Unajua kuna article moja nilisoma nadhani ilikuwa ni ya Mh. Mramba inasema kuwa tangu radr imenunuliwa imeongeza idadi ya watalii na ndege zinazotua viwanja vya Tanzania na zinazokatiza kwenye Airspace ya Tanzania.
Its an old article but I thought I would share with everyone
About two years after the controversial radar was installed at the Dar es Salaam International Airport to guide all aircraft flying over the entire Tanzanian airspace, a success story has come up with increased flights to Tanzania. The new radar which is fitted with modern navigational equipment capable to monitor aircraft movements over Tanzania's airspace and some parts of eastern, central and southern Africa drew diplomatic row between Tanzania and the United Kingdom, the manufacturer and seller of the radar.
When Tanzania government planned to purchase the radar way back in 1995, a row of words erupted from the parliament, opposing the purchase of the $ 40 million worth air navigation equipment while the country has been sinking in an abyss of abject poverty and ignorance. Parliamentarians charged that the radar was too expensive for a country like Tanzania whose aircraft landing at the four international airports averaged between two and four a day, or even less.
Contrary to what many people were thinking, things have changed after the radar was purchased and installed at the Dar es Salaam International Airport. More aircraft have been attracted to land and re-fuel at the airport and many airline companies are looking to launch schedule and charter flights to Tanzania.
Travel agents and tour operators in Tanzania are now supporting the government's move to purchase such an expensive navigational system, which to them, is a blessing because of increased flights between Tanzanian airports and other parts of the world. Tanzanian minister for Finance Mr. Basil Mramba said mid-this week that the new radar has boosted Tanzania's airspace with more aircraft crossing over its territorial skies and some re-fuel at the international airports.
"Tanzania's airspace is now more safer with more aircraft flying during all weather conditions and no more fears of airspace collision", he said.
Mr. Mramba said that in the past years before installation of the new radar, some aircraft escaped flying over Tanzania's airspace in fear of collision as a result of bad weather and poor navigational support from the ground.? Big, intercontinental aircraft depended their own, installed landing navigational aid to touch down at Tanzanian airports.
The transport bulletin published this week by Tanzania's ministry of Communications and Transport said that airline business in Tanzania is very small, but with positive growth in near future.
Only two local airlines - Precisionair Services Limited and Air Tanzania Company Limited operate daily domestic flights between Tanzanian towns. British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Swiss Air are the only European airlines operating between Tanzania and big European cities with connections to USA, Japan and Hong Kong. Major European airlines including Sabena (Belgium), Air France, Alitalia, SAS and Lufthansa pulled out their flights from Tanzania over the past ten years.
The transport bulletin said that because of safe airspace, several airlines including Emirates, Gulf Air, Egyptian Air, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, Air India and Kenya Airways are operating comfortably while other international airlines are inquiring Tanzania's destination.
As an indication of performance, there were 123,816 aircraft movements between Tanzanian airports and other regional and international airports with 1.4 million passengers recorded in 2002, the bulletin noted. Tanzania has embarked on gradual liberalization of its international air transport market through reviewing its Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA). Notably, Tanzania was the first African state to sign an "Open Skies" agreement with the United States in 2000, the bulletin said.
Former US president Mr. Bill Clinton and Tanzanian president Mr. Benjamin Mkapa observed the signing of the Open Skies agreement in Arusha, northern Tanzania on August 28, 2000 when Mr. Clinton visited Tanzania.
The new radar falls under a national program to upgrade navigational systems at the four international airports - Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro in the north, Mwanza in the west and Zanzibar Island in the Indian Ocean, Civil Aviation officials claimed.
The purchase of the new radar has greatly improved the profile of air travel in Tanzania, though once opposed by many policy-makers. Opposing row took an international angle when senior British parliamentarians opposed their government's willingness to sell the radar to a poor country, Tanzania.
Led by Madam Claire Short, the former British Secretary of State for International Development, the parliamentarians threatened to block a six-year aid package to Tanzania worth $ 67.5 million each year, but the British Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair backed Tanzania's decision.
Madam Short visited Tanzania at the end of 2001 to meet top government officials to discuss cooperation issues, including the controversial radar which most British parliamentarians termed to be of military interests. President Benjamin Mkapa defended the purchase of the radar from BAE Systems of the United Kingdom.
Tanzania has 62 airports, but only four out of the total can accommodate big aircraft the size of Boeing 737. The rest can accommodate light aircraft, and are scattered mostly inside tourist sites and some are privately owned.
By Apolinari Tairo
eTN Tanzania
Travelvideo.TV - your news source for the travel and tourism industry.
THISDAY REPORTER
Dar es Salaam
THE Prevention of Corruption Bureau (PCB) is now focussing on a number of leading local politicians and high-ranking public officials as it continues its investigation into the controversial $41m (approx. 52bn/-) radar deal, it has been learnt.
THISDAY can reveal that PCB agents are in the process of probing several key ministries and government departments that were directly involved in the 2002 transaction, which has drawn much ire both here at home and in Britain where it originated.
Our sources say investigators from the Bureau have set their sights on various officials in the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (formerly Ministry of Communications and Transport), the Ministry of Defence and National Service, and the Ministry of Finance, all with links to the deal.
Other government departments connected to the transaction, including the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), are also being targeted in the probe. Furthermore, sources close to the investigation say key politicians who pushed through the controversial deal during President Benjamin Mkapas administration are being scrutinized as part and parcel of the probe.
Other government officials are being questioned in their roles as technical experts, all in a bid to try and establish why the purchase of the overpriced radar was approved. It is understood that the technical experts approached in the ongoing PCB investigation are from the three government ministries and the TCAA.
The military experts and those from TCAA are being questioned for their key role in the dealsome of them did travel to the UK to inspect the radar and ascertain its suitability, before it was eventually bought by the government, said one source. He added: On the other hand, there are clearly some politicians who pressured the technical experts to endorse the radar, and made the controversial payment for the equipment.
The Plessey Commander military air defence and control system was assembled by a subsidiary of BAE Systems Plc on the Isle of Wight, in Britain.
PCB director general Edward Hosea confirmed to THISDAY earlier this week that the anti-corruption watchdog was officially investigating the radar deal.
He, however, declined to give details about the ongoing investigation, or to name any of the individuals being investigated. The PCB boss maintained that the investigation is making good progress and pledged to release detailed information when it is concluded.
Government officials say investigation into the controversial radar deal was expressly ordered by President Jakaya Kikwete. It is alleged that several top officials in the Tanzanian government received part of the illegal $12m (approx. 15bn/-) worth of kickbacks allegedly paid by BAE Systems Plc.
A paper trail being followed by investigators from Britains Serious Fraud Office (SFO) shows that the commissions were secretly deposited in a Swiss bank account. The SFO has long been investigating the radar deal plus other defence contracts between BAE Systems and the governments of various foreign countries.
British investigators also conducted their probe on Tanzanian soil and questioned a number of people in the country connected to the deal. They include local businessman Sailesh Vithlani (42), who is alleged to have been the main middleman behind the deal.
Vithlani is reported to be closely working with several influential local business partners, including top government leaders (current and retired) from the Ministry of Defence and National Service, the Ministry of Finance, and elsewhere. The same businessman is alleged to have also benefited from a number of other multi-million dollar government contracts, such as the supply of the $40m Gulfstream presidential jet, and other deals involving supplies of military equipment.
The radar system, with its sophisticated anti-jamming devices, has been widely criticized as being quite unnecessary, as well as wildly expensive. President Kikwete has already stated Tanzanias intention to lodge a formal claim against the UK if it is indeed found that too much money was paid for the radar.
Experts say the government could have bought a much more modest civil air traffic control system, more appropriate to the countrys needs, for just a quarter of the price doled out to purchase the controversial radar.
What are u expecting from the PCB investigations, nothing new from them it will be like RICH -MAN FROM MONDULI report.
Also they failed to make folloups on Ndesamburos scandal that wabunge wamehongwa this ws due to the ushahidi available.
Lets talk about other issues and not about these PCB "Public Corruption Bureau:
By Martin Plaut
BBC News Africa analyst
Tony Blair may have some explaining to do over a major arms deal with South Africa on the last leg of his week-long Africa tour.
One awkward question which may not be on Mr Blair's agenda during this week's visit to South Africa will be his role in helping a leading British arms supplier to win a multi-million dollar arms contract.
The deal, signed by BAE, was part of a much larger arms procurement programme, with contracts signed by a range of European companies. Some of these contracts have become bogged down in controversy.
And more recently it has also been alleged that BAE itself paid what have been termed "commissions" to ensure that it won the contract. While there is no suggestion that the prime minister knew of or participated in any wrongdoing, his role in supporting the BAE bid has never been fully explained.
Largest deal
In 1999, the year in which the arms deal was signed, Tony Blair visited South Africa twice. According to the Foreign Office this was in January and November. Since then Mr Blair has only been in South Africa once, in February 2006. Back in 1999 the South African press carried very little that even hinted that an arms contract was part of the reason Mr Blair visited the country.
The deal was the largest South Africa had ever concluded, re-arming the country after the end of the arms embargo that had been in place during the apartheid years. It was worth $4.8bn and included the purchase of corvettes, submarines, light utility helicopters, lead-in fighter trainers and advanced light fighter aircraft.
The BAE share of the arms procurement contract was to supply 24 Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft, while Swedish manufacturer Saab, which is part-owned by BAE Systems, was to supply 28 Gripen fighter planes.
Bribe allegations
The entire arms deal was questioned by critics when it was being drawn up. They argued that South Africa, as a young democracy, had more pressing problems. These concerns were swept aside by the ANC government. But soon other concerns arose. The overall deal soon became bogged down in controversy, with allegations that bribes had been paid to win the contracts which involved a number of European suppliers.
The former ANC chief whip, Tony Yengeni, was one of the first in the spotlight after he started driving around Cape Town in his state-of-the-art dark green Mercedes Benz ML320 4x4 with its tinted windows and plush beige upholstery. In 2004, Yengeni was convicted of defrauding parliament by accepted a discount on the car. He was jailed in August 2006 but was released on parole after completing just five months of the four-year sentence.
Then Schabir Shaik, financial adviser to the South African deputy president, Jacob Zuma, was jailed for 15 years for soliciting a bribe for Mr Zuma from Thales.
And in June 2005 Mr Zuma was sacked from his position as deputy president, while further charges against him continue to be investigated by the South African authorities. Mr Zuma has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Payments alleged
None of these convictions or allegations involved BAE.
But now it has been reported that the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has asked its South African counterpart, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), to help it track down more than $139m in "commissions", allegedly paid by BAE to eight South African businesses and a political adviser.
The NPA has also been probing the deal and confirmed that a request had been received, "which was being processed". These questions were pursued at the BAE AGM earlier this month, when a former ANC member of parliament, Andrew Feinstein, used the meeting to raise a series of questions.
He asked the BAE chairman Dick Oliver: "Give this meeting an assurance that not one penny found its way into the hands of one South African official or politician. "One senior ANC executive committee member told me the 1999 election campaign was funded from the proceeds of the arms sale."
Mr Oliver declined to comment on Feinstein's specific allegations, saying an SFO investigation into similar claims was ongoing. He added: "You can be assured all information is being passed and help is being offered in a fulsome way."
Mbeki 'furious'
One other area that has remained controversial is the number of jobs that the deal has created for South Africa. It was claimed in 1999 that it would produce 65,000 jobs, but so far only a fraction of those have appeared.
There have also been reports that South African President Thabo Mbeki is furious that while an investigation into the BAE arms deal with Saudi Arabia was ended after the attorney general decided that it was "not in the public interest" no such decision has been taken over the South African deal.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year, Mr Mbeki said: "It does puzzle me why a strategic interest with regard to the work of BAE, there would be a strategic interest that would arise with one country and does not arise with other countries."
Mr Blair may have some explaining to do when he meets his host in South Africa this week.