Augustine Moshi
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 22, 2006
- 2,554
- 1,382
Nimetishika sana niliposoma makala hii hapa chini. It looks like law enforcing agencies in Tanzania have become completely lawless. When did we allow ourselves to sink this low?
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Corruption eats 20 pct of govt budget`
2009-03-03 10:37:16
By Guardian Reporter
A new human rights report has highlighted shortfalls in the country`s accountability and governance system which have led to substantial losses in the national budget each year through corruption.
The 2008 Human Rights Report for Tanzania was released by the US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, and copied to The Guardian yesterday by the American Embassy in Dar es Salaam.
It says the losses are incurred through theft, fraud and fake purchasing transactions, adding: ``There was little accountability in most government entities 20 per cent of the government`s budget in each fiscal year was lost to corruption, including theft and fraud, and fake purchase transactions.``
It further notes that there were a number of continuing human rights problems, elaborating: ``Police and prison guards used excessive force against inmates and suspects, at times resulting in death, and police impunity was a problem.``
According to the report, prison conditions in the country were harsh and life threatening, there were widespread police corruption and violation of legal procedures, and the judiciary suffered from corruption and inefficiency in the lower courts.
Freedom of speech and press were partly limited, governmental corruption remained a problem, the authorities restricted the movement of refugees; societal violence against women persisted, and trafficking in persons and child labour were problems, it says.
``There were no politically motivated killings by the government or its agents during the year; however, on several occasions security forces used lethal force against citizens, including persons in custody,`` it points out, adding that senior police officials accused subordinate officers of unlawful killings.
Citing a specific example, the report says in January villagers at Isaka village in Kahama District reported that local policemen beat 16-year-old James Deus to death while he was in custody for allegedly being part of an armed robbery attack on a petrol station in Shinyanga Region.
``No information was available on how the authorities responded to the killing,`` notes the report, also documenting Legal and Human Rights Centre findings that there were 17 incidents of mob violence, 30 of ``witch`` killings, and 13 of torture in police custody from January to June.
It says there were unofficial reports of hundreds of persons with albinism killed across the country during the year but some 26 - mostly women and children - were confirmed killed.
Numerous others were mutilated in the misguided belief that their body parts could be used to create wealth and at year`s end there were approximately 270,000 such persons living in the country, according to the report.
Turning to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, it says the Tanzanian constitution and law prohibit the practice of torture and cruel punishment but there were reports of police officers abusing, threatening and otherwise mistreating civilians, suspected criminals, and prisoners during the year.
``Beatings were the method most commonly used,`` it says, citing an incident in April in which more than 150 villagers in the Ormelili, Embukoi, and Orkolili villages in Siha District of Kilimanjaro Region protested routine harassment by local police officers.
The report says prison conditions remained harsh and life-threatening, adding: ``Diseases were common and resulted in numerous deaths in prisons guards sometimes beat and sexually abused prisoners during the year.``
It was vocal on arbitrary arrests and detention, saying: ``The constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention; however, both were problems.``
It gives the example of an incident in May in which police raided the homes of seven citizens in Pemba who had sent a petition to the United Nations asking for recognition of the right of Pemba residents to self-determination.
On the role of the police and security apparatus, the report says the police force remained underfunded and largely inefficient, but adds that police use of excessive force, police corruption, and impunity were serious problems.
Contacted for comment on the report, which largely blamed the police force for a number of failures, Inspector General of Police Said Mwema declined to give an immediate response.
He said: ``I have not yet received and gone through the report .so I cannot comment further. Give me time to work on it.``
He asked The Guardian to forward to him a copy of the report so that he could flick through it and give informed comments.
On denial of fair public trial, the report is explicit that the constitution provides for an independent judiciary but the judiciary remained underfunded, corrupt, inefficient and subject to executive influence.
``Corruption was particularly pervasive among lower court officials and court clerks .Court clerks took bribes to decide whether or not to open cases and to hide or misdirect the files of those accused of crimes,`` it notes.
Quoting news reports, it says magistrates of lower courts occasionally accepted bribes to determine guilt or innocence, pass sentences, or decide appeals of cases coming from the primary courts to district courts.
The report says the constitution provides for freedom of speech but does not explicitly provide for freedom of the press.
In the area of societal abuses and discrimination, it says some Muslim groups claimed that the government discriminated against them in hiring, education and law enforcement practices and some Christian groups said that all sensitive government positions were filled by Muslims.
This was despite the fact that the government policy prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of religious beliefs or practices, it adds.
``But neutral observers said that there did not appear to be government bias toward any particular religious group,`` notes the report.
It hails the government for launching a crackdown on high-profile corruption suspects, saying: ``Beginning in October, the government arrested and filed charges against more than twenty individuals, including four officials of the Bank of Tanzania, for their involvement in a scheme to obtain funds fraudulently from the bank`s external payment arrears account.``
However, despite expressing appreciation for the efforts, it notes that the World Banks Worldwide Governance Indicators reflected that corruption remained a serious problem.
``The government continued to use specialised agencies to fight corruption, but their effectiveness was limited, says the 33-page report.
===============================================
Corruption eats 20 pct of govt budget`
2009-03-03 10:37:16
By Guardian Reporter
A new human rights report has highlighted shortfalls in the country`s accountability and governance system which have led to substantial losses in the national budget each year through corruption.
The 2008 Human Rights Report for Tanzania was released by the US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, and copied to The Guardian yesterday by the American Embassy in Dar es Salaam.
It says the losses are incurred through theft, fraud and fake purchasing transactions, adding: ``There was little accountability in most government entities 20 per cent of the government`s budget in each fiscal year was lost to corruption, including theft and fraud, and fake purchase transactions.``
It further notes that there were a number of continuing human rights problems, elaborating: ``Police and prison guards used excessive force against inmates and suspects, at times resulting in death, and police impunity was a problem.``
According to the report, prison conditions in the country were harsh and life threatening, there were widespread police corruption and violation of legal procedures, and the judiciary suffered from corruption and inefficiency in the lower courts.
Freedom of speech and press were partly limited, governmental corruption remained a problem, the authorities restricted the movement of refugees; societal violence against women persisted, and trafficking in persons and child labour were problems, it says.
``There were no politically motivated killings by the government or its agents during the year; however, on several occasions security forces used lethal force against citizens, including persons in custody,`` it points out, adding that senior police officials accused subordinate officers of unlawful killings.
Citing a specific example, the report says in January villagers at Isaka village in Kahama District reported that local policemen beat 16-year-old James Deus to death while he was in custody for allegedly being part of an armed robbery attack on a petrol station in Shinyanga Region.
``No information was available on how the authorities responded to the killing,`` notes the report, also documenting Legal and Human Rights Centre findings that there were 17 incidents of mob violence, 30 of ``witch`` killings, and 13 of torture in police custody from January to June.
It says there were unofficial reports of hundreds of persons with albinism killed across the country during the year but some 26 - mostly women and children - were confirmed killed.
Numerous others were mutilated in the misguided belief that their body parts could be used to create wealth and at year`s end there were approximately 270,000 such persons living in the country, according to the report.
Turning to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, it says the Tanzanian constitution and law prohibit the practice of torture and cruel punishment but there were reports of police officers abusing, threatening and otherwise mistreating civilians, suspected criminals, and prisoners during the year.
``Beatings were the method most commonly used,`` it says, citing an incident in April in which more than 150 villagers in the Ormelili, Embukoi, and Orkolili villages in Siha District of Kilimanjaro Region protested routine harassment by local police officers.
The report says prison conditions remained harsh and life-threatening, adding: ``Diseases were common and resulted in numerous deaths in prisons guards sometimes beat and sexually abused prisoners during the year.``
It was vocal on arbitrary arrests and detention, saying: ``The constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention; however, both were problems.``
It gives the example of an incident in May in which police raided the homes of seven citizens in Pemba who had sent a petition to the United Nations asking for recognition of the right of Pemba residents to self-determination.
On the role of the police and security apparatus, the report says the police force remained underfunded and largely inefficient, but adds that police use of excessive force, police corruption, and impunity were serious problems.
Contacted for comment on the report, which largely blamed the police force for a number of failures, Inspector General of Police Said Mwema declined to give an immediate response.
He said: ``I have not yet received and gone through the report .so I cannot comment further. Give me time to work on it.``
He asked The Guardian to forward to him a copy of the report so that he could flick through it and give informed comments.
On denial of fair public trial, the report is explicit that the constitution provides for an independent judiciary but the judiciary remained underfunded, corrupt, inefficient and subject to executive influence.
``Corruption was particularly pervasive among lower court officials and court clerks .Court clerks took bribes to decide whether or not to open cases and to hide or misdirect the files of those accused of crimes,`` it notes.
Quoting news reports, it says magistrates of lower courts occasionally accepted bribes to determine guilt or innocence, pass sentences, or decide appeals of cases coming from the primary courts to district courts.
The report says the constitution provides for freedom of speech but does not explicitly provide for freedom of the press.
In the area of societal abuses and discrimination, it says some Muslim groups claimed that the government discriminated against them in hiring, education and law enforcement practices and some Christian groups said that all sensitive government positions were filled by Muslims.
This was despite the fact that the government policy prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of religious beliefs or practices, it adds.
``But neutral observers said that there did not appear to be government bias toward any particular religious group,`` notes the report.
It hails the government for launching a crackdown on high-profile corruption suspects, saying: ``Beginning in October, the government arrested and filed charges against more than twenty individuals, including four officials of the Bank of Tanzania, for their involvement in a scheme to obtain funds fraudulently from the bank`s external payment arrears account.``
However, despite expressing appreciation for the efforts, it notes that the World Banks Worldwide Governance Indicators reflected that corruption remained a serious problem.
``The government continued to use specialised agencies to fight corruption, but their effectiveness was limited, says the 33-page report.
- SOURCE: Guardian
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