision-making. When children hesitate to challenge their parents, senior employees avoid disagreeing with founders and difficult conversations are postponed in the name of respect, organisations then lose honest feedback. Healthy businesses create environments where ideas can be challenged without relationships being threatened.

Too many founders assume leadership can be handed over when they retire. In reality, leadership is cultivated years before titles change hands. Children may inherit shares, buildings and company vehicles, but they do not automatically inherit skill, credibility or the trust of employees. Those qualities must be developed deliberately.

Nigeria offers valuable lessons. Family enterprises such as the Dantata Group have sustained success across generations by gradually institutionalising leadership beyond a single individual. More recently, technology entrepreneur Leo Stan Ekeh has spoken publicly about preparing the next generation to lead the Zinox Group through deliberate succession planning rather than leaving leadership to chance. Their experiences remind us that successful succession is designed.

Looking back on my conversations with my client, I realise she was never really talking about inheritance. She was talking about preparation. The business may have been passed down, but leadership wasn’t. She had to earn that. Perhaps the greatest inheritance any founder can leave behind is the deliberate preparation of someone to carry on the business and the responsibility that comes with it.

At Keko in Dar es Salaam, plumbing expert Peter Tarimo has built a reputation over the years for solving problems that many people would struggle to fix.

From leaking water systems to difficult installations, his knowledge has largely been acquired through hands-on experience. He knows the tools, understands the systems and most importantly, knows how to get the job done.

But last year, his practical expertise was not enough to secure him a role in a project he believed he was qualified to handle. The reason, he says, was simple: he did not have the required formal academic credentials.

‘I knew I could do the work. I had done similar jobs for years, but because I did not have the required academic papers, I was left out,’ he says.

For him, the experience was painful not because he lacked ability, but because the system seemed to measure his worth by qualifications rather than by what he could actually do.

Today, the Keko-based plumber says he is following with interest the Tanzania Commission for Universities’ (TCU) plan to develop guidelines for micro-credentials, a move he believes could finally give people like him a formal way to have their practical skills recognised.

‘If there is a system that can test what I know and recognise the skills I have gained through experience, it will give people like me a better chance,’ he says.

His experience captures a wider problem facing Tanzania: people with useful skills do not always have recognised credentials.

For years, workers have learnt through apprenticeships, employment and short courses, adding skills to what they already know. Yet those additional competencies can remain invisible within the formal qualifications system.

Now, Tanzania is considering a new way of addressing that.

Giving skills a place in the system

TCU plans to develop guidelines for micro-credentials as the country seeks to ensure that short, skills-based learning can be formally assessed and recognised.

The commission says Tanzania is currently at the awareness and framework-development stage, with detailed guidelines yet to be developed.

TCU Executive Secretary Prof Charles Kihampa says the commission expects to begin developing the guidelines in the current financial year, while drawing lessons from countries such as Mauritius, Seychelles and some European countries.

‘We want to create awareness, and from this financial year, we will start developing some guidelines,’ says Prof Kihampa.

Experts note that the proposed framework is significant because micro-credentials are not simply certificates showing that someone attended a short course. They are intended to demonstrate specific knowledge, skills and competencies gained through targeted learning and assessment.

In simple terms, the question changes from ‘Did you attend the course?’ to ‘What can you actually do?’

That distinction could be particularly important for a country trying to produce more job-ready workers while also making better use of skills already available in society.

Mauritius offers a possible model

The discussions on micro-credentials have been informed by the experience of Mauritius.

During a consultative workshop involving university leaders in Tanzania, held during the National Education, Skills and Innovation Week in Tanga, Commissioner of the Higher Education Commission of Mauritius, Prof Romeela Muhee, explained how her country has integrated micro-credentials into its higher education system.

She said technological change, shifting labour-market demands and the growth of lifelong learning have created a demand for more flexible ways of acquiring and recognising skills.

‘Micro-credentials have emerged as an innovative approach to recognising the acquisition of specific knowledge, skills and competencies through short, targeted learning programmes,’ she said.

Mauritius has developed a structured policy and quality-assurance framework for the system, with micro-credentials linked to its National Credit Value and Transfer System.

The Mauritian model defines micro-credentials as records of learning outcomes acquired through a small volume of learning and assessed against clear and transparent criteria.

‘They can operate as standalone qualifications or, where appropriate, be combined to contribute towards larger qualifications,’ she said.

That experience provides Tanzania with an important lesson: recognition cannot simply mean allowing universities to offer more short courses.

There must be a system that establishes what the credential means, who can issue it, how competence is assessed and who will recognise it.

For the plumber in Keko, such a system could offer something the traditional qualifications structure has not always provided.

Prof Kihampa says one could take a six-week micro-credential in plumbing and become qualified to do plumbing work. One could then take a micro-credential in electrical installation and become qualified to carry out electrical work in a building.

Such credentials could therefore be accumulated over time, allowing an individual to build a portfolio of recognised skills.

For plumbing expert Tarimo, that possibility matters.

‘I may not have followed the same academic route as someone who has gone through university, but I have skills that people need every day. What I want is for those skills to be properly tested and recognised,’ he says.

The proposed system, however, is not intended to replace degrees.

‘This is not an academic degree that one can use to move to a master’s. This is for work. It is only for being allowed to work,’ says Prof Kihampa.

A micro-credential would not turn practical experience into a bachelor’s degree. Instead, it would provide recognition for a specific competency that has value in the workplace.

Recognition could change short courses

The plan could also benefit thousands of workers who are already using short courses to improve their skills.

A university graduate may complete a short course in data analysis, digital technology, project management, financial systems or another specialised field.

The additional knowledge may make the employee more productive, but the course often remains separate from the person’s main academic qualification, recorded only as a certificate of completion or participation.

Mzumbe University academic Dr Juma Mmari says this has been a longstanding challenge.

‘This will help greatly in the process of academia-industry collaboration because experts without degrees will be recognised and able to help produce more skilled professionals. For academics, it will also give status to the short courses we undertake,’ he notes.

The proposal therefore has implications beyond individual workers.

Tanzania is increasingly seeking closer collaboration between universities and industry, including bringing experienced practitioners onto campuses to teach practical skills.

A system that recognises specific competencies could make it easier to identify and value industry experts. The Keko plumber’s experience illustrates why this matters.

A person can spend years fixing real-world problems but remain excluded from some opportunities because the system has no clear mechanism for translating that experience into a recognised competency.

Universities could also benefit

TCU Chairperson Prof Makenya Maboko says recognition could encourage universities to introduce more skills-oriented short programmes and attract workers who want to upgrade particular competencies.

‘Because the credential will be recognised, people will be attracted to join short courses by paying for them, helping institutions as a source of income,’ he says.

This could give universities another way of responding to labour-market changes.

Rather than developing only long academic programmes, universities could offer targeted learning opportunities that respond to specific skills shortages. TCU is also considering how micro-credentials could fit within existing degree programmes.

Prof Kihampa says university students could earn separate micro-credentials for particular competencies, with corresponding credits recorded on their academic transcripts.

This could mean that a graduate leaves university not only with a degree but also with a clearer record of practical competencies acquired along the way.

Despite the promise, Tanzania’s micro-credential journey will not be without challenges. The country already has universities, colleges and training institutions offering short courses. The question is whether the skills gained will be recognised outside the institution that provides the training.

Prof Kihampa captured the challenge when discussing existing short courses, including those offered by institutions such as the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA).

‘The issue is to make this thing recognised. By whom?’ he queries.

That question should be at the centre of the guidelines now being developed. For micro-credentials to have real value, employers must understand them, professional bodies must trust the assessment and regulators must be satisfied that the holder has the competence required for a particular occupation.

If TCU can develop a credible system that protects quality while giving employers, professional bodies and regulators confidence in the credentials, the country could begin to unlock a large pool of skills it already has.

The government has allocated more than Sh63.8 billion to improve and expand irrigation farming in Mara Region, with part of the funds earmarked for strategic agricultural projects.

The allocation in the 2026/27 financial year is also expected to support large and small irrigation projects aimed at empowering smallholder farmers and improving their productivity, as the government seeks to increase their contribution to the economy.

Mara Regional Commissioner, Evans Mtambi, disclosed the figures in Musoma yesterday, during the launch of the distribution of irrigation pumps to smallholder farmers’ groups in the region.

He said the funds would help transform agriculture in Mara by improving productivity and reducing farmers’ reliance on rain.

‘The funds will finance strategic projects, including the rehabilitation of the Bugwema irrigation scheme so that it can be fully utilised and contribute to transforming the agricultural sector in Mara,’ he said.

According to Mr Mtambi, part of the allocation will finance the drilling of 34 deep irrigation wells at a cost of more than Sh1.2 billion.

The funds will also be used to complete feasibility studies and designs for 15 irrigation schemes at a cost of more than Sh2.4 billion, as well as feasibility studies and designs for seven irrigation dams.

Another Sh1.3 billion will be spent on purchasing 153 irrigation pumps. ‘More than 3,800 smallholder farmers are expected to benefit from these projects. A total of 121 groups have already been identified, including the farmers receiving pumps today,’ he said.

Mr Mtambi directed agricultural extension officers to closely monitor the beneficiaries and provide technical advice to ensure farmers adopt modern farming practices and improve productivity.

He said extension officers should also advise farmers on suitable crops for particular areas to ensure they plant the right crops at the right time.

Mara Regional Irrigation Engineer Adeliaidy Rutashobya said 80 farmer groups comprising 121 farmers were receiving irrigation pumps under the latest distribution programme.

She said 113 pumps worth more than Sh813 million would benefit farmers across all districts in the region.

Ms Rutashobya said the distribution would be accompanied by training on the proper use and maintenance of the equipment to ensure the project delivers the intended results. ‘The project aims to help smallholder farmers continue farming despite the challenges posed by climate change. In addition to receiving the pumps, the farmers will be trained on how to use them,’ she said.

Farmers who received the equipment said irrigation would help improve production and increase yields, contributing to food security while raising household incomes.

One of them, Mr Amos Magori, said unreliable rainfall and other effects of climate change had made farming increasingly difficult and reduced productivity.

‘With or without rain, we will now be assured of planting and harvesting. I only appeal to extension officers to remain close to us so that farming can help improve our lives,’ he said.

Another beneficiary, Ms Amina Sadiki, said many farmers had suffered financial losses because of dependence on rain-fed agriculture, which often resulted in poor harvests when rainfall was insufficient.

She said expanding irrigation would give farmers greater certainty and help them plan their production more effectively.

At 27, Madeleine Shimata has already built a career that cuts across entrepreneurship, fashion, music and academia; a combination she believes should not require a woman to choose one identity over another.

The Morogoro born entrepreneur, model and musician has built her profile both in Tanzania and abroad, earning a First Class Honours degree in Business Entrepreneurship and Innovation from De Montfort University in the United Kingdom before pursuing a Master’s degree in Management in Barcelona, Spain.

But beyond the qualifications and public profile is a woman determined to challenge conventional ideas about what a successful Tanzanian woman should look like.

‘I can walk into a boardroom as an entrepreneur, onto a set as a model and into a studio as an artist,’ Madeleine says, reflecting on the different sides of her career.

Her journey into business began at home. She grew up watching her parents build businesses, an experience that shaped her understanding of independence and enterprise. Her late father was also a pioneer in Tanzania’s financial services industry, having established the first bureau de change in Dar es Salaam.

At 18, Madeleine left Tanzania for the UK to pursue her undergraduate studies. At university, she took on leadership roles, including serving as a brand ambassador, president of a student society and international students’ representative.

Her academic achievements, however, developed alongside a growing interest in fashion and entertainment.

The model has worked on projects involving leading names in East African entertainment, including Diamond Platnumz and Harmonize. In 2023, she expanded her creative pursuits into music with her debut single, Penzi Jipya, followed by Nampenda, featuring Chino Kidd, in 2024.

Her entrepreneurial ambitions have taken an equally prominent place in her career.

Madeleine is the Founder of LIONESS BEAUTY, a fashion and lifestyle business based at Morocco Square in Dar es Salaam, dealing in accessories, handbags and footwear.

For her, the business is more than another venture. It reflects the identity she has adopted for herself; The Tanzanian Lioness.

‘I am feminine, ambitious and proudly Tanzanian,’ she says.

The lioness, she believes, captures the qualities she wants her journey to represent: strength, resilience, confidence and grace.

Her story also challenges the familiar idea that women must choose between beauty and intelligence, femininity and leadership, or creativity and business.

Madeleine’s career has instead developed across those spaces simultaneously. from university leadership and international education to modelling, music and entrepreneurship.

She now wants to build LIONESS BEAUTY into a recognised African lifestyle brand while encouraging young women to take education seriously, pursue leadership opportunities, achieve financial independence and create businesses of their own.

Despite having studied and lived abroad, she remains closely connected to Tanzania.

‘Tanzania is home,’ she says.

At a time when a new generation of Tanzanian women is increasingly defining success on its own terms, Madeleine’s journey offers a distinctly modern example; one in which education, business, fashion and entertainment can exist side by side.

At 27, The Tanzanian Lioness may already have several titles to her name, but her most significant chapter may only just be beginning.

The Council of Presidents and Ministers of the East African Community (EAC) has lifted the recruitment freeze across all organs and institutions of the bloc and approved a phased staffing plan starting in the 2026/27 financial year.

The decisions were reached in Mombasa, Kenya, from August 18 to 21, 2026, during an Extraordinary Meeting convened to address urgent personnel matters.

Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for EAC Affairs, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, who is the current chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, chaired the meeting, according to an EAC media statement released on Monday, August 24, 2026. Ministers, permanent secretaries, and delegates attended the meeting from partner states, EAC Secretary-General Ambassador Patrick Mbundi, and staff members from various institutions of the bloc.

‘To ensure effective operations, the Council directed the Secretariat to advertise, as soon as possible, 69 priority positions across all partner states and begin the recruitment process immediately,’ reads part of the statement.

‘The Council also approved an electronic recruitment system (e-recruitment) for the entire hiring process, a move aimed at improving transparency and efficiency,’ reads another part.

It also adopted job descriptions that had been reviewed and verified by experts from partner states.

During the meeting, the Council appointed Pascaline Balisanga Nyiramutuzo from Rwanda as the new East African Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) Executive Director for a three-year term.

The decisions are expected to streamline recruitment and strengthen the workforce and operational capacity of EAC organs, helping to effectively implement the Community’s Seventh Development Strategy, launched by EAC Heads of State in March this year.

The bloc faces staff shortages after positions left vacant when employees’ contracts ended remained unfilled for long periods, while the EAC continues to face financial challenges because some partner states have failed to contribute funds needed to run the community.

Young Africans (Yanga) will look to strengthen their title defence and leapfrog traditional rivals Simba at the top of the NBC Premier League standings when they face JKT Tanzania at the KMC Complex today.

Kick-off is scheduled for 6pm, with Yanga going into the encounter second on six points from two matches, three points behind unbeaten Simba, who have played three games.

The Jangwani Street giants have also made an impressive start to the campaign, scoring seven goals and conceding twice, while a victory would take them to nine points and put pressure on Simba at the summit. Yanga have already shown strong attacking form, opening their campaign with a 3-1 away victory over Namungo before dismantling Coastal Union 4-1 at home last Thursday. That result maintained their perfect record and extended their scoring run to seven goals in two matches.

JKT, meanwhile, are 14th with one point from two matches after drawing 1-1 with TRA United and losing 2-0 to Polisi Tanzania. They will therefore be seeking a major turnaround against the defending champions. History strongly favours Yanga.

The two sides have met 11 times since 2020, with Yanga winning eight and the other three ending in draws, leaving JKT without a victory. Yanga have also scored 23 goals in those meetings, compared with just one for JKT.

The most recent meetings underline that dominance. Yanga won 3-0 away to JKT on June 30, following a 5-0 home victory in February. Earlier encounters include a goalless draw in February 2025 and Yanga victories of 2-0 and 5-0 in the 2024 and 2023 meetings respectively.

Despite the record, Yanga coach Manqoba Mngqithi is unlikely to underestimate JKT, particularly with the league campaign still in its early stages.

The champions are also balancing domestic ambitions with their CAF Champions League commitments, making squad management increasingly important.

For JKT, the match represents an opportunity to upset the established order and collect a result that could provide an important lift to their campaign.

The day’s other fixture will see Coastal Union host TRA United at 8.30pm. Coastal Union are bottom of the table without a point after two matches, having lost 1-0 to Mashujaa before suffering a 4-1 defeat against Yanga.

TRA United are 12th with one point from two matches after drawing with JKT and Coastal Union.

With Yanga chasing the summit and Coastal Union searching for their first points, today’s double-header promises another important chapter in the early title and survival battles.

Rwanda, Zambia stars set for Arusha Sterling golf tourney

_: . Rwanda’s leading female golfer Sylvie Irakoze and Zambia’s Lornah Kalunga Mwenda are set to add international quality to next month’s Sterling Invitational Golf Tournament at the Kilimanjaro Wildlife and Golf Estate in Arusha.

The three-day tournament, scheduled for September 4 to 6, is expected to bring together 80 golfers from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, with organisers seeking to make the event one of the region’s most competitive amateur golf meetings.

Irakoze arrives in Arusha with an impressive recent record that underlines her status as one of Rwanda’s leading female players. She won the Amateur Ladies’ Division at the 2025 Rwanda Open and was subsequently selected among four Rwandan golfers for a Japan-based development programme aimed at preparing players for the 2028 Olympic GamesHer presence is expected to provide a major test for Tanzania’s leading golfers, particularly those familiar with the demanding Kili Golf course.

Irakoze also demonstrated her competitiveness in regional events last year, when she featured among the leading players at the I and M Bank Katogo Golf Series in Kigali and claimed the women’s longest-drive award.

Kalunga Mwenda, meanwhile, brings considerable experience from Zambia and has established herself as one of the country’s prominent female golfers. Her participation will further strengthen the international character of the tournament and provide another serious challenge to the host players.

The Zambian golfer recently earned a runners-up finish at the Ghana Ladies Open, highlighting the level of form she is expected to bring to Arusha.

Their participation adds another dimension to an event that has steadily grown into an important platform for women’s golf in East Africa.

The tournament, sponsored by Sterling Surfactant Limited and organised by Madina Idd, will be played under the stroke-play format, with players completing 18 holes each day. The main competition will have Championship/Silver and Division B categories, alongside senior men’s and ladies’ events.

The Championship/Silver category will cater for golfers with handicap indexes of five and below, while Division B will accommodate players with handicaps of 5.1 and above.

The ladies’ competition will cover 54 holes, while senior golfers will play 36 holes. Importantly, the tournament has been registered with the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and recognised under the R and A, giving eligible players an opportunity to earn valuable ranking points

Tanzania will be represented by several established players, including defending champion Ashley Awuor of Kenya, who is expected to return to Arusha seeking to retain the title she won last year.

Head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), Dr Alex Malasusa, has urged believers to use their tongues wisely, saying the small organ can bring gain or loss, promote or destroy peace, and earn a person honour or contempt.

Dr Malasusa said that, when used well, the tongue could be a great blessing, noting that some people are respected because of how they use it.

He was speaking on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at the 17th General Assembly of Meru Diocese in Arumeru District, Arusha Region. He said that although the tongue is a small organ, its improper use could cause loss and disrupt peace.

He likened it to a ship’s rudder, explaining how a small object can determine the direction of something much larger.

‘The tongue is a very small organ and sometimes doesn’t hurt, perhaps if someone gets an accident, but not something you can swallow a painkiller (pain medicine) for because it hurts,’ he said.

‘The tongue is a small organ but one bringing gain; we can preach, and that is why we are here, but also at the same time it can bring loss and breach of peace; there are many people honoured in this world for no other reason than because they use their tongue well,’ added Dr Malasusa.

He reminded believers to use their mouths and tongues well, including strengthening unity within Meru Diocese.

‘This Sunday, we are reminded to use our mouths and tongues well. I am not sure whether I would say more if this were another diocese, but here I know that you have used your tongues well, even in coming to this assembly. There were no harsh words concerning the agendas we know about. You used them well, and where you may have erred, we thank Jesus because he gives us time to repent,’ he explained.

‘Your tongue, my tongue is small, but it can rock a large ship or a marriage; it doesn’t matter how many years it has, but if the tongue moves a bit it can rock it,’ he added.

‘It can rock the good unity present within Meru Diocese; it is just a tongue, but it can heal, and the tongue has good work for one using it well to heal, and it can honour you or cause you to be despised,’ he insisted.

Head of ELCT Northern Diocese, Dr Fredrick Shoo, said the history of Meru Diocese showed how God’s hand had guided the church and urged believers to remain hopeful as they prepare to elect a new bishop.

‘Looking back, we see how God’s hand has been with you people of Meru Diocese, and we are filled with hope that this hand of the Lord will continue to be with you even this period when the Bishop’s election will be held,’ he said.

‘The word I would like to tell you and emphasise to you, as this matter has been spoken, let us leave it to God,’ added Dr Shoo.

Outgoing Meru Diocese Bishop, Dr Elias Nasari, thanked believers for praying for, supporting and encouraging him during his 10 years in office.

‘Thank you for supporting me, embracing me, and even where I failed the church and where I saw it was over, God told me the journey continues. I thank you very much for that period, and I cannot believe 10 years have passed since you elected me. Today is a very important day for the Diocese,’ he said.

‘That is where we are going to humble ourselves under God’s hand so that he can raise another leader who will carry this Diocese cooperating with him for another period that God will appoint,’ added the Bishop.

Tanzania’s leading marathoners Alphonce Simbu and Magdalena Shauri will carry the country’s hopes into a star-studded TCS Sydney Marathon next Sunday, as they face some of the world’s best long-distance runners in the Australian city.

The race has gained added significance after Sydney was admitted to the Abbott World Marathon Majors, making it the seventh marathon in the prestigious series alongside Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Tokyo.

The development has attracted a stronger international field and gives Simbu and Shauri an opportunity to test themselves against the world’s elite. Simbu goes into the race with considerable momentum and confidence after making history at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he became the first Tanzanian athlete to win a world marathon title. The 33-year-old has a personal best of 2:02:47 and has also finished runner-up at the Boston Marathon in both 2025 and 2026, underlining his ability to compete at the highest level.

The Tanzanian will face a formidable men’s field led by Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, whose personal best of 2:01:48 makes him the fastest entrant. Kenya’s Timothy Kiplagat, who has run 2:02:55, is another leading contender, while Vincent Ngetich brings extensive World Marathon Majors experience. Defending champion Hailemaryam Kiros of Ethiopia will also return after winning last year’s race in 2:06:06. Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana, who improved his personal best to 2:04:18 at this year’s Boston Marathon, adds further depth to the field.

The strength of the men’s race is reflected by the numbers, with 25 athletes boasting personal bests below 2:10 and 14 having broken the 2:05 barrier. Simbu’s experience, however, means he is unlikely to be intimidated by the quality of opposition.

Shauri will face an equally demanding challenge in the women’s race. The Tanzanian has established herself among the country’s leading marathoners and strengthened her reputation with a third-place finish at the 2025 Chicago Marathon.

Her Sydney campaign will be led by a clash with Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir, the Olympic and world champion, whose personal best of 2:14:43 places her among the fastest women in the field.

Jepchirchir’s record includes victories at the Boston, New York and London marathons, while compatriot Irine Cheptai, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, is another serious contender after recording a 2:17:51 personal best in Chicago.

The financial incentive is also significant. The winners of both the men’s and women’s races will each receive US$60,000, which is approximately Sh158.6 million).

French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are holding talks in Paris on Monday, with regional security, energy and investment high on the agenda as France and Saudi Arabia seek to deepen their strategic partnership.

The two-day visit, which began on Sunday, brings together two influential players at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over energy and transport routes in the region. Macron’s office said the leaders would discuss major regional issues as part of close cooperation between France and its Gulf partners.

The talks are expected to cover the situation in the Middle East, including regional conflicts and security concerns surrounding energy supplies and transport routes. France and Saudi Arabia are also looking at ways to strengthen connectivity between the Gulf and Europe and diversify routes affected by instability around the Strait of Hormuz. Economic cooperation is another major focus. Macron and Prince Mohammed are due to oversee the first meeting of the French-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council and attend a Saudi-French business forum, where opportunities for investment and bilateral trade are expected to feature prominently.

The partnership spans sectors including energy, transport, healthcare, technology and infrastructure, with Saudi Arabia seeking international investment as it pursues its Vision 2030 economic diversification programme.

The visit follows Macron’s trip to Saudi Arabia in December 2024, when the two countries agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership.

The crown prince’s visit began on Sunday with Macron hosting him at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Esports World Cup in Paris. The tournament was held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time, reflecting the growing role of sport, entertainment and technology in the two countries’ relationship.

For Macron, closer ties with Riyadh also provide an opportunity to strengthen France’s influence in the Gulf and its role in addressing regional crises. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is seeking stronger economic and diplomatic partnerships as it transforms its economy and expands its international role.

The talks are taking place against a backdrop of continuing instability around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy supplies. Regional countries have been exploring alternative transport and energy routes amid concerns over disruptions to shipping.

The meeting therefore puts both regional diplomacy and economic interests at the centre of the France-Saudi relationship, with the outcome likely to shape cooperation on security, energy, investment and trade.