Disease outbreaks as govt orders closure of city abattoir

The situation has compelled businessmen to sell meat in an unhygienic environment that is contrary to the standard required by the city authorities.

This reporter witnessed businessmen selling meat on tables along the tarmac road contrary to the rules and regulations governing food handling.

Speaking soon after visiting the Vingunguti abattoir, Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Development Mwigulu Mchemba said the government had temporarily reopened the facility for three days effectively from yesterday as a precaution in containing the spread of diseases resulting from lack of hygiene.

In his visit, he was accompanied by the Minister of Health, Community Development,Gender,Elders and Children Ummy Mwalimu

This came barely two weeks after the government closed down the facility for operating in unhygienic conditions.

“I reopen this abattoir until Tuesday to give room for those who had brought their livestock for slaughtering to do so and thereafter it will be relocated to Mazizini main abattoir,” the minister said, adding that the move would give opportunities for responsible authorities to revamp the Vingunguti abattoir.

Nchemba said: “The situation at Vingunguti abattoir is worse and is likely to threaten the health of consumers. Currently business is carried out at non-designated places.”

He said the government was not ready to see abattoir regulations abused and directed the municipality to ensure that all infrastructure, especially for water, are improved including putting in place modern hooks.

For her part, Mwalimu assured residents that the operations within the Vingunguti abattoir would resume soon after renovation.

Referring to the current price of meat, the minister said it has gone up to 8,000/- from 6,000/- per kilogram since the Vingunguti abattoir was closed.

The minister urged Ilala municipal authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that the facility was renovated within the shortest possible time.

“Our duty as a government is to ensure that consumers buy certified meat at a reasonable price,” she said.

Ilala Municipality deputy mayor Omary Kumbilamoto said that already the wards council had availed 83m/- to renovate the abattoir.

Ilala Municipal Council director Isaya Mngurumi said the renovation would be completed in just one month.

Bunge budget session starts tomorrow

The parliamentary session is mainly for debating and approving the government budget for the 2016/2017 financial year.

According to a statement issued yesterday, during the session four MPs will be sworn in who include Shamsi Vuai Nahodha (Kijitoupele), Ritha Kabati (Special Seats), Lucy Owenya (Special Seats) and Oliver Semguruka (Special Seats).

The MPs also are expected to debate and approve the five year national development plan 2015/2016 - 2020/2021 from April 19 to 21, this year.

Thereafter, the national assembly will receive and debate on the implementation of the budget in every ministry for the 2015/16 fiscal year as well as the budget estimates for the 2016/17 financial year. This will be held between April 22 and June 2, this year.

According to the schedule, on June 9, this year the minister responsible for planning will table a report of country’s state of the economy, followed by the national budget for 2016/2017, which will be presented by the Finance and Planning Minister.

MPs will start debating the budget estimates on June 13, this year to June 21, this year.Among other issues, the national assembly will receive the 2014/2015 report from the office of Controller and Auditor General (CAG) and the government’s response.

During the session, a total of 465 questions will be asked and given answers from the government in the august House. About 88 questions will be directed to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.

Two bills will also be debated and approved during this Bunge session, which is to wrap up on July 1, this year.

Revealed: How govt opened a new 'secret' escrow account

Details of the escrow account have remained shrouded in secrecy with senior government officials either declining to comment or openly dodging questions about why it was opened, who controls it and how much money was deposited.

According to findings by The Guardian, the account was established through a letter from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), dated 8 March 2013 and signed by two senior officials in the central bank's department of foreign payments and settlement, S. Mwakalukwa and M. Kahamba.

An escrow account is a temporary pass-through account held by a third party during the process of a transaction between two parties.

The pipeline and accompanying gas processing plants, all financed by a $1.225 billion Chinese loan, were initially expected to be completed in 2014 but reportedly faced technical glitches.

The actual cost of the project has recently been an issue of controversy with some opposition members of parliament claiming it was inflated by over 100 per cent and at least $600 million was allegedly spent on paying kickbacks to some key government officials.

The state-run Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) is on record as saying the pipeline itself was built at a cost of $875.715 million and the balance from the Chinese loan was used to construct the gas processing plants.

Sources close to the government told The Guardian that the opening of the escrow account at Stanbic Bank was officially approved by the Treasury through BoT just days after the fishy-looking $600m loan deal between the bank and the government was concluded.

It remains something of a mystery why the government opted to open the account with a privately-owned commercial bank and not directly with the central bank, as was the case with the Independent Power Tanzania Limited's (IPTL) Tegeta escrow account.

The Guardian also couldn’t independently verify whether there was any hidden motive behind the opening of the Stanbic escrow account. So far, there is no suggestion of wrongdoing in either bank transaction despite the secrecy involved.

But for the past month or so, The Guardian has tried unsuccessfully to get proper clarification from the Treasury, BoT and TPDC – all of them being key government institutions involved in the Stanbic Bank transactions.

Top officials with these institutions have not been willing to discuss the matter in detail.

When contacted for comment, TPDC managing director Dr James Mataragio acknowledged the existence of the escrow account, but said he could not immediately explain why it was opened or how much money has been deposited in it.

Mataragio last month asked for time for TPDC to work on inquiries from The Guardian about the escrow account.

STANBIC ‘MUM’ ON ESCROW ACCOUNT

Stanbic Bank Tanzania officials have also not responded to The Guardian's requests for comment on whether there are any links between the escrow account, the pipeline project, and the $600m loan disbursed to the government.

The bank is already at the centre of controversial revelations that a $6 million bribe was allegedly paid to senior government officials in connection with work on the same private placement contract deal in 2012 and 2013.