Category: The Citizen

Mtwara. Yas has strengthened its long standing commitment to cashew farmers in Mtwara by confirming the continuation of its partnership with the 2025 Korosho Marathon, an event that has become a source of regional pride and a vital platform for youth empowerment and economic growth.

The announcement was made during the closing ceremony held yesterday at the Millennium Beach Grounds, where thousands of spectators and participants gathered to celebrate another successful edition of the marathon. Speaking at the event, the Minister of State in the president’s Office Youth Development, Dr Joel Nanauka, praised Yas for its consistent investment in Mtwara and for using the Korosho Marathon as a vehicle for social development.

He described the marathon as more than a sporting competition, calling it a celebration of the hard-working cashew farmers who sustain the region’s economy and a showcase of the determination and talent of local youth. Dr Nanauka said that initiatives like this demonstrate how sports can be used strategically to promote economic progress, strengthen community bonds, and inspire young people to pursue healthier and more ambitious lifestyles.

Yas Zonal Director for Coast South, Fadhila Saidi, said the companys involvement reflects its broader goal of supporting farmers and communities through digital, financial, and social initiatives. She highlighted the important role played by Yas and its financial service brand Mixx in advancing development across Mtwara by facilitating digital cash transfers, improving connectivity through expanded 4G coverage, and introducing 5G technology in Mtwara Municipality.

She added that Yas continues to collaborate with the Cashewnut Board, AMCOS, and cooperative unions to fast track payments to farmers, helping ensure that cashew earnings reach growers quickly and securely. Saidi described the Korosho Marathon as a catalyst for both economic activity and community unity.

She noted that the event attracts runners and visitors from across Tanzania, boosts local businesses, and promotes healthy living among the regions youth. She reaffirmed Yas and Mixxs dedication to supporting the organisers in scaling up the event in the coming years and encouraged more institutions to join efforts to uplift the cashew sector and empower young people in Mtwara.

Organising Committee Chairperson Nelson Mrashani expressed gratitude to all partners and congratulated the winners, who delivered outstanding performances across all categories. In the womens 21 kilometre race, Cecilia Ginoka claimed first place and was awarded Sh3.5 million, followed by Vaileth Adam with Sh2.5 million and Natalia Sule with Sh2 million.

In men’s 21 kilometre race was won by Peter Gidoska, who also received Sh3.5 million, with Protas Kableni earning Sh2.5 million and Dickson Paul receiving Sh 2 million. In the women’s’ 10 kilometre category, Grace Jackson Charles won Sh2 million, followed by Enestina Ngoloje with Sh1.5 million and Deborah Benedict with Sh1 million.

The men’s 10 kilometre race saw Jumanne Mnada take home Sh2 million, while John Joseph earned Sh1.5 million and Shedrack Damas received Sh 1 million. .

Istanbul. Pope Leoset off for Lebanon on Sunday, where he is expected to appeal for peace in a country that is a continued target of Israeli air strikes, on the second and final leg of his first overseas trip as leader of the Catholic Church.

The first U.S.

pope will arrive from Turkey, where he has been visiting for four days and warned that humanity’s future was at risk because of the world’s unusual number of bloody conflicts and condemned violence in the name of religion. Leo left Istanbul on Sunday afternoon and is due to land in Beirut at 3:45 p.

m. (1345 GMT), ahead of meetings with the president and prime minister and an address to national leaders, the pope’s second to a foreign government.

Lebanon, which has the largest share of Christians in the Middle East, has been rocked by the spillover of the Gaza conflict, as Israel and the Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim militant group Hezbollah went to war, culminating in a devastating Israeli offensive. Leaders in Lebanon, which hosts 1 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees and is also struggling to recover from years of economic crisis, are worried Israel will dramatically escalate its strikes in coming months.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Friday that he hoped Leo’s visit would help bring an end to Israeli attacks. Lebanon’s diverse communities have also welcomed the papal trip, with leading Druze cleric Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna saying Lebanon “needs the glimmer of hope represented by this visit”.

Pope visiting five Lebanese cities and towns Leo, a relative unknown on the world stage before becoming pope in May, is being closely watched as he makes his first speeches overseas and interacts for the first time with people outside mainly Catholic Italy. On Saturday, Leo visited Istanbul’s famed Blue Mosque, in his first visit as pope to a Muslim place of worship.

He removed his shoes in a sign of respect but did not pray at the mosque as planned, which appeared to surprise Vatican officials. The pope attended an Orthodox Christian liturgy on Sunday morning led by Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians.

In remarks during the service, which was filled with Greek chants, Bartholomew said the world “expects a unified message of hope from Christians unequivocally condemning war and violence”. “We cannot be complicit in the bloodshed taking place in Ukraine and other parts of the world,” said the patriarch.

Leo, 70 and in good health, has a crowded itinerary in Lebanon, visiting five cities and towns from Sunday to Tuesday, when he returns to Rome. Leo will not travel to the south, the target of Israeli strikes.

His schedule includes a prayer at the site of a 2020 chemical explosion at the Beirut port that killed 200 people and caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage. He will also lead an outdoor Mass on the Beirut waterfront and visit a psychiatric hospital, one of the few mental health facilities in Lebanon, where carers and residents are eagerly anticipating his arrival.

.

Johannesburg. South African police said they arrested four men en route to Russia who are suspected of having been recruited to fight in the military there.

The men were stopped at the boarding gate in Johannesburg on Friday, police said, weeks after reports another 17 South African men were stuck in Ukraine after being lured into joining mercenary forces with the promise of lucrative contracts. It is illegal under South African law for citizens to provide military assistance to foreign governments or participate in foreign armies without authorisation.

“The arrests followed a tip-off from (Johannesburg airport police) regarding four males who were en route to Russia via the United Arab Emirates,” the elite Hawks police unit said in a statement on Saturday. “A preliminary investigation revealed that a South African female had allegedly been facilitating the travel and recruitment of these individuals into the Russian Federation military,” it added.

The Hawks said the four suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday on suspicion of contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into how the 17 men ended up fighting in Ukraine, amid ongoing efforts to bring them home.

Police have also said they will investigate Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, who was accused by her half-sister of being involved in luring those men to Russia under false pretences. Zuma-Sambudla resigned as a member of parliament on Friday, but has not publicly responded to the allegations.

.

Arusha. Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Prof Palamagamba Kabudi, has urged Tanzanians to document their own life stories, saying that biographies of the nation’s founders could have provided invaluable guidance during times of national turbulence.

Prof Kabudi made the remarks at the weekend in Arusha during the launch of a 146-page biography of former Regional Commissioner, Ambassador Daniel Ole Njolai. The book details his public service career and personal history, including his upbringing in a Maasai pastoralist family and how he overcame challenges to obtain an education at a time when schooling for Maasai children was largely imposed by the government.

“The Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, left us a great loss by not writing his own biography. Many have written about him, but I wish he had done it himself,” Prof Kabudi said.

He said that Nyerere’s personal account would have served as a compass for the nation, particularly during challenging periods, offering lessons on how to navigate crises. “Many assume Mwalimu led without turbulence, but he faced challenges.

Had he documented them, it would have guided us through the storms we face today,” he said. Prof Kabudi encouraged Tanzanians to cultivate a culture of writing their own biographies to leave lessons for future generations.

“Everyone here should write their own story. No life experience is without value for the generations to come.

Let us leave a legacy, just as our brother Ambassador Ole Njolai has done,” he said. He added that biographies provide insights into overcoming challenges and navigating national transitions, praising Ambassador Ole Njolai for his courage in documenting his life and public service.

“Those who will become regional commissioners or ambassadors in 20 to 30 years will have a valuable reference. Your biography will guide them,” he said.

The minister also noted that the book will be acquired by the National Library and distributed widely for public reading. In the biography, Ambassador Ole Njolai recounts spending three years writing it, reflecting on his public service career, personal history, and the challenges of accessing education as a Maasai child.

Despite these obstacles, he persevered and successfully completed his studies. He described his rise to leadership roles as almost miraculous, emphasising that he never relied on a ‘godfather’ but was recognised and entrusted based on his own merit.

“I won the NEC (Youth) election at 29, despite being a newcomer in the party. That victory started my journey, eventually leading to a 16-year tenure as Regional Commissioner, which I consider a miracle in my life,” he said.

Ole Njolai added that the greatest satisfaction in his service was seeing citizens appreciate his work, motivating him to write the book so young leaders can learn from the experiences of those who have served in public office. .

Moscow. Kazakhstan told Ukraine on Sunday to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which handles more than 1% of global oil, after a major drone attack halted exports and seriously damaged loading infrastructure.

The CPC, which includes Russian, Kazakh and U.S.

shareholders, said it had halted operations after a mooring at its Russian terminal on the Black Sea was significantly damaged by a Ukrainian naval drone attack. Ukraine this year mounted wave after wave of attacks on Russia’s oil refineries and crude oil terminals in an attempt to undermine one of the most important sources of income for the Russian war economy.

Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry said the drone attacks were the third such attack on what it called “an exclusively civilian facility whose operation is safeguarded by norms of international law.” Kazakhstan “expresses its protest over yet another deliberate attack on the critical infrastructure of the international Caspian Pipeline Consortium in the waters of the Port of Novorossiysk,” the ministry said.

“We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.” There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

CPC accounts for about 80% of oil exports from OPEC+ member Kazakhstan, which exported about 68.6 million tons of oil last year. It brings crude from the Tengiz, Karachaganak and Kashagan fields of Kazakhstan to the Yuzhnaya Ozereevka terminal at Novorossiysk.

CPC’s main suppliers are fields in Kazakhstan but it also collects crude from Russian producers. The CPC’s 1,500 km (930 mile) pipeline includes Russian, Kazakhstan’s state-owned KazMunayGas, and units of Chevron (CVX.

N), opens new tab, Russia’s Lukoil (LKOH.MM), opens new tab and ExxonMobil as shareholders.

‘I feel so sad then I came here in solidarity with the victims as well as we want to show the Hong Kong community that we are one in this situation.’ CPC said on Saturday that a November 29 naval drone attack on its terminal had “significantly damaged” Single-Point Mooring (SPM) 2 – essentially a floating buoy which connects to tankers to load oil.

“Further operation of Single Point Mooring 2 is not possible,” CPC said. “Loading operations and other operations were stopped (and) tankers were withdrawn from the CPC water area.

” “We believe that the attack on the CPC is an attack on the interests of the CPC member countries,” CPC said. Ukraine says its attacks on infrastructure deep inside Russia are justified as it is fighting for its existence in what it casts as an imperial-style war launched by Russia which has targeted Ukraine’s energy sector ahead of winter.

Russian officials say the Ukrainian attacks amount to terrorism and that European powers are now engaged in a hybrid war against Russia, which includes using Western intelligence agencies to help Kyiv target infrastructure deep inside Russia. .

Arusha. The Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) has called on researchers across the continent to prioritise innovative, inclusive and impactful research that offers practical social solutions, improves livelihoods and narrows Africa’s development gaps.

The appeal was made by ESAMI Director General, Dr Peter Kiuluku, while opening the ESAMI Global Research Colloquium 2025, which is being held at the institute’s Arusha headquarters from November 26 to 28, 2025. Dr Kiuluku said poverty in African countries goes beyond income deprivation, noting that it is rooted in limited opportunities. Research, he argued, must therefore help create new pathways and equip countries to navigate mounting economic pressures.

He observed that African societies are experiencing rapid change driven by technology, climate stress, shifts in economic structures and evolving governance systems. Research that fails to address these emerging realities, he warned, risks losing relevance.

“Research that does not generate impact is simply noise. We must develop knowledge that touches the real lives of Africans–from women and youth to marginalised communities and emerging economies,” he said.

Turning to the rise of artificial intelligence, Dr Kiuluku cautioned that the technology will only be transformative if it is integrated with indigenous knowledge and applied to solve real societal needs. He said AI holds vast potential to strengthen healthcare delivery, education, transportation, commerce, data analytics and even social relationships, but only if countries innovate with purpose.

“AI alone will not deliver transformation. Its value lies in how we innovate around it–how it reduces costs, improves equity and creates opportunities for Africa’s young population,” he said.

Dr Kiuluku urged institutions and scholars to expand their focus on social and economic entrepreneurship, technology-enabled public services, youth and women empowerment, new models of social protection and equitable access to education and healthcare. The three-day colloquium has drawn 150 participants, including researchers, academics, policymakers, private-sector players and innovators from across Africa and beyond.

The event is seeking research contributions across key themes such as Sustainable Development and Climate Action; Digital Transformation and Innovation; Governance, Leadership and Organisational Performance; Trade, Finance and Economic Integration; Competitive Strategy and Business Innovation; and Social Impact and Inclusive Development. ESAMI Deputy Director General, Dr David Kalaba, said research should not be treated merely as an academic activity but as a driver of institutional excellence, policy reform and societal progress.

“As we mark ESAMI’s 50th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the research ecosystem–linking knowledge to practice and delivering tangible outcomes for Africa’s development,” he said. The Director General of the Zambia Higher Education Authority, Prof Kazhila Chinsembu, underscored that research is only meaningful when it improves lives and is widely disseminated for effective use.

“Africa needs research that enables it to participate meaningfully in, and benefit from, global sustainable development. That is why our presence at this colloquium is crucial,” he said.

He added that the 2025 colloquium, themed “Research Ecosystems, Governance, Outputs and Social Impact,” aims to foster rigorous research, promote knowledge exchange and build capacity among African researchers, professionals and students. .

Arusha. The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has dismissed an appeal seeking to halt the implementation of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), ruling that the matter had been filed out of time.

The judgment upholds an earlier decision by the court’s First Instance Division, which struck out a petition challenging the construction of the 1,443-kilometr pipeline. The $4 billion project is set to transport crude oil from Uganda’s Lake Albert region to the Port of Tanga in Tanzania.

Four civil society organisations from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda lodged the appeal after their initial case was struck out on November 29, 2023, for being submitted outside the prescribed time limit. The latest ruling, delivered on November 26, 2025, came from a five-judge bench led by the court president, Justice Nestor Kayobara, sitting with Justices Anita Mugeni, Kathurima M’Inoti, Cheborion Barishaki and Omari Makungu.

The appeal No. 4 of 2023 was filed by the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT), the African Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), Natural Justice Kenya and the Center for Strategic Litigation Limited.

After reviewing submissions from both parties, the court upheld the earlier decision, confirming that the appeal was indeed filed out of time. It ordered each side to bear its own costs.

The appeal had been filed against the Attorneys General of Tanzania and Uganda, as well as the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC). In their petition, the organisations argued that the signing of the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) and Host Government Agreements (HGA) for the EACOP project violated provisions of the EAC Treaty relating to good governance, environmental protection and human rights.

They contended that the pipeline posed risks to communities, protected areas, biodiversity and food security, and that affected people had not been adequately compensated. The appellants further alleged that the pipeline route–from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga–breaches environmental and human-rights obligations by threatening forests, water sources, wetlands, international conservation sites, bird species, wildlife and broader ecological systems.

The First Instance Division had dismissed the original case with costs in November 2023, prompting the appeal. The organisations contended that the IGA signed in May 2017 between Tanzania and Uganda breached several articles of the EAC Treaty.

They asked the court to issue permanent orders stopping construction in protected areas and to compel authorities to carry out comprehensive environmental, human-rights and social-impact assessments with meaningful public participation before the project proceeds. They also sought to overturn the earlier ruling, arguing that the First Instance Division erred in accepting the preliminary objection that the petition had been filed out of time.

Following the judgment, Noel Mdoe, an advocate from Tanzania’s Center for Strategic Litigation (CSL), said that while the appeal had been dismissed on technical grounds, the organisations would continue exploring legal remedies. “We will not stop here because our arguments are grounded in strong legal principles on human rights, climate change and environmental protection,” he said.

“The journey continues. We will consult our partners and consider other legal avenues–whether at regional or international levels–in pursuit of the broader public interest and the wellbeing of our community.

” Mr Mdoe added that the agreements between the host governments and project developers form the core framework guiding EACOP, but insisted that both the IGA and HGA were signed in ways that contravene national, regional and international legal standards. .

Dar es Salaam. The government of Qatar has handed over 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles to the ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

The donation was made free of charge and without conditions. Qatar’s ambassador to Tanzania, Fahad Rashid Al-Murikhi, presented the vehicles to the minister for Foreign Affairs, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, during a ceremony in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.

Mr Kombo said the vehicles would improve the ministry’s operations, particularly for diplomatic missions, hosting international guests, and daily work. “We are grateful for this support.

The vehicles will help the ministry carry out its duties more effectively,” he said. Analysts said the donation strengthens Tanzania’s diplomatic capacity by providing reliable transport for overseas missions and government operations.

The ceremony was attended by senior ministry officials and representatives from the Qatari embassy. It is part of broader cooperation between Tanzania and Qatar in areas including energy, tourism, education, and employment.

.

There are few things in life that test your patience quite like a failed transaction. You stand at a till or stare at your mobile app, you authorize a payment, you wait for that familiar confirmation message and then.

nothing. No service.

No product. But the money? Gone.

Like it sprinted out of your account without even leaving a forwarding address. And to make things worse, you’re told the most infuriating sentence in modern-day customer service: “Please wait up to 72 hours for the reversal.

” Every time I hear that line, I feel like asking, “Why exactly am I the one being punished for something I didn’t cause?” Because let’s be honest the system didn’t fail them. It failed me.

I didn’t wake up and decide to make a phantom transaction just for fun. I did my part.

The bank or service provider is the one who dropped the ball. Yet somehow, I’m the one sent into financial limbo.

Imagine this, You’ve budgeted your week down to the last shilingi. Maybe you’re paying for fuel, buying groceries, settling a bill, or picking up a few things on the way home.

The money leaves your account, but the service says, “Oops, transaction failed.” And instead of instant correction, you’re given a digital version of “Go sit in the corner and wait.

” Three days. Seventy-two hours.

One weekend of stress, depending on the timing. We’re living in a world where payments happen in seconds.

You can send money across continents faster than it takes to toast bread. So why does a reversal need the patience of a monk? Why, in 2025, are we still accepting a timeline that feels like it was approved in the 1980s and never revised? Now let’s talk about that “72 hours.

” Because I have questions. Who set it? Is it based on actual processing timelines, or is it just one of those arbitrary customer-service phrases companies learned to throw around because nobody challenges them? “72 hours” sounds official.

It sounds technical. It sounds like someone in a suit once stood up in a meeting and said, “Let’s give ourselves three days, people won’t complain too much.

” Well, we’re complaining now. The truth is, there’s a power imbalance in how financial systems handle errors.

When you delay paying them, there are penalties. Late fees.

Interest. Warnings.

Your credit score crying in the corner. But when they delay giving you back your money, you’re expected to be calm, logical, and understanding.

It’s almost impressive how quickly the tone changes when the tables turn. Think about customer service lines too.

You call for help, already annoyed because your money is floating somewhere in the digital universe, and after a few mandatory “We apologize for the inconvenience” statements, the agent drops the 72-hour bomb on you with the confidence of someone handing out good news. Meanwhile, you’re calculating how many things you can’t do because your money is out there enjoying a 3-day vacation.

And here’s the funniest part: if the money had gone through by mistake like double charging, you would still be told to wait the same 72 hours. So no matter what direction the system fails in, their answer is always a waiting period long enough for someone to take a weekend trip to Zanzibar and come back refreshed.

At what point do financial institutions take accountability for the speed mismatch between taking money and returning it? Why is there no urgency on their side? Why is the consumer expected to absorb the inconvenience every single time? This isn’t even about being dramatic; it’s about fairness. We deserve systems that work consistently, and when they don’t, we deserve resolutions that don’t hold our money hostage.

Three days may not seem like much to a corporation, but to an actual human being navigating real life, 72 hours is a long time. Maybe it’s time we start asking harder questions.

Because if digital payments can happen in seconds, reversals shouldn’t need a whole mini-marathon. Until then here we are.

Annoyed, waiting, and wondering why our money seems to travel back slower than a daladala stuck in peak-hour traffic .

Dar es Salaam. The government has confirmed that freight haulage via the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from the Dar es Salaam Port to Dodoma will officially begin in February 2026, marking a major turning point in efforts to modernise Tanzania’s transport and logistics systems.

The plan is expected to significantly increase cargo-handling capacity, strengthen the supply chain and support broader economic growth. Minister of Transport Prof Makame Mbarawa saod the phase of the project is especially crucial, as the Portlink section will connect containers straight from the port to the main SGR line, enabling seamless movement of goods to Dodoma and, eventually, other regions.

“The link serves as a vital missing piece, ensuring cargo can move directly from quayside operations onto the railway network without relying on the temporary measures currently in place,”he said. He made the remarks on Friday, November 28, 2025 when inspecting the ongoing works.

The SGR cannot yet move goods directly from the port to upcountry destinations. For now, consignments are handled through interim systems, including a 2.

5-metre gauge stretch that is approaching completion, alongside ongoing wiring and track stabilisation. Prof Mbarawa emphasised that once the Portlink becomes operational, the impact will be immediate.

Road congestion around the port is expected to ease significantly as more cargo shifts from lorries to the rail system. Extending the rail network deeper into the port area will also improve cargo flow and reduce turnaround times.

The broader economic gains are projected to be substantial. TRC revenues are set to rise once the system becomes fully functional, while improved efficiency at the port will allow ships to offload much faster, boosting earnings for the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and reinforcing the national economy.

TRC Acting Director, Mr Mateshi Tito, confirmed that progress has accelerated under clear directives issued by Prof Mbarawa. “We are grateful to Minister Prof Makame Mbarawa for his guidance in ensuring the Portlink is completed and operations begin as instructed, either by late January or early February,” he said.

He added that the minister’s retention in the transport docket reflects President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s confidence in his leadership. Mr Tito explained that the Portlink spans four kilometres in total, with only 1.

5 kilometres still under construction. Stabilisation works are nearly complete, except for one remaining segment in Section three.

“As planned, we expect to finalise the outstanding works within the next two and a half months,” he said, noting that freight loading would start immediately once construction ends. “We will begin loading cargo directly from the port and transporting it straight to Dodoma,” he said.

.