Tanzania Foreign Investment News (Page 35)

Tanzania na Somalia zimekubaliana mambo makuu matatu ya ushirikiano katika sekta ya afya ikiwemo matibabu ya kibingwa na ubingwa bobezi.Continue Reading

By LUKE ANAMI

By EMMANUEL ONYANGO

By GILBERT MWIJUKE

By MOSES K. GAHIGI

The past two weeks have been disastrous in East Africa as heavy rains caused floods leading to the loss of hundreds of lives, displacement of thousands and damage to property. A spot check by The EastAfrican shows that Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi have been worst hit by the storms, with highways and railways temporarily closed.

Experts warn that Tanzania, one of the sources of food to the region, will realise reduced yields by up to 30 percent due to the impact of the floods.

Government Spokesperson Mobhare Matinyi said 8,532 houses have been damaged in Morogoro and Coast regions and 76,698 hectares of farms destroyed.

The country’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told Parliament flooding had left at least 236 injured, while more than 10,000 houses had been damaged and upwards of 200,000 people affected.

“The heavy El Nino rains, accompanied by strong winds and flooding and landslides in various parts of the country have caused adverse effects,” Mr Majaliwa said.

The rains cut off movement between Kenya and Tanzania on the Nairobi-Namanga highway for the better part of Wednesday, after the Athi River burst its banks flooding a large part of residential and industrial areas in Kajiado and Machakos counties.

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Red Cross and other volunteers rescued 96 people marooned in Athi River.

Read: Heavy rains pound Kenya as people count property losses

The matter is a subject of discussion in the Council of Ministers meetings going on in Tanzania.

“Flooding caused by the Athi River led to the temporary closure of the Namanga road and we, as East African Community ministers, are going to meet to discuss how to deal with floods,” said Peninah Malonza, Kenya’s EAC Cabinet Secretary, who is in Arusha to discuss the EAC budget for the financial year 2024/25.

“We are going to Arusha and later Dar es Salaam and we hope to have a meeting over the matter.”

The Kenya Meteorological Department issued a heavy rainfall advisory.

In Uganda, flash floods made movement on the Northern Corridor difficult.

Earlier this week, the Masaka-Mbarara highway – which is also Uganda’s main trade route to Rwanda and the DR Congo – was cut off by floods, paralysing traffic and trade.

A section of Kampala-Masaka highway between Busega and Kyengera, a few kilometres outside the city caved in on Sunday, according to the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) spokesperson, Allan Ssempebwa.

“We are experiencing a failure at the section of the highway, the drainage systems have collapsed… What we are doing right now is mobilizing materials and other necessary equipment to intervene as quickly as possible,” Mr Ssempebwa said.

The Masaka-Mbarara highway is an economic lifeline for Uganda because it is the main trade route connecting Uganda to Rwanda and the DR Congo.

The highway is one of the busiest in the country, with an estimated average daily traffic of more than 30,000 vehicles.

The southwestern part of Uganda is also the source of much of the food consumed in Kampala. Many traders were stranded on the road and made huge losses because their foodstuffs, especially bananas, were spoilt before reaching the market. Vehicles snaked through the rugged, potholed and narrow marram roads to reach or get out of Kampala.

“During this rainy season we know that anything can happen so we have put together an emergency response team that’s now always on standby to respond to flooding across the country,” Mr Ssempebwa said.

The Uganda National Meteorological Authority had announced that the country would receive above-normal rainfall in April.

This week, the Kyambogo-Banda road was also cut off while in the Industrial Area traders were left counting losses as they kept their shops closed due to flooding.

The National Meteorological Authority said on Friday that the country would continue to experience more rain and that the northern part of the country was at risk of floods.

“The country is experiencing isolated thundershowers. These conditions will continue with a few regions like West Nile, Midwestern, central North, Kyoga, and Kigezi getting sunny intervals. Eyes on the North which may get floods in lowlands,” the Authority said on X.

In Tanzania, by Wednesday this week, the government had announced the deaths of 63 people. The Coastal areas are particularly at risk, with the potential of flooding and disruptions to key economic activities such as fishing and maritime transport. The agency’s acting director-general Ladislaus Chang’a cited Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Morogoro, Mtwara and Lindi, including Mafia Island, as well as Pemba and Zanzibar as high-risk regions. Others are Mwanza, Masra, Simiyu, Kagera, Kigoma and Shinyanga.

Around the Rufiji River Basin, thousands of people residing in valleys and close to big rivers have been forcibly moved. The rains have caused landslides in Arusha and Manyara, where houses and road have been damaged.

In Dar es Salaam city, roads such as Morogoro Road near Jangwani and Mkwajuni in Kinondono suburb were temporarily closed.

Eight camps have been established in the Coast region to accommodate 1,529 flood survivors and one in Morogoro.

The government has provided 40,000 tonnes of foodstuffs such as maize and rice and medicines and medical equipment worth $83,588 were donated to the people in the camps.

Read: From killer droughts to devastating floods

In Burundi, Lake Tanganyika’s rising waters invaded the port of Bujumbura, disrupting business and making movement difficult for people and goods. Intense rainfall has affected various regions in Kenya, especially the Coast, Nairobi, Central, Western Highlands, Rift Valley, Lake Victoria Basin, Southeastern lowlands and the Northeastern region.

The rising waters of Lake Tanganyika have caused the Kanyosha River to overflow, damaging homes and other property in Bujumbura. Burundi’s Interior Minister Martin Niteretse called for support in managing the crisis.

“We ask our development partners to combine efforts with the state of Burundi to help all people affected by these disasters,” Mr Niteretse said.

In neighbouring Rwanda, 4,800 families, from 326 identified disaster high-risk zones have been moved to safety, as the country braced for floods.

Although no large-scale flooding has been reported so far, the authorities are not taking chances, especially as memories of the more than 130 lives lost a year ago still linger.

“We informed the people in disaster hot-spot areas beforehand, more than 4,800 families have been moved from these areas from 326 identified disaster high-risk zones,” said Adalbert Rukebanuka, director-general of risk reduction, planning, and mainstreaming at the Ministry of Emergency Management.

“At the moment we haven’t yet got many cases of disaster-induced deaths or destruction, we are getting few reports in different parts of the country, but we believe the worst is yet to come,” said the official.

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President Nangolo Mbumba yesterday morning travelled to attend the 60th anniversary celebration of the Union Day of the Republic of Tanzania.

The event marks the historic merger of Tanganyika and Zanzibar into the United Republic of Tanzania on 26 April 1964.

In his message of felicitation availed to Nampa yesterday, Mbumba said Namibia and Tanzania share historic ties, dating to the liberation struggle of Namibia when the Swapo movement decided to pursue the fight for freedom and resistance against apartheid colonialism, Tanzania was one of the first and foremost countries that opened its doors to Namibian freedom fighters.

He indicated that Tanzania further facilitated training for soldiers who were to participate in the armed liberation struggle.

“Tanzania was not only the hotbed of political organisation for Swapo by hosting the Consultative Congress in 1969 at Tanga, it was equally a key transit point for Namibians en route to different destinations in pursuit of education,” he noted.

The Head of State said Tanzania provided its best talents to train Namibians at the United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) in

Lusaka, Zambia, adding that Tanzania agitated at the United Nations in support of Namibia’s cause for freedom.

“The support rendered by the people and the government of Tanzania to Namibians is immeasurable, and played a pivotal role in our

path towards independence. Namibians owe Tanzanians a huge debt of gratitude for the support and friendship during the liberation struggle,” said Mbumba.

He indicated the Diamond Jubilee of independence of Tanzania is a reminder of the remarkable victories that can be achieved through

unity, determination and solidarity, noting that in the common fight during the second phase of the struggle, that of economic emancipation, there should be continuous efforts to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Namibia and Tanzania. “Let us collectively strive for the prosperity and well-being of our people, and harness the potential of our bilateral partnership to address the myriad of challenges facing our continent, including poverty, inequality and climate change,” he said.

The President will return on Saturday.

– Nampa

Source: allafrica.com

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Downpours have killed at least 200 people and submerged homes and farms in Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi.

At least 200 people were killed and dozens more were injured across East Africa in recent days, officials and aid groups said, as torrential rains, floods and landslides pummeled towns and cities in a region already grappling with the devastating effects of the climate change crisis and dilapidated infrastructure in poor areas.

The extreme rains unleashed a wave of destruction across Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi, flooding homes, demolishing businesses and leaving many people stranded on rooftops.

The downpours exposed yet again the bad roads and poor drainage systems in some of the region’s biggest cities, which residents have persistently complained about. They also revealed how poor people, who live in sprawling shantytowns without access to proper roads, water or power, bear the biggest brunt of destructive floods.

On Thursday, activists and opposition figures across the region called on governments to do more than respond to the extensive destruction wrought by floods, by improving infrastructure to lessen or prevent such flooding in the first place.

Raila Odinga, a longtime opposition figure in Kenya, said authorities should learn from the ongoing devastation and take long-term measures to save lives.

“Preparedness is key to forestalling a crisis of larger proportions,” Mr. Odinga said in a news conference. “We can do better than crying for help when the rains come and crying for help again when the rains fail.”

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Source: nytimes.com

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