28th Apr 11

 A CERTAIN family was shocked to get an unrealistically high telephone bill and the father decided to get to the bottom of the matter and find out the person responsible.  So he approached his
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2nd Feb 11

 “Birds of the same plumage perambulate in the same proximity,” is one of the high sounding nothings we used to churn out when we were in high school so that we sound educated. It was
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2nd Feb 11

 EVERYTHING associated with tax is almost always bad, or so it seems. You’ve probably heard the old catch phrase ‘only two things are certain on the face of the earth,  for man and
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26th Jan 11

 A young female teacher was giving an assignment to her Grade 6 class one day. It was a large assignment so she started writing high up on the chalkboard. Suddenly there was a giggle from one of the
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26th Jan 11

    HOW much education do you need to understand the term 'change'; Form Four? Form Six?  College?  The answer is of course none of the above! Mothers change diapers every other day
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19th Jan 11

 THIS world is full of strange happenings and it never ceases to amaze me.  The media are awash with bizarre stories from different parts of the world. Though some of them are natural events,
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19th Jan 11

 If trees and forests would somehow talk to us in this land,  they would probably share a very painful story.    Imagine you are walking on a dirt road facing east, south-East. There
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11th Jan 11

 It is that time of the year again when students resume their academic journeys as many schools open for a new term. Mixed feelings become the order of the day for students as they try to attain one
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11th Jan 11

 She refused to divulge her name.  Sitting on a cushioned black chair at one corner inside a bank in the city of Dar es Salaam, waiting for service, she fitted the description of a beautiful
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7th Jan 11

    “New Year comes every year but 2011 is a special one which will happen once in a life time. It will start with a combo, the first one being 1/1/11. After 10 days 11/1/11 while after
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7th Jan 11

 Physics….  Does the subject of physics put you to sleep?  If it does, rest assured you are not alone. It puts me to sleep, too. The unfortunate part, though, is that there is no
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9th Dec 10

THOU shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. This is the overused verse from the Bible which has the potential to carry a new meaning for business people. In the original meaning, the
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25th Oct 10

 It is exactly a week before we brave the scotching sun and endure the agony of waiting in long and winding queues that will be moving at a snail's pace to exercise one of our fundamental rights,
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12th Oct 10

 THIS world is full of strange happenings and it never ceases to amaze me.  The media are awash with bizarre stories from different parts of the world. Though some of them are natural events,
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5th Oct 10

 Having been one of the people in the forefront of advocating for the banning of discotheques for kids in this country and having blasted the government for its stance of remaining adamant that these
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28th Sep 10

 One of my relatives visited a certain health facility in Temeke recently after suffering from what we believed was a bout of malaria. She was attended to and the medical practitioner at the facility
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31st Aug 10

 WITH the 2010 general election campaigning period in full swing, political hullabaloo, bickering, bribery and vote buying in the name of campaigning will be the order of the day. Each and every prospective
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31st Aug 10

 WE thought we should shift gears a little bit today, from what they call a marketplace of ideas in the on-going political battles; campaign attacks and corruption-scandal discovery news as we proceed
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3rd Aug 10

 “Politicians are the same everywhere. They will promise to build a bridge where there is no river”.   A structural engineer received a call from a real estate company informing
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3rd Aug 10

 WITH the 2010 general election fast approaching the time has arrived for political hullabaloo, bickering, bribery and vote buying in the name of campaigning. Each and every prospective candidate
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27th Jul 10

 A man staying in one of Dar es Salaam's high density suburbs came back from work one day and found his son playing with two boys from next door. In a fit of anger, the man without saying a word rushed
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27th Jul 10

 OUR nation has lately witnessed a surge in the number of motorcycles used as a cheaper and faster means of human transportation in heavy traffic cities like Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and others. The
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29th Jun 10

You decide to go to Muhimbili; it’s at your own risk. People don’t seem to care down there!! They have seen almost everything... your story will most certainly not be the first. People down
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29th Jun 10

It's confirmed, all African teams except Ghana (at the time of going to press) have been eliminated from the FIFA 2010 World Cup finals, dashing any hope that the cup will for the first time be won by
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22nd Jun 10

As the historic FIFA 2010 World Cup continues, many hearts have been left broken after some teams were defeated and some humiliated. Though many African teams were beaten during their first games last
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15th Jun 10

TANAPA – The ball is in your court... As much as I’m reluctant to use the words “old good days” in reference to past, my visit to Saa-Nane island last Friday made me remember
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15th Jun 10

Many soccer loving hearts were left bleeding last week following two high profile matches (against Brazil and Rwanda) our lovely Taifa Stars were involved in. The Rwanda match saw our boys biting the dust,
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8th Jun 10

Taifa Stars vs Brazil: Expecting Brazil to change our soccer image is no different from Volkswagen manufacturers expecting higher sales because Mercedes Benz management is visiting their plant! IT’S
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8th Jun 10

WHEN I listened to one of Bongo Star Search 2009 finalists, Peter Msechu's song ‘Hasira Hasara’, I couldn't help but green with envy. For a moment, I regretted having failed to cast as many
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25th May 10

YOUNG Africans, one of the two oldest soccer clubs in the country, stunned most local fans last Tuesday for their bold decision to part ways with their controversial left full-back Amir Maftah. The
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25th May 10

A leader of a white supremacy group in SA was killed a few months back by black people. Someone, out of anger and frustration, spoke in the media and told the whole world that SA is not a safe country;
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25th May 10

Tanzania last week joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Family Day. But since that day I have been asking myself whether as a nation, we have something we can look back on and be proud
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18th May 10

THE Taifa Cup – one of the country's oldest soccer tournaments – is back in action. After group preliminaries at six centres, eight teams have qualified for the quarter-finals which kick off
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18th May 10

An October day is coming when many of us will line up in long queues for hours to wait for a once-in-a-five-year chance to cast a vote for another phase of people taking offices. Some will vote. Some will
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18th May 10

I remember finding it very difficult to fall asleep on new year’s eve last year, due to unbearable noises from people who were celebrating. As a norm, many people don't go to sleep on the last day
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11th May 10

A few months down the road we’ll have our next general elections, in which we’ll be using our democratic rights to elect our favorable candidates. However, democracy seems to be the only thing
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11th May 10

YVONNE walks along a street and two men in the process of gazing at her, collide head on and are embarrassed to learn that they were starring at the same woman. She continues with her journey and a group
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4th May 10

 A mother is the most important woman in an individual's life. Whether we like it or not, her presence affects us our entire life and she can't be replaced by anyone. Because she carries the child
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27th Apr 10

IT never dawned in Charles Goodyear's mind that one of his inventions, a soccer ball, will one day turn the world up side down. Never did he imagine that his efforts were to catapult football into being
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20th Apr 10

THERE is news on the air. The Ministry of Infrastructure has reassured Tanzanians through the parliament that flyovers are on the way. It was indicated that there is already an agreement in place between
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20th Apr 10

LOVE makes the world go round. It makes life complete and it does not only see strangers who are different in all aspects, sacrificing their freedom, their likes and so on to please the other partner who
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13th Apr 10

“Politicians are the same all over; they promise to build a bridge even where there is no river” LAST Monday we discussed, on this column, about the coming soon of petty promises by
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13th Apr 10

SOMETIME early last year we were collectively shocked by reports that a well-meaning Tanzanian gentleman who goes by the name of David Maige was rudely turned away from Lake Manyara Hotel where he had
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13th Apr 10

AFRICAN movies are undoubtedly taking Africa by storm, gaining popularity and winning the hearts of many viewers, especially women. Most of them are so touching to an extent that viewers are left without
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13th Apr 10

I HATE taking sides with the crowd just to be in the crowd! Now here in Tanzania the crowd wants politics separated from business; that is the direction of the political wind. Proponents argue that
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6th Apr 10

A STRUCTURAL engineer received a call from a real estate company informing him of a problem on one of the floors of a multi-storey building. There was an extremely huge wall-crack on the seventeenth floor
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6th Apr 10

MHESHIMIWA Mpendazoe’s move to the opposition last week provided the kind of thought-nourishment that is somewhat rare in our country. In a political landscape where change normally comes in the
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6th Apr 10

THE 1st of April every year is a remarkable and widely commemorated day as many people take the opportunity to fool and trick their beloved ones. Many stories have been told of many people who contemplated
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6th Apr 10

I AM tempted to take sides with the Asian community on the controversial issue of  rest. Why? A trend is building up in Tanzania  in which the pursuit of profit is beginning to deny so many
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30th Mar 10

A FEW things may be noted with commendation about this administration. One is transparency. This administration has scored higher points than probably any other on the issue of openness. Within
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30th Mar 10

MY heartfelt condolences this week go to the families of the ten people who lost their lives at Kibamba when an oil tanker landed on top of a Daladala last week. Graphically speaking, it was one of the
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30th Mar 10

“EDUCATION is life” is the motto for a certain school in Yombo-Kilakala. But, what bothers me very much is the quality of education offered by the school. Judging from its infrastructure,
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23rd Mar 10

THE national amateur boxing team returned home last week from India where it bagged three bronze medals at the Commonwealth Boxing Championships. Selemani Kidunda (middleweight), Hashim Simon (light-welterweight)
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23rd Mar 10

I FOUND something good to say about the Tanzania government this week guys. And I am sure you are going to find it agreeable.   If you are wrapped up in stuff you are doing in town,
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16th Mar 10

ON March 27, the national soccer team, Taifa Stars, host Somalia in one of the qualifying matches of the second edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) whose finals will be held in Sudan next
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16th Mar 10

SOMETIMES I feel like I should just park and walk; because with the level of traffic jams and nasty competitive behaviours that currently exist on our roads, it is no more fun to drive on the roads. Psychologists
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16th Mar 10

WHEN I went for a rare dinner outing last weekend it was by a stroke of luck that I bumped into an old friend called Peace Mathews. I suspected that his parents might have wanted to name him Amani when
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16th Mar 10

A story is told of a man who went window shopping downtown Kariakoo, came across a nice shirt in one of the shops manned by people of Asian origin. The guy is said to have been attracted by the shirt
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16th Mar 10

IF you love your company, your business, your enterprise, you are doing everything you can to make it survive hurdles—all kinds of hurdles. Well I have a dream. In this dream I see your enterprise
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9th Mar 10

WHITHER Athletics Tanzania? I ask this question because I don't know if the national athletics governing body knows exactly what the nation expects from it, as far as development of the sport in the country
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9th Mar 10

“Tanzania can no longer avoid having forensic scientists” COURT and Police records indicate that crimes are on the rise in Tanzania. Criminal activities are increasing in number and in magnitude.
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9th Mar 10

THE rot in our public - and private - institutions revealed itself last week again when an innocent baby, Sabry Ibrahim, lost part of her hand through amputation after a medical officer injected her with
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9th Mar 10

IT’S unacceptable and enough is enough when it comes to road accidents that are continuously claiming dozens of innocent lives on our roads. In fact, our major highways have been turned into killing
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9th Mar 10

TANZANIA tasted digital mobile phone services in the early 1990s. The company giving the services was called Tritel.  It wound up services and went into oblivion. The most memorable personality of
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1st Mar 10

TWO associations governing women's sports in the country are currently facing a hard time as they struggle to raise about 105m/- they need to enable their teams accomplish international obligations
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1st Mar 10

THERE is a broken escalator at the airport that has remained unrepaired for quite sometime now. Somebody went and put scaffolds on it and left it there. I’m not sure if it’s a spare or a budget
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1st Mar 10

LAST week a polling company published results of research carried out to determine who among our politicians has won the confidence of Tanzanians. Even as these results hit the streets, Hon. Lipumba refused
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1st Mar 10

WHENEVER a child dies, our African tradition has it that there is always a cause. To be more precise traditionalists always believe that there will be a witch behind it. This then compels the parents of
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1st Mar 10

EVERYTHING associated with tax is almost always bad, or so it seems. You’ve probably heard the old catch phrase ‘only two things are certain on the face of the earth,  for man and woman—taxes
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22nd Feb 10

MAINLAND soccer champions, Young Africans Sports Club, have finally come to their senses. After being exploited for quite a long time by unscrupulous businessmen, the club declared last week that enough
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22nd Feb 10

I HAVE to admit that, despite being patriotic, I was not much surprised when three of the country's 'big four' made a false start in the 2010 Africa club championships recently. Mainland champions Young
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22nd Feb 10

I WOULD like to take this opportunity to express my grief and sympathies towards the victims of the massacre that recently took place in Musoma. It is very curious that after a fellow columnist raised
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22nd Feb 10

“A patrol vehicle without necessary equipment is just transport for uniformed individuals” LAST Monday in this column we wrote about security of the people of Tarime and Rorya districts
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22nd Feb 10

WHEN our ‘brave house’ of August turned tables on itself when it put Richmond scam down, many appallingly wrote to me asking for comments knowing little that I was chirking this milestone
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22nd Feb 10

PRO-UNIONISTS in the east African nations of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi must be excited a day is coming when we shall call ourselves truly one. Thanks to colonialists who incepted the
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15th Feb 10

The Minister for Information, Culture and Sports, George Mkuchika, has announced his stand on the on-going tug-of-war between troubled Simba Sports Club and Ilala District sports authorities over the club's
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15th Feb 10

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has finally opened the door for those aspiring to succeed Brazilian Marcio Maximo as Taifa Stars coach by spelling out qualifications of the new national team boss. One
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15th Feb 10

The government made a great move in 2008 to send a Special Police Force Unit to Tarime for a needful cause that all of us know: Ethnic clashes among the Kuryas and what was termed as cattle rustling within
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15th Feb 10

A few days ago, the education ministry through the examination council, released the Form IV results. It was hard not to notice the dismal performance by our kids, more so in government-owned schools.
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15th Feb 10

My name is Fisadi the son of Mbangaizaji. We’re holding general elections late this year. I have decided to start campaigning even if the electoral commission hasn’t declared an official date
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