Published on 13/09/2009
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Bethuel Mbugua: Genius or charlatan?
Genius med studentBy Joe Kiarie
He was enrolled in secondary school when he was only seven years old. He had lectured in about 300 universities and secondary schools in East Africa by the age of ten. Thanks to his brainpower, he wined and dined with presidents and ministers all over the world.
This is none other than Bethuel Mbugua, the child genius who awed millions of people and hit newspaper headlines in the 1980s and 1990s for perfecting an art that many people could only dream of.
Bethuel Mbugua. As a boy, he possessed rare intellectual prowess that captured the nation’s interest, yet he failed an IQ test to prove he is a genius
Now 30 and armed with a Masters degree in Public Health, Mbugua is contemplating returning to Kenya to take up leadership in the health sector, and maybe in politics.
He is currently based in India, working as a project officer for the International Clinical Epidemiology Network.
"I am looking for opportunities to pursue my doctorate here but if not, I will do it at home."
He says this will give him a sense of permanency after five years of travelling all over the world.
Brainy
Right from an early age, Mbugua’s intellectual prowess was obvious according to his parents, Paul Mwaura and Ruth Wanjiru. By the time he was in primary school in 1985 in Londiani, he had mastered the human anatomy, a feat that takes professionals years.
By the time he was in Standard Six in 1986, he was rated too bright for his class and taken to Form Four at Ol Kalou Secondary School. But he was kicked out after a month because other students and even local residents started disrupting classes asking him to lecture them.
"One day students in the maths class propped me up on a table and asked me to teach them something. Without hesitation I drew different parts of the brain," he recalls.
This was followed by whirlwind tours where the young man gave to different groups for two years. Scholars attached to Nakuru Provincial Hospital were so impressed by the boy’s academic exploits that they advised him to seek entry to a school for the gifted.
But with no money and no one to assist, Mbugua’s father plotted a famous sneak-in that brought the boy face-to-face with then President Moi.
The bold walk
The eight-year-old was to make a move and walk to the President on the VIP dais during a Harambee at Kijabe Hospital.
"I had a ready speech and when nudged by my father I walked to the President," he says.
When he got to the steps of the dais, security officers rushed to him but were stopped by the then Vice President Mwai Kibaki who was seated next to the President.
Mbugua with friends in the US (left)
"Pengine ana mchango yake (Maybe he is bringing his contribution)," he recalls the VP’s words.
Images of President Moi leaning over with his hand on Mbugua’s back, his neck outstretched and the young boy trying to reach his ears were all over the newspapers the following day.
This, he says, was one of the most historic moments of his life.
By 1988, Mbugua had become a familiar face in the newspapers. But it came to a sudden end when it was proposed that he be subjected to an IQ test, which was administered by Dr David Kabithe. According to the findings, the boy was just a good actor who could not tell the difference between Hamburg and a hamburger.
A laughing stock
Comic strips of the boy filled the newspapers as politicians capitalised on the saga by urging that Mbugua be taken back to primary school with children his age. That marked the end of the media blitz.
Mbugua signs autographs
But his father was not willing to let go of the dream of his son making his way abroad and the two illegally crossed the border into Tanzania to seek help from the American embassy there. Then 12, Mbugua had not attended a class for six years and says it is while at Namanga en route to Tanzania that reality dawned on him.
"I realised I was getting older and was no longer the little boy who impressed people with his science knowledge," he says.
In Dar es Salaam, their efforts to secure education asylum via the American embassy and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees proved futile. After two weeks with fellow Kenyan asylum seekers, a dejected father and son ended up in a rented house near the University of Dar es Salaam. It was during later visits to the university that they met a computer science professor, who asked Mbugua to give a lecture at the university.
This was well planned with posters put up around the campus and the lecture then took place, attended even by the former President Julius Nyerere and the then President Ali Mwinyi.
Stroke of luck
"It was a lecture I enjoyed and the audience laughed, applauded and had a good time. What followed were newspapers articles, and just like Kenya, people followed me whenever I went asking for autographs and photo opportunities," he recalls.
The Day of the African Child followed soon afterwards and Mbugua, having previously criticised the Kenya government for neglecting the education of children, was invited to give a speech at the "Uhuru" Park in Dar es Salaam.
He was part of the Tanzanian Health minister’s entourage and gave a lively speech dubbed ‘End Apartheid’, which was dedicated to his fellow children suffering in South Africa.
Mbugua whispers something to then President Moi. Photos: Courtesy
Later in August, Kenyatta University held an international mathematics conference in Nairobi and Mbugua was invited to attend. During the photo session for participants, including the then Finance minister Prof George Saitoti, Mbugua found himself standing next to a lady called Lenore Blum.
"Little did I know that she would take a very risky step that drastically and dramatically changed the course of my life," he notes.
Lenore asked Mbugua why he was present there despite his tender age and he explained his circumstances to her. She sought to meet his father and that happened the following day.
Things happened fast and Lenore soon informed Mbugua that she had even called her husband in San Francisco asking him how he would feel if she was to bring back with her an African boy.
Lenore and Mbugua’s father submitted a letter to the American embassy authorising her to be Mbugua’s guardian while in the US. After a few months, he was on a plane headed for the USA in a journey sponsored by both Lenore and Kenya Airways. That was on October 20, 1991, the day that marked the onset of a new era in Mbugua’s life.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Why isn't the same noise raised for when a heterosexual is murdered by his lover?
Why isn't the same noise raised for when a heterosexual is murdered by his lover?
I share the tail end of John Nagenda's column .....
Why shoot own foot?
Publication date: Friday, 11th February, 2011
By John Nagenda
*****************
It brings me to the recent murder of one David Kato. It has now come to light that to some (including those whom he lured into “homoism” for the price of a cheap meal) Kato was not all he seemed to be, but a predator, often of the young. If so, was it not ill-advised for sympathisers, like the Archbishop of Canterbury and the US President, and countless others besides, to rush blindly with comment on his death?
In other words, belonging to the ill-treated homosexual and lesbian minorities does not necessarily raise your status. Even if Kato was at the same time what some took him to be: an activist for same-sex love, it seems vastly OTT (over the top) for people the world over to pull their hair out and tear their garments over the hammer murder of this one person.
Ask yourself this: Would all these people have crammed the air-waves with their cries if the dreadful murder had been between heterosexual lovers? If not, why not?
This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/20/746302
-------------------------------------------------
Through the lover's confession and from all who knew about their love affair ... they failed to share 'donor' money. By the way this is quite common even amongst NGO leaders when they fail to share 'donor' money ... a case in point is when a top executive of Send A Cow was gunned down in broad day light ... this did not make it to the Guardian ... So the only reason this made it to the Guardian is because Kato was homosexual and not because a human being was murdered????
-------------------------------------------
Chambi many people were killed on the same day that Kato was killed and many more have been killed thereafter, not a single shilling nor a single effort has been made to resolve their murders and in comparison to the amount invested in Kato's, it is plain ridiculous ... It is activist such as yourselves who moved the debate from 'a person' has been killed to 'a homosexual' has been killed, thus shooting yourselves in the foot ....
--------------------------------------------
Chambi, my point is before Redd Pepper (the news paper) published the names and addresses of the homosexuals, we in Uganda already knew who they were and where they lived ... I am not blaming the west, I am pointing out that you, the Chambi's are biased in pushing a particular perspective on an issue ... before you even knew that Kato was mudered by his lover you had already jumped to the conclusion that he was executed by anti-gay Ugandans who got his address from a newspaper .... For many in Uganda we are guilty of promoting a particular dorminant discourse ... in many cases in a hypocritical manner ....It is the hypocrisy of the person who does not comment on the gang rape and murder of Ugandan women and then is holier than though when a man is murdered by his lover that gets to me .... whether you are the guardian or Chambi ...
------------------------------------------------
Yes, Kato won the case and continued to live his life ..... And now many more Ugandans are sadenly becoming homosexuals because of the promise of 'donor' money or the possibility of getting green cards and entries to so-called "greener pastures" .... What I find fascinating is that the same newspaper that Kato sued is renowed for its really negative comments about heterosexuals, especially the female organs ... at one point relating them to the battlefields of Kandahar ... and extolling the man who pound them with carpet bombs, but this did not make it to the Guardian ....
--------------------------------------------------
Which is the case with all issues .... but the main point here is that what is considered news, important and reflective of 'world' opinion????? Gays have been living among us for many many years, without being targeted ... I actually believe that one [...] who served in the Kings rifles in world war II was gay, it was known that he preferred the company of boys and he lived well in his home and died a natural death with boys around him ... what has changed????
-------------------------------------------------
I share the tail end of John Nagenda's column .....
Why shoot own foot?
Publication date: Friday, 11th February, 2011
By John Nagenda
*****************
It brings me to the recent murder of one David Kato. It has now come to light that to some (including those whom he lured into “homoism” for the price of a cheap meal) Kato was not all he seemed to be, but a predator, often of the young. If so, was it not ill-advised for sympathisers, like the Archbishop of Canterbury and the US President, and countless others besides, to rush blindly with comment on his death?
In other words, belonging to the ill-treated homosexual and lesbian minorities does not necessarily raise your status. Even if Kato was at the same time what some took him to be: an activist for same-sex love, it seems vastly OTT (over the top) for people the world over to pull their hair out and tear their garments over the hammer murder of this one person.
Ask yourself this: Would all these people have crammed the air-waves with their cries if the dreadful murder had been between heterosexual lovers? If not, why not?
This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/20/746302
-------------------------------------------------
Through the lover's confession and from all who knew about their love affair ... they failed to share 'donor' money. By the way this is quite common even amongst NGO leaders when they fail to share 'donor' money ... a case in point is when a top executive of Send A Cow was gunned down in broad day light ... this did not make it to the Guardian ... So the only reason this made it to the Guardian is because Kato was homosexual and not because a human being was murdered????
-------------------------------------------
Chambi many people were killed on the same day that Kato was killed and many more have been killed thereafter, not a single shilling nor a single effort has been made to resolve their murders and in comparison to the amount invested in Kato's, it is plain ridiculous ... It is activist such as yourselves who moved the debate from 'a person' has been killed to 'a homosexual' has been killed, thus shooting yourselves in the foot ....
--------------------------------------------
Chambi, my point is before Redd Pepper (the news paper) published the names and addresses of the homosexuals, we in Uganda already knew who they were and where they lived ... I am not blaming the west, I am pointing out that you, the Chambi's are biased in pushing a particular perspective on an issue ... before you even knew that Kato was mudered by his lover you had already jumped to the conclusion that he was executed by anti-gay Ugandans who got his address from a newspaper .... For many in Uganda we are guilty of promoting a particular dorminant discourse ... in many cases in a hypocritical manner ....It is the hypocrisy of the person who does not comment on the gang rape and murder of Ugandan women and then is holier than though when a man is murdered by his lover that gets to me .... whether you are the guardian or Chambi ...
------------------------------------------------
Yes, Kato won the case and continued to live his life ..... And now many more Ugandans are sadenly becoming homosexuals because of the promise of 'donor' money or the possibility of getting green cards and entries to so-called "greener pastures" .... What I find fascinating is that the same newspaper that Kato sued is renowed for its really negative comments about heterosexuals, especially the female organs ... at one point relating them to the battlefields of Kandahar ... and extolling the man who pound them with carpet bombs, but this did not make it to the Guardian ....
--------------------------------------------------
Which is the case with all issues .... but the main point here is that what is considered news, important and reflective of 'world' opinion????? Gays have been living among us for many many years, without being targeted ... I actually believe that one [...] who served in the Kings rifles in world war II was gay, it was known that he preferred the company of boys and he lived well in his home and died a natural death with boys around him ... what has changed????
-------------------------------------------------
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Do you real understand the meaning of Valentine Day?
By CHRISTINA WEBER
Special to the CN
Ahh ... Valentine’s Day is upon us, a day when lovers swoon, florists are running and single people all over the world cringe.
Today, Valentine’s Day, is all about showing affection for the love in your life by sending flowers, giving jewelry or taking them out for a nice dinner. But the original meaning of the day was actually quite different and had nothing to do with romance at all. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius I established a day honoring the two Christian martyrs, Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. Both had died more than a hundred years before, defending their faith and beliefs.
Roman history states that in 260 AD, Claudius the Great was having trouble finding men to serve in his army. He blamed the lack of volunteers on marriage, which he said made men weak. So to correct this, he simply banned marriage. However, the temple priest Valentinus was quite the romantic and wed couples in secret. Soon he was caught and jailed, and when he pressed his luck further by trying to convert the emperor over to Christianity, he was beaten and stoned. On the eve of his beheading, from the confines of his cell, he was said to have sent a farewell letter to his love, the jailer’s daughter, signing it “From your Valentine.” Thus sending out the world’s first “Valentine Card.”
Many scholars believe that the holiday became more about love than martyrdom because of the pagan festival of Lupercalia. A holiday that celebrated fertility and provided them with protection from wolves that existed long before Valentine’s Day and was celebrated. It was held from Feb. 13-15. Part of this festival’s tradition was for the men to draw the names of the town women out of a basket to determine who they were to be with for the following year.
And where did the chubby, half-naked baby come from in this celebration? Well, to the Greeks, he was known as Eros, the son of Aphrodite who was the Goddess of beauty and love. To the Romans, he was Cupid, the son of Venus, and was described as happy but cruel. He had a mortal wife, Psyche, and law said that mortals were not supposed to look upon gods. So he was only with her under cover of darkness. But as with most women, curiosity got the most of her and one night as he was sleeping, she lit a lamp and looked at him. He work and fled in anger ... guess the whole chubby baby look did not set well with him.
Today it is said that he carries a bow and arrow, and with one shot makes couples fall in love.
Despite all the history of the holiday, many of us simply know this as a gift-giving holiday. For years, the traditional gift to give your love was a simple handmade card. Even today, the oldest surviving greeting card on record is a Valentine’s Day card from the 1400s which is on display in a Britain Museum.
While the tradition of giving these delights from the heart goes back at least another 200 years, it was not until the 1980s that the diamond industry began using Valentine’s Day as a marketing campaign to get people to spend more money, it must have worked because today men spend a record twice more money than women.
So however you decide to spend this holiday, do it with someone you love.
But remember it was not always about chocolate, flowers and gifts.
Special to the CN
Ahh ... Valentine’s Day is upon us, a day when lovers swoon, florists are running and single people all over the world cringe.
Today, Valentine’s Day, is all about showing affection for the love in your life by sending flowers, giving jewelry or taking them out for a nice dinner. But the original meaning of the day was actually quite different and had nothing to do with romance at all. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius I established a day honoring the two Christian martyrs, Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. Both had died more than a hundred years before, defending their faith and beliefs.
Roman history states that in 260 AD, Claudius the Great was having trouble finding men to serve in his army. He blamed the lack of volunteers on marriage, which he said made men weak. So to correct this, he simply banned marriage. However, the temple priest Valentinus was quite the romantic and wed couples in secret. Soon he was caught and jailed, and when he pressed his luck further by trying to convert the emperor over to Christianity, he was beaten and stoned. On the eve of his beheading, from the confines of his cell, he was said to have sent a farewell letter to his love, the jailer’s daughter, signing it “From your Valentine.” Thus sending out the world’s first “Valentine Card.”
Many scholars believe that the holiday became more about love than martyrdom because of the pagan festival of Lupercalia. A holiday that celebrated fertility and provided them with protection from wolves that existed long before Valentine’s Day and was celebrated. It was held from Feb. 13-15. Part of this festival’s tradition was for the men to draw the names of the town women out of a basket to determine who they were to be with for the following year.
And where did the chubby, half-naked baby come from in this celebration? Well, to the Greeks, he was known as Eros, the son of Aphrodite who was the Goddess of beauty and love. To the Romans, he was Cupid, the son of Venus, and was described as happy but cruel. He had a mortal wife, Psyche, and law said that mortals were not supposed to look upon gods. So he was only with her under cover of darkness. But as with most women, curiosity got the most of her and one night as he was sleeping, she lit a lamp and looked at him. He work and fled in anger ... guess the whole chubby baby look did not set well with him.
Today it is said that he carries a bow and arrow, and with one shot makes couples fall in love.
Despite all the history of the holiday, many of us simply know this as a gift-giving holiday. For years, the traditional gift to give your love was a simple handmade card. Even today, the oldest surviving greeting card on record is a Valentine’s Day card from the 1400s which is on display in a Britain Museum.
While the tradition of giving these delights from the heart goes back at least another 200 years, it was not until the 1980s that the diamond industry began using Valentine’s Day as a marketing campaign to get people to spend more money, it must have worked because today men spend a record twice more money than women.
So however you decide to spend this holiday, do it with someone you love.
But remember it was not always about chocolate, flowers and gifts.
Can we learn something from Egypt????????
Dawn of Egypt's democratic experimentBy Salman Shaikh, Special to CNNFebruary 13, 2011 -- Updated 2032 GMT (0432 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
As celebration continues over Mubarak ouster, new phase begins in Egypt
Salman Shaikh says the military must move the nation toward democracy
U.S. needs to be forthright supporter of transition to democracy, he says
Egypt's people need to remain united and determined, Shaikh says
RELATED TOPICS
Egypt
Hosni Mubarak
Barack Obama
Egyptian Politics
Protests and Demonstrations
Editor's note: Salman Shaikh is director of the Brookings Institution's Doha Center in Doha, Qatar. He focuses on mediation and conflict resolution in the Middle East and South Asia, and has also worked for the United Nations, including a post as a special adviser on the Middle East to the U.N. secretary-general. Brookings is a Washington-based nonprofit public policy think tank.
(CNN) -- As people of all generations and backgrounds celebrate across Egypt this weekend, we are seeing history unfold. "Umm al-Duniya," the "mother of the world," has reawakened. So will the rest of its children around the region. Egyptians have changed the face of the region forever.
For too long, Egyptians have been in slumber, their lives marred by a sense of loss and by life's everyday indignities. Held back by the "big brother regime," which knew best for its people, the citizens lived under a collective sense of inferiority.
Now the events of the past few weeks in Egypt, and before that in Tunisia, have swept these sentiments away. What has been remarkable is not just that after 30 years President Hosni Mubarak has been ousted, but the way that this occurred. A new generation of 18- to 30-year-olds has organized its communities, stood up to the pressures of a dictator and his feared security forces, and countered with new ideas, when all seemed hopeless, to lead a nation of 84 million to freedom.
Remarkably, the momentum remained with the street and its leaders, not in the presidential palace or with the professional opposition politicians, nor with Washington or anybody else. In this, the street has gained the respect of the world.
But in all the euphoria, we must remember that Mubarak's departure heralds only a beginning. For now, power has been transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. It is not clear what comes next. There will be unease that Mubarak's decision has enabled a military coup, since there is no constitutional provision for such a move. Officially, the speaker of the parliament should have taken over.
What happens after Mubarak? However, with the last parliamentary elections discredited as fraudulent, many will accept the military as the one national institution that can assume a responsibility for the transition. Reports indicate that the upper and lower houses of the Parliament have been abolished and the Cabinet disbanded. Egypt today is in the hands of the military.
The military will now have to take on arguably its most important role -- that of the guarantor of a political transition to a democratic system of governance in Egypt. It announced in a statement that it will guarantee changes to the constitution, free and fair elections, and an end to 30 years of emergency rule, "as soon as the current circumstances end."
The military will be intensely scrutinized. It will have to work on two tracks: first, to create enough confidence among the people to take them off the streets and bring normality back to the country; and second, to establish a national dialogue that includes all the main political parties and leads to agreement on constitutional and political reforms for the transition to free and fair elections.
The other guarantor of the new, democratic Egypt can be the United States. After days of zigzagging U.S. statements, which meant all things to all men and deeply disappointed those calling for Mubarak to leave, Vice President Joseph Biden set the right tone in the first official U.S. reaction. The transition, he said, "must be an irreversible change ... toward democracy." He added that "the future will be determined by the Egyptian people." In the debate over whether the U.S. should promote its values or its interests, Biden was surprisingly clear, stating that the U.S. stands for "a clear set of core values."
President Obama said Friday afternoon, "Nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day." Let us hope that in this blighted region the U.S. finally means what it says. If so, it will play an important diplomatic and economic supporting role in the democratic transition of Egypt and other Arab countries. It must not miss this opportunity.
Ultimately, the future of Egypt lies with its people. With their extraordinary actions over the past three weeks, they are now the shareholders of the democratic experiment the country has begun. There will undoubtedly be frustrations and disappointments along the way, especially with expectations so high.
The military will have to deliver in the interim phase and then step back. Throughout the world, politicians in particular have the habit of disappointing those to whom they make promises.
Nevertheless, let us hope that the democratic transition in Egypt carries a genuine battle of ideas and a competition through the ballot box in the months ahead. Let us hope that Egyptians stay united and turn this extraordinary moment of hope into reality.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Salman Shaikh.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
As celebration continues over Mubarak ouster, new phase begins in Egypt
Salman Shaikh says the military must move the nation toward democracy
U.S. needs to be forthright supporter of transition to democracy, he says
Egypt's people need to remain united and determined, Shaikh says
RELATED TOPICS
Egypt
Hosni Mubarak
Barack Obama
Egyptian Politics
Protests and Demonstrations
Editor's note: Salman Shaikh is director of the Brookings Institution's Doha Center in Doha, Qatar. He focuses on mediation and conflict resolution in the Middle East and South Asia, and has also worked for the United Nations, including a post as a special adviser on the Middle East to the U.N. secretary-general. Brookings is a Washington-based nonprofit public policy think tank.
(CNN) -- As people of all generations and backgrounds celebrate across Egypt this weekend, we are seeing history unfold. "Umm al-Duniya," the "mother of the world," has reawakened. So will the rest of its children around the region. Egyptians have changed the face of the region forever.
For too long, Egyptians have been in slumber, their lives marred by a sense of loss and by life's everyday indignities. Held back by the "big brother regime," which knew best for its people, the citizens lived under a collective sense of inferiority.
Now the events of the past few weeks in Egypt, and before that in Tunisia, have swept these sentiments away. What has been remarkable is not just that after 30 years President Hosni Mubarak has been ousted, but the way that this occurred. A new generation of 18- to 30-year-olds has organized its communities, stood up to the pressures of a dictator and his feared security forces, and countered with new ideas, when all seemed hopeless, to lead a nation of 84 million to freedom.
Remarkably, the momentum remained with the street and its leaders, not in the presidential palace or with the professional opposition politicians, nor with Washington or anybody else. In this, the street has gained the respect of the world.
But in all the euphoria, we must remember that Mubarak's departure heralds only a beginning. For now, power has been transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. It is not clear what comes next. There will be unease that Mubarak's decision has enabled a military coup, since there is no constitutional provision for such a move. Officially, the speaker of the parliament should have taken over.
What happens after Mubarak? However, with the last parliamentary elections discredited as fraudulent, many will accept the military as the one national institution that can assume a responsibility for the transition. Reports indicate that the upper and lower houses of the Parliament have been abolished and the Cabinet disbanded. Egypt today is in the hands of the military.
The military will now have to take on arguably its most important role -- that of the guarantor of a political transition to a democratic system of governance in Egypt. It announced in a statement that it will guarantee changes to the constitution, free and fair elections, and an end to 30 years of emergency rule, "as soon as the current circumstances end."
The military will be intensely scrutinized. It will have to work on two tracks: first, to create enough confidence among the people to take them off the streets and bring normality back to the country; and second, to establish a national dialogue that includes all the main political parties and leads to agreement on constitutional and political reforms for the transition to free and fair elections.
The other guarantor of the new, democratic Egypt can be the United States. After days of zigzagging U.S. statements, which meant all things to all men and deeply disappointed those calling for Mubarak to leave, Vice President Joseph Biden set the right tone in the first official U.S. reaction. The transition, he said, "must be an irreversible change ... toward democracy." He added that "the future will be determined by the Egyptian people." In the debate over whether the U.S. should promote its values or its interests, Biden was surprisingly clear, stating that the U.S. stands for "a clear set of core values."
President Obama said Friday afternoon, "Nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day." Let us hope that in this blighted region the U.S. finally means what it says. If so, it will play an important diplomatic and economic supporting role in the democratic transition of Egypt and other Arab countries. It must not miss this opportunity.
Ultimately, the future of Egypt lies with its people. With their extraordinary actions over the past three weeks, they are now the shareholders of the democratic experiment the country has begun. There will undoubtedly be frustrations and disappointments along the way, especially with expectations so high.
The military will have to deliver in the interim phase and then step back. Throughout the world, politicians in particular have the habit of disappointing those to whom they make promises.
Nevertheless, let us hope that the democratic transition in Egypt carries a genuine battle of ideas and a competition through the ballot box in the months ahead. Let us hope that Egyptians stay united and turn this extraordinary moment of hope into reality.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Salman Shaikh.
Hosni Mubarak the richiest president in the world. richer than Bill Gates
There are no Mubaraks on the Forbes list of the world's richest people, but there sure ought to be.
The mounting pressure from 18 days of historic protests finally drove Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from office, after three decades as his nation's iron-fisted ruler. But over that time, Mubarak amassed a fortune that should finance a pretty comfortable retirement. The British Guardian newspaper cites Middle Eastern sources placing the wealth of Mubarak and his family at somewhere between $40 billion and $70 billion. That's a pretty good pension for government work. The world's richest man--Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim--is worth about $54 billion, by comparison. Bill Gates is close behind, with a net worth of about $53 billion.
[See how to survive tax hikes and spending cuts.]
Mubarak, of course, was a military man, not a businessman. But running a country with a suspended constitution for 30 years generates certain perks, and Mubarak was in a position to take a slice of virtually every significant business deal in the country, from development projects throughout the Nile basin to transit projects on the Suez Canal, which is a conduit for about 4 percent of the world's oil shipments. "There was no accountability, no need for transparency," says Prof. Amaney Jamal of Princeton University. "He was able to reach into the economic sphere and benefit from monopolies, bribery fees, red-tape fees, and nepotism. It was guaranteed profit."
Had the typical Egyptian enjoyed a morsel of that, Mubarak might still be in power. But Egypt, despite a cadre of well-educated young people, has struggled as an economic backwater. The nation's GDP per capita is just $6,200, according to the CIA--one-seventh what it is in the United States. That output ranks 136th in the world, even though Egypt ranks 16th in population. Mubarak had been working on a set of economic reforms, but they stalled during the global recession. The chronic lack of jobs and upward mobility was perhaps the biggest factor driving millions of enraged Egyptian youths into the streets, demanding change.
[See 5 reasons to stop fearing China.]
Estimates of Mubarak's wealth will probably be hard to verify, if not impossible (one reason dictators tend not to make it onto Forbes's annual list). His money is certainly not sitting in an Egyptian vault, waiting to be counted. And his delayed exit may have allowed Mubarak time to move money around and hide significant parts of his fortune. The Swiss government has said it is temporarily freezing any assets in Swiss banks that could be linked to Mubarak, an uncharacteristically aggressive move for the secretive banking nation. But that doesn't mean the money will ever be returned to the Egyptian people, and it may even find its way to Mubarak eventually. Other Mubarak funds are reportedly sitting in British banks, and Mubarak was no doubt wily enough to squire away some cash in unlikely places. Plus, an eventual exile deal could allow Mubarak to retain some of his wealth, no questions asked, as long as he and his family leave Egypt and make no further bids for power.
Epic skimming is a common privilege of Middle Eastern despots, and Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, were a bit less conspicuous than some of the Saudi princes and other Middle Eastern royals seen partying from time to time on the French Riviera or other hotspots. The family does reportedly own posh estates in London, New York, and Beverly Hills, plus a number of properties around the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, where Mubarak reportedly went after resigning the presidency.
Mubarak also spread the wealth far and wide in Egyptian power circles--another Middle Eastern tradition--one reason he incurred the kind of loyalty that allowed him to rule for a remarkable three decades. Top Army officials were almost certainly on his payroll, which might help explain why the Army eased him out in the end--allowing a kind of in-country exile--instead of hounding him out of Egypt or imprisoning him once it was clear the tide had turned against him for good.
[See how government spending skyrocketed.]
That money trail, in fact, will help determine whether Egypt becomes a more prosperous, democratic country, or continues to muddle along as an economic basket case. Even though he's out of power, Mubarak may still be able to influence the Army officials running the country, through the financial connections that made them all wealthy. And if not Mubarak, the next leader may be poised to start lining his pockets the same way Mubarak did. For Egypt to have a more effective, transparent economy, all of that will have to be cleaned up. There are probably a lot of people in Cairo who have been checking their bank balances lately.
Twitter: @rickjnewman
Follow Yahoo! Finance on Twitter; become a fan on Facebook.
The mounting pressure from 18 days of historic protests finally drove Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from office, after three decades as his nation's iron-fisted ruler. But over that time, Mubarak amassed a fortune that should finance a pretty comfortable retirement. The British Guardian newspaper cites Middle Eastern sources placing the wealth of Mubarak and his family at somewhere between $40 billion and $70 billion. That's a pretty good pension for government work. The world's richest man--Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim--is worth about $54 billion, by comparison. Bill Gates is close behind, with a net worth of about $53 billion.
[See how to survive tax hikes and spending cuts.]
Mubarak, of course, was a military man, not a businessman. But running a country with a suspended constitution for 30 years generates certain perks, and Mubarak was in a position to take a slice of virtually every significant business deal in the country, from development projects throughout the Nile basin to transit projects on the Suez Canal, which is a conduit for about 4 percent of the world's oil shipments. "There was no accountability, no need for transparency," says Prof. Amaney Jamal of Princeton University. "He was able to reach into the economic sphere and benefit from monopolies, bribery fees, red-tape fees, and nepotism. It was guaranteed profit."
Had the typical Egyptian enjoyed a morsel of that, Mubarak might still be in power. But Egypt, despite a cadre of well-educated young people, has struggled as an economic backwater. The nation's GDP per capita is just $6,200, according to the CIA--one-seventh what it is in the United States. That output ranks 136th in the world, even though Egypt ranks 16th in population. Mubarak had been working on a set of economic reforms, but they stalled during the global recession. The chronic lack of jobs and upward mobility was perhaps the biggest factor driving millions of enraged Egyptian youths into the streets, demanding change.
[See 5 reasons to stop fearing China.]
Estimates of Mubarak's wealth will probably be hard to verify, if not impossible (one reason dictators tend not to make it onto Forbes's annual list). His money is certainly not sitting in an Egyptian vault, waiting to be counted. And his delayed exit may have allowed Mubarak time to move money around and hide significant parts of his fortune. The Swiss government has said it is temporarily freezing any assets in Swiss banks that could be linked to Mubarak, an uncharacteristically aggressive move for the secretive banking nation. But that doesn't mean the money will ever be returned to the Egyptian people, and it may even find its way to Mubarak eventually. Other Mubarak funds are reportedly sitting in British banks, and Mubarak was no doubt wily enough to squire away some cash in unlikely places. Plus, an eventual exile deal could allow Mubarak to retain some of his wealth, no questions asked, as long as he and his family leave Egypt and make no further bids for power.
Epic skimming is a common privilege of Middle Eastern despots, and Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, were a bit less conspicuous than some of the Saudi princes and other Middle Eastern royals seen partying from time to time on the French Riviera or other hotspots. The family does reportedly own posh estates in London, New York, and Beverly Hills, plus a number of properties around the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, where Mubarak reportedly went after resigning the presidency.
Mubarak also spread the wealth far and wide in Egyptian power circles--another Middle Eastern tradition--one reason he incurred the kind of loyalty that allowed him to rule for a remarkable three decades. Top Army officials were almost certainly on his payroll, which might help explain why the Army eased him out in the end--allowing a kind of in-country exile--instead of hounding him out of Egypt or imprisoning him once it was clear the tide had turned against him for good.
[See how government spending skyrocketed.]
That money trail, in fact, will help determine whether Egypt becomes a more prosperous, democratic country, or continues to muddle along as an economic basket case. Even though he's out of power, Mubarak may still be able to influence the Army officials running the country, through the financial connections that made them all wealthy. And if not Mubarak, the next leader may be poised to start lining his pockets the same way Mubarak did. For Egypt to have a more effective, transparent economy, all of that will have to be cleaned up. There are probably a lot of people in Cairo who have been checking their bank balances lately.
Twitter: @rickjnewman
Follow Yahoo! Finance on Twitter; become a fan on Facebook.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Appreciation of others effort
Please Read Carefully
" Mothers Love & Our Success "
One Young Academically Excellent Person Went To Apply For A Managerial Position in A Big Company.
He Passed The First interview;
The Director Did The Last interview,
Made The Last Decision.
The Director Discovered From The CV That The Youth's Academic Achievements Were Excellent All The Way,
From The Secondary School Until The Postgraduate Research,
Never Had A Year When He Did Not Score.
The director Asked,
"Did You Obtain Any Scholarships in School?" The Youth Answered "None".
The Director Asked,
“ Was it Your Father Who Paid For Your School Fees? "
The Youth Answered,
" My Father Passed Away When I Was One Year Old,
it Was My Mother Who Paid For My School Fees.
The Director Asked,
“ Where Did Your Mother Work? "
The Youth Answered,
" My Mother Worked As Clothes Cleaner.
The Director Requested The Youth To Show His Hands.
The Youth Showed A Pair Of Hands That Were Smooth And Perfect.
The Director Asked,
“ Have You Ever Helped Your Mother Wash The Clothes Before? "
The Youth Answered,
" Never, My Mother Always Wanted Me To
Study And Read More Books. Furthermore, My Mother Can Wash Clothes Faster Than Me.
The Director Said,
" I Have A Request.
When You Go Back Today, Go And Clean Your Mother's Hands, And Then See Me Tomorrow Morning ”
The Youth Felt That His Chance Of Landing The Job Was High.
When He Went Back,
He Happily Requested His Mother To Let Him Clean Her Hands.
His Mother Felt Strange, Happy But With Mixed Feelings, She Showed Her Hands To The Kid.
The Youth Cleaned His Mother's Hands Slowly. His Tear Fell As He Did That.
It Was The First Time He Noticed That His Mother's Hands Were So Wrinkled,
And There Were So Many Bruises in Her Hands.
Some Bruises Were So Painful That His Mother Shivered When They Were Cleaned With Water.
This Was The First Time The Youth Realized That it Was This Pair Of Hands That Washed The Clothes Everyday To Enable Him To Pay The School Fee.
The Bruises in The Mother's Hands Were The Price That The Mother Had To Pay For His Graduation, Academic Excellence And His Future.
After Finishing The Cleaning Of His Mother Hands,
The Youth Quietly Washed All The Remaining Clothes For His Mother.
That Night, Mother And Son Talked For A Very Long Time.
Next Morning,
The Youth Went To The Director's Office.
The Director Noticed The Tears in The Youth's Eyes,
Asked: “ Can You Tell Me What Have You Done And Learned Yesterday in Your House?"
The Youth Answered,
” I Cleaned My Mother's Hand, And Also Finished Cleaning All The Remaining Clothes'
The Director Asked,
“ Please Tell Me Your Feelings."
The Youth Said,
Number 1
I Know Now What Appreciation is. Without My Mother, There Would Not The Successful Me Today.
Number 2
By Working Together And Helping My Mother, Only I Now Realize How Difficult And Tough it is To Get Something Done.
Number 3
I Have Come To Appreciate The importance And Value Of Family Relationship.
The Director Said,
“ This is What I Am Looking For To Be My Manager.
I Want To Recruit A Person Who Can Appreciate The Help Of Others, A Person who knows The Sufferings Of Others To Get Things Done, And A Person Who Would Not Put Money As His Only Goal in Life.
You Are Hired.
Later on, This Young Person Worked Very Hard, And Received The Respect Of His Subordinates. Every Employee Worked Diligently And As A Team..
A Child, Who Has Been Protected And Habitually Given Whatever He Wanted,
Would Develop " Entitlement Mentality "
And Would Always Put Himself First.
He Would Be ignorant Of His Parent's Efforts.
When He Starts Work, He Assumes That Every Person Must Listen To Him,
And When He Becomes A Manager,
He Would Never Know The Sufferings Of His Employees And Would Always Blame Others.
For This Kind Of People, Who May Be Good Academically,
May Be Successful For A While,
But Eventually Would Not Feel Sense Of Achievement.
He will Grumble And Be Full Of Hatred And Fight For More.
If We Are This Kind Of Protective Parents,
Are We Really Showing Love Or Are We Destroying The Kid instead?
You Can Let Your kid Live in A Big House,
Eat A Good Meal, Learn Piano,
Watch A Big Screen TV.
But When You Are Cutting Grass,
Please Let Them Experience it.
After A Meal, Let Them Wash Their Plates And Bowls Together With Their Brothers And Sisters.
It is Not Because You Do Not Have Money To Hire A Maid,
But it is Because You Want To Love Them in A Right Way.
You Want Them To Understand,
No Matter How Rich Their Parents Are,
One Day Their Hair Will Grow Gray,
Same As The Mother Of That Young Person. The Most important Thing is Your Kid Learns How To Appreciate The Effort And Experience The Difficulty And Learns The Ability To Work With Others To Get Things Done.
Don’t You Think So ………
Think Abt This Once……………..
Wishing YOU all a Happy Valentine Day
Akyoo
" Mothers Love & Our Success "
One Young Academically Excellent Person Went To Apply For A Managerial Position in A Big Company.
He Passed The First interview;
The Director Did The Last interview,
Made The Last Decision.
The Director Discovered From The CV That The Youth's Academic Achievements Were Excellent All The Way,
From The Secondary School Until The Postgraduate Research,
Never Had A Year When He Did Not Score.
The director Asked,
"Did You Obtain Any Scholarships in School?" The Youth Answered "None".
The Director Asked,
“ Was it Your Father Who Paid For Your School Fees? "
The Youth Answered,
" My Father Passed Away When I Was One Year Old,
it Was My Mother Who Paid For My School Fees.
The Director Asked,
“ Where Did Your Mother Work? "
The Youth Answered,
" My Mother Worked As Clothes Cleaner.
The Director Requested The Youth To Show His Hands.
The Youth Showed A Pair Of Hands That Were Smooth And Perfect.
The Director Asked,
“ Have You Ever Helped Your Mother Wash The Clothes Before? "
The Youth Answered,
" Never, My Mother Always Wanted Me To
Study And Read More Books. Furthermore, My Mother Can Wash Clothes Faster Than Me.
The Director Said,
" I Have A Request.
When You Go Back Today, Go And Clean Your Mother's Hands, And Then See Me Tomorrow Morning ”
The Youth Felt That His Chance Of Landing The Job Was High.
When He Went Back,
He Happily Requested His Mother To Let Him Clean Her Hands.
His Mother Felt Strange, Happy But With Mixed Feelings, She Showed Her Hands To The Kid.
The Youth Cleaned His Mother's Hands Slowly. His Tear Fell As He Did That.
It Was The First Time He Noticed That His Mother's Hands Were So Wrinkled,
And There Were So Many Bruises in Her Hands.
Some Bruises Were So Painful That His Mother Shivered When They Were Cleaned With Water.
This Was The First Time The Youth Realized That it Was This Pair Of Hands That Washed The Clothes Everyday To Enable Him To Pay The School Fee.
The Bruises in The Mother's Hands Were The Price That The Mother Had To Pay For His Graduation, Academic Excellence And His Future.
After Finishing The Cleaning Of His Mother Hands,
The Youth Quietly Washed All The Remaining Clothes For His Mother.
That Night, Mother And Son Talked For A Very Long Time.
Next Morning,
The Youth Went To The Director's Office.
The Director Noticed The Tears in The Youth's Eyes,
Asked: “ Can You Tell Me What Have You Done And Learned Yesterday in Your House?"
The Youth Answered,
” I Cleaned My Mother's Hand, And Also Finished Cleaning All The Remaining Clothes'
The Director Asked,
“ Please Tell Me Your Feelings."
The Youth Said,
Number 1
I Know Now What Appreciation is. Without My Mother, There Would Not The Successful Me Today.
Number 2
By Working Together And Helping My Mother, Only I Now Realize How Difficult And Tough it is To Get Something Done.
Number 3
I Have Come To Appreciate The importance And Value Of Family Relationship.
The Director Said,
“ This is What I Am Looking For To Be My Manager.
I Want To Recruit A Person Who Can Appreciate The Help Of Others, A Person who knows The Sufferings Of Others To Get Things Done, And A Person Who Would Not Put Money As His Only Goal in Life.
You Are Hired.
Later on, This Young Person Worked Very Hard, And Received The Respect Of His Subordinates. Every Employee Worked Diligently And As A Team..
A Child, Who Has Been Protected And Habitually Given Whatever He Wanted,
Would Develop " Entitlement Mentality "
And Would Always Put Himself First.
He Would Be ignorant Of His Parent's Efforts.
When He Starts Work, He Assumes That Every Person Must Listen To Him,
And When He Becomes A Manager,
He Would Never Know The Sufferings Of His Employees And Would Always Blame Others.
For This Kind Of People, Who May Be Good Academically,
May Be Successful For A While,
But Eventually Would Not Feel Sense Of Achievement.
He will Grumble And Be Full Of Hatred And Fight For More.
If We Are This Kind Of Protective Parents,
Are We Really Showing Love Or Are We Destroying The Kid instead?
You Can Let Your kid Live in A Big House,
Eat A Good Meal, Learn Piano,
Watch A Big Screen TV.
But When You Are Cutting Grass,
Please Let Them Experience it.
After A Meal, Let Them Wash Their Plates And Bowls Together With Their Brothers And Sisters.
It is Not Because You Do Not Have Money To Hire A Maid,
But it is Because You Want To Love Them in A Right Way.
You Want Them To Understand,
No Matter How Rich Their Parents Are,
One Day Their Hair Will Grow Gray,
Same As The Mother Of That Young Person. The Most important Thing is Your Kid Learns How To Appreciate The Effort And Experience The Difficulty And Learns The Ability To Work With Others To Get Things Done.
Don’t You Think So ………
Think Abt This Once……………..
Wishing YOU all a Happy Valentine Day
Akyoo
Wizi wa Kagoda
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Na Saed Kubenea - Imechapwa 09 February 2011
YUSUF Manji, mfanyabiashara wa Dar es Salaam, ni miongoni mwa walionufaika na mabilioni ya shilingi ambayo yalikwapuliwa na kampuni ya kitapeli ya Kagoda Agriculture Limited kutoka Benki Kuu ya Tanzania (BoT), MwanaHALISI limegundua.
Taarifa zinasema Manji, kupitia kampuni yake – Quality Finance Corporation Limited (QFCL) – ambayo anamiliki na baba yake, Mehboob Manji, “anakabwa koo na serikali” ili arudishe dola za Marekani 28 milioni (Sh. 31 bilioni) zikiwa sehemu ya fedha zote zilizoibwa na Kagoda.
Nyaraka zilizopo zinaonyesha kuwa Manji na kampuni yake walikopa kiasi hicho cha fedha kutoka kampuni ya Kagoda chini ya mkataba wao wa tarehe 12 Septemba 2005.
Kampuni ya Kagoda ilikwapua jumla ya dola za Kimarekani 30,732,658.82 (Sh. 40 bilioni) katika Akanuti ya Madeni ya Nje (EPA), ndani ya BoT. Fedha hizi na nyingine zipatazo Sh. 73 zilichotwa katika kipindi cha kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu wa mwaka 2005.
Manji anadaiwa chini ya kinachoitwa urejeshaji kiasi fulani cha madeni ya EPA kwa mpango wa Rais Jakaya Kikwete wa msamaha kwa wezi au washirika wao watakaokubali kurejesha sehemu ya fedha zilizoibwa.
Barua ya aliyekuwa Mwanasheria Mkuu wa serikali, Johnson Mwanyika, Kumb. Na. JC/B.20/29/16 ya 20 Mei 2008 iliyotumwa kwa Manji, inamtaka Manji alipe fedha hizo katika kipindi alichokubaliana katika mkataba wake na serikali.
Mwanyika alikuwa akijibu ombi la Manji la 28 Agosti 2008 la kutaka kusogeza mbele muda wa kurejesha mabilioni hayo kadri ya makubaliano.
Manji alikuwa akimkumbusha Mwanyika kuwa makampuni yake yalitoa dhamana ya mali isiyohamishika na vilevile kutoa hundi nane zenye tarehe za mbele.
“Bahati mbaya tumeshindwa kufanya malipo ambayo yalikuwa yafanywe tarehe 1 na 15 Aprili 2008 kutokana na upatikanaji kwa viwango vidogo wa fedha za kukulipa…Tunaona pia kuwa hatutaweza kukamilisha wajibu wetu hata kwa tarehe 1 Mei 2008,” anaandika Manji.
Katika barua hiyo, Manji anaomba kusogeza mbele muda wa kulipa na kwamba warejeshewe hundi zao ili waweke tarehe mpya.
Kagoda inaeleza katika mkataba wake na Manji kuwa mkopo huo ulipaswa kulipwa katika muda wa miaka mitatu (3), kwa riba ya asilimia 11 kwa mwaka. Haijafahamika Kagoda walipata wapi mamlaka ya kukopesha fedha iliyodaiwa kukusanywa kutoka kwa wadai wa serikali wa nje ya nchi.
Manji na baba yake Mehboob, ndio wanaonyeshwa kuwa walisaini mkataba huo kwa niaba ya QFCL, huku waliosaini kwa niaba ya Kagoda, wakitajwa kuwa ni Francis William na John Kyomuhendo ambaye tangu sakata la Kagoda ametajwa kuwa mfanyakazi wa Rostam Aziz.
Mbali na Manji na baba yake kuwa wakurugenzi wa QFCL, ni haohao ambao pia ni wadhamini binafsi wa mkopo ili kuhakikisha fedha hizo zinarejeshwa.
Taarifa zinaonyesha pia kuwa ni Yusuf Manji aliyedhamini Kagoda kufungua akaunti katika tawi la CRDB Benki la Holland jijini Dar es Salaam ambako mabilioni ya shilingi yalipitia.
Mkataba wa makampuni hayo mawili ulisimamiwa na mwanasheria Nasir Rattansi na mkopo wenyewe ulitakiwa kuwa umemalizwa kulipwa ifikapo 28 Desemba 2008.
Kufumuka kwa taarifa hizi za Kagoda kunaiweka serikali ya Kikwete katika mazingira magumu. Serikali imekuwa ikikana kufahamu wamiliki wa Kagoda na kwa zaidi ya miaka mitano sasa imekaa kimya juu ya wizi wa kampuni hiyo.
Aidha, serikali imekuwa ikijikanyaga kuhusu wizi huu. Aliyekuwa waziri wa fedha, Zakia Meghji aliwaandikia maodita wa kampuni ya Deloitte & Touche ya Afrika Kusini akisema, fedha za Kagoda zilitumika kwa “kazi za usalama wa taifa.”
Katika barua yake ya 15 Septemba 2006, Meghji anasema, “Kama unavyofahamu vema, mamlaka ya serikali huwa na siri, vilevile haja ya kugharamia matumizi ya busara.
“Kwa hiyo... malipo ya dola 30,732,658.82 za Marekani yaliyofanywa na BoT kwa Kagoda Agriculture Limited, yaliidhinishwa na serikali kugharamia matumizi yake nyeti na ilikuwa lazima kuchukua hatua hii ya kudumisha usiri huu.”
Hatua hii inaleta maswali mengi kuliko majibu; yakiwa ni pamoja na iwapo Manji na wakwapuaji wa Kagoda ndio hasa wanaitwa “Usalama wa taaifa.”
Hata hivyo, kwa mujibu wa nyaraka zilizopo, 12 Septemba 2005, siku ambayo kampuni ya Manji na baba yake wanadai kufunga mkataba wa kukopa mabilioni ya shilingi, Kagoda yenyewe ilikuwa haijasajiliwa.
Cheti cha usajili wa Kagoda Na. 54040 kilichotolewa na ofisi ya Wakala wa Usajili wa Leseni za Biashara na Makampuni (BRELA), kinaonyesha Kagoda ilisajiliwa 29 Septemba 2005, siku 17 baada ya Manji kufunga mkataba na kampuni ya kitapeli.
Watu muhimu katika siri ya Rais Kikwete kuhusu wezi wa fedha za BoT ni Inspekta Jenerali wa Polisi (IJP), Said Mwema, Mkurugezi wa Taasisi ya Kuzuia na Kupambana na Rushwa (TAKUKURU), Edward Hoseah na Mwanyika, ambao walikuwa wajumbe wa Kamati Maalum ya rais ya kufuatilia walioiba benki.
Kazi za kamati hii zimebaki siri ya watu hao wanne; hata idadi ya watu waliogundulika, walioahidi kulipa na kiasi watakacholipa imebaki siri yao.
MwanaHALISI lina taarifa, tangu miaka mitatu iliyopita, kuwa mwenye kampuni ya Kagoda au anayejua shughuli zake ni Rostam Aziz.
Wakili Bhyidinka Sanze wa kampuni ya mawakili ya Malegesi – Malegesi Law Chambers – ya Dar es Salaam, katika andishi rasmi kwa Kamati ya rais ya kushughulikia wizi kwenye akaunti ya Madeni ya Nje (EPA), anakiri kuwa ni yeye alishuhudia “…mikataba ya Kagoda na makampuni mengine ya nje.”
Anasema alishuhudia mkataba wa Kagoda ndani ya ofisi za kampuni ya Caspian Construction Limited ambayo inamilikiwa na Rostam iliyoko Mtaa wa Milambo Na. 50 katikati ya jiji la Dar es Salaam.
Sanze anasema, “Niliitwa na Bw. Malegesi ofisini kwa Bw. Rostam Aziz…Nilipofika…niliwakuta Bw. Rostam Aziz, Peter Noni (Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa sasa wa benki ya raslimali) na Bw. Malegesi; wakaniambia fedha hizo zinahitajika kwa ajili ya kugharamia uchaguzi wa CCM na rais wake.”
Andishi la wakili linaeleza kuwa Rostan Aziz, Peter Noni na Bered Malegesi walimthibitishia Sanze kuwa Rostam alikuwa kwenye kikao ambako rais mstaafu Benjamin Mkapa alitoa maelekezo kwa Gavana Ballali kutoa fedha hizo kwa Rostam kwa ajili ya uchaguzi.
Bali taarifa zilizoenea Dar es Salaam zinasema Rostam aliamua “kumuuzia kesi Manji ili kujinusuru na kashfa ya Kagoda.”
MwanaHALISI lilipowasiliana na Manji kutaka kufahamu iwapo madai hayo ni kweli alijibu, “Hivi sasa ni vita.” Hata hivyo, Manji hakufafanua vita hivyo vinalenga kuangamiza nani.
Nyaraka zilizo mikononi mwa gazeti hili zinaonyesha risiti kadhaa za serikali zinazodaiwa na wa ndani wake kuwa ndizo zilizotolewa na serikali kuthibitisha Manji kurejesha fedha za Kagoda.
Miongoni mwa risiti hizo ni Na. 31494282 yenye thamani ya Sh. 4.5 bilioni; 31494264 ya Sh. 4.5 bilioni na 31494283 ya Sh. 4.5 bilioni. Bali tarehe za risiti hizo zinagongana na zile ambazo Manji alielekeza katika mawasiliano yake na Mwanyika ya tarehe 28 Aprili 2008.
Juhudi za kuthibitisha uhalali wa risiti hizo na malipo yanayodaiwa kufanyika hazikufanikiwa. Naibu Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara ya Fedha, Dk. Servacius Likwelile hakupatikana kwa maelezo ya Katibu Muhtasi wake kuwa alikuwa katika mkutano akijiandaa kwenda bungeni Dodoma.
Baada ya mwandishi kusisitiza ni lazima aonane na Likwelile kwa sababu kuna jambo la dharula, katibu huyo alisema Likwelile hawezi kuwa na muda huo.
“Kwanza umepitia mapokezi? Huwezi tu kuja ofisini kwa mtu kwa vile wewe ni mwandishi na ukapewa nafasi ya kuzungumza naye. Ukitaka labda nikupangie miadi uje siku nyingine,” alisema mwanamama huyo.
Mwandishi aligoma kuondoka kutoka katika ofisi hiyo na ndipo katibu huyo aliposema kuwa bosi wake (Likwelile) ameagiza kama kuna maswali yapelekwe katika ofisi ya uhusiano ya wizara.
Risiti hizo zilipelekwa kwenye ofisi ya uhusiano ambayo nayo ilizipeleka kwenye ofisi inayohusika na hundi zilizolipwa na hazina, lakini majibu hayakuweza kupatikana kwa madai kwamba jambo linalozungumziwa ni la miaka mitatu.
source: mwanahalisi
Gazeti toleo na. 228
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Na Saed Kubenea - Imechapwa 09 February 2011
YUSUF Manji, mfanyabiashara wa Dar es Salaam, ni miongoni mwa walionufaika na mabilioni ya shilingi ambayo yalikwapuliwa na kampuni ya kitapeli ya Kagoda Agriculture Limited kutoka Benki Kuu ya Tanzania (BoT), MwanaHALISI limegundua.
Taarifa zinasema Manji, kupitia kampuni yake – Quality Finance Corporation Limited (QFCL) – ambayo anamiliki na baba yake, Mehboob Manji, “anakabwa koo na serikali” ili arudishe dola za Marekani 28 milioni (Sh. 31 bilioni) zikiwa sehemu ya fedha zote zilizoibwa na Kagoda.
Nyaraka zilizopo zinaonyesha kuwa Manji na kampuni yake walikopa kiasi hicho cha fedha kutoka kampuni ya Kagoda chini ya mkataba wao wa tarehe 12 Septemba 2005.
Kampuni ya Kagoda ilikwapua jumla ya dola za Kimarekani 30,732,658.82 (Sh. 40 bilioni) katika Akanuti ya Madeni ya Nje (EPA), ndani ya BoT. Fedha hizi na nyingine zipatazo Sh. 73 zilichotwa katika kipindi cha kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu wa mwaka 2005.
Manji anadaiwa chini ya kinachoitwa urejeshaji kiasi fulani cha madeni ya EPA kwa mpango wa Rais Jakaya Kikwete wa msamaha kwa wezi au washirika wao watakaokubali kurejesha sehemu ya fedha zilizoibwa.
Barua ya aliyekuwa Mwanasheria Mkuu wa serikali, Johnson Mwanyika, Kumb. Na. JC/B.20/29/16 ya 20 Mei 2008 iliyotumwa kwa Manji, inamtaka Manji alipe fedha hizo katika kipindi alichokubaliana katika mkataba wake na serikali.
Mwanyika alikuwa akijibu ombi la Manji la 28 Agosti 2008 la kutaka kusogeza mbele muda wa kurejesha mabilioni hayo kadri ya makubaliano.
Manji alikuwa akimkumbusha Mwanyika kuwa makampuni yake yalitoa dhamana ya mali isiyohamishika na vilevile kutoa hundi nane zenye tarehe za mbele.
“Bahati mbaya tumeshindwa kufanya malipo ambayo yalikuwa yafanywe tarehe 1 na 15 Aprili 2008 kutokana na upatikanaji kwa viwango vidogo wa fedha za kukulipa…Tunaona pia kuwa hatutaweza kukamilisha wajibu wetu hata kwa tarehe 1 Mei 2008,” anaandika Manji.
Katika barua hiyo, Manji anaomba kusogeza mbele muda wa kulipa na kwamba warejeshewe hundi zao ili waweke tarehe mpya.
Kagoda inaeleza katika mkataba wake na Manji kuwa mkopo huo ulipaswa kulipwa katika muda wa miaka mitatu (3), kwa riba ya asilimia 11 kwa mwaka. Haijafahamika Kagoda walipata wapi mamlaka ya kukopesha fedha iliyodaiwa kukusanywa kutoka kwa wadai wa serikali wa nje ya nchi.
Manji na baba yake Mehboob, ndio wanaonyeshwa kuwa walisaini mkataba huo kwa niaba ya QFCL, huku waliosaini kwa niaba ya Kagoda, wakitajwa kuwa ni Francis William na John Kyomuhendo ambaye tangu sakata la Kagoda ametajwa kuwa mfanyakazi wa Rostam Aziz.
Mbali na Manji na baba yake kuwa wakurugenzi wa QFCL, ni haohao ambao pia ni wadhamini binafsi wa mkopo ili kuhakikisha fedha hizo zinarejeshwa.
Taarifa zinaonyesha pia kuwa ni Yusuf Manji aliyedhamini Kagoda kufungua akaunti katika tawi la CRDB Benki la Holland jijini Dar es Salaam ambako mabilioni ya shilingi yalipitia.
Mkataba wa makampuni hayo mawili ulisimamiwa na mwanasheria Nasir Rattansi na mkopo wenyewe ulitakiwa kuwa umemalizwa kulipwa ifikapo 28 Desemba 2008.
Kufumuka kwa taarifa hizi za Kagoda kunaiweka serikali ya Kikwete katika mazingira magumu. Serikali imekuwa ikikana kufahamu wamiliki wa Kagoda na kwa zaidi ya miaka mitano sasa imekaa kimya juu ya wizi wa kampuni hiyo.
Aidha, serikali imekuwa ikijikanyaga kuhusu wizi huu. Aliyekuwa waziri wa fedha, Zakia Meghji aliwaandikia maodita wa kampuni ya Deloitte & Touche ya Afrika Kusini akisema, fedha za Kagoda zilitumika kwa “kazi za usalama wa taifa.”
Katika barua yake ya 15 Septemba 2006, Meghji anasema, “Kama unavyofahamu vema, mamlaka ya serikali huwa na siri, vilevile haja ya kugharamia matumizi ya busara.
“Kwa hiyo... malipo ya dola 30,732,658.82 za Marekani yaliyofanywa na BoT kwa Kagoda Agriculture Limited, yaliidhinishwa na serikali kugharamia matumizi yake nyeti na ilikuwa lazima kuchukua hatua hii ya kudumisha usiri huu.”
Hatua hii inaleta maswali mengi kuliko majibu; yakiwa ni pamoja na iwapo Manji na wakwapuaji wa Kagoda ndio hasa wanaitwa “Usalama wa taaifa.”
Hata hivyo, kwa mujibu wa nyaraka zilizopo, 12 Septemba 2005, siku ambayo kampuni ya Manji na baba yake wanadai kufunga mkataba wa kukopa mabilioni ya shilingi, Kagoda yenyewe ilikuwa haijasajiliwa.
Cheti cha usajili wa Kagoda Na. 54040 kilichotolewa na ofisi ya Wakala wa Usajili wa Leseni za Biashara na Makampuni (BRELA), kinaonyesha Kagoda ilisajiliwa 29 Septemba 2005, siku 17 baada ya Manji kufunga mkataba na kampuni ya kitapeli.
Watu muhimu katika siri ya Rais Kikwete kuhusu wezi wa fedha za BoT ni Inspekta Jenerali wa Polisi (IJP), Said Mwema, Mkurugezi wa Taasisi ya Kuzuia na Kupambana na Rushwa (TAKUKURU), Edward Hoseah na Mwanyika, ambao walikuwa wajumbe wa Kamati Maalum ya rais ya kufuatilia walioiba benki.
Kazi za kamati hii zimebaki siri ya watu hao wanne; hata idadi ya watu waliogundulika, walioahidi kulipa na kiasi watakacholipa imebaki siri yao.
MwanaHALISI lina taarifa, tangu miaka mitatu iliyopita, kuwa mwenye kampuni ya Kagoda au anayejua shughuli zake ni Rostam Aziz.
Wakili Bhyidinka Sanze wa kampuni ya mawakili ya Malegesi – Malegesi Law Chambers – ya Dar es Salaam, katika andishi rasmi kwa Kamati ya rais ya kushughulikia wizi kwenye akaunti ya Madeni ya Nje (EPA), anakiri kuwa ni yeye alishuhudia “…mikataba ya Kagoda na makampuni mengine ya nje.”
Anasema alishuhudia mkataba wa Kagoda ndani ya ofisi za kampuni ya Caspian Construction Limited ambayo inamilikiwa na Rostam iliyoko Mtaa wa Milambo Na. 50 katikati ya jiji la Dar es Salaam.
Sanze anasema, “Niliitwa na Bw. Malegesi ofisini kwa Bw. Rostam Aziz…Nilipofika…niliwakuta Bw. Rostam Aziz, Peter Noni (Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa sasa wa benki ya raslimali) na Bw. Malegesi; wakaniambia fedha hizo zinahitajika kwa ajili ya kugharamia uchaguzi wa CCM na rais wake.”
Andishi la wakili linaeleza kuwa Rostan Aziz, Peter Noni na Bered Malegesi walimthibitishia Sanze kuwa Rostam alikuwa kwenye kikao ambako rais mstaafu Benjamin Mkapa alitoa maelekezo kwa Gavana Ballali kutoa fedha hizo kwa Rostam kwa ajili ya uchaguzi.
Bali taarifa zilizoenea Dar es Salaam zinasema Rostam aliamua “kumuuzia kesi Manji ili kujinusuru na kashfa ya Kagoda.”
MwanaHALISI lilipowasiliana na Manji kutaka kufahamu iwapo madai hayo ni kweli alijibu, “Hivi sasa ni vita.” Hata hivyo, Manji hakufafanua vita hivyo vinalenga kuangamiza nani.
Nyaraka zilizo mikononi mwa gazeti hili zinaonyesha risiti kadhaa za serikali zinazodaiwa na wa ndani wake kuwa ndizo zilizotolewa na serikali kuthibitisha Manji kurejesha fedha za Kagoda.
Miongoni mwa risiti hizo ni Na. 31494282 yenye thamani ya Sh. 4.5 bilioni; 31494264 ya Sh. 4.5 bilioni na 31494283 ya Sh. 4.5 bilioni. Bali tarehe za risiti hizo zinagongana na zile ambazo Manji alielekeza katika mawasiliano yake na Mwanyika ya tarehe 28 Aprili 2008.
Juhudi za kuthibitisha uhalali wa risiti hizo na malipo yanayodaiwa kufanyika hazikufanikiwa. Naibu Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara ya Fedha, Dk. Servacius Likwelile hakupatikana kwa maelezo ya Katibu Muhtasi wake kuwa alikuwa katika mkutano akijiandaa kwenda bungeni Dodoma.
Baada ya mwandishi kusisitiza ni lazima aonane na Likwelile kwa sababu kuna jambo la dharula, katibu huyo alisema Likwelile hawezi kuwa na muda huo.
“Kwanza umepitia mapokezi? Huwezi tu kuja ofisini kwa mtu kwa vile wewe ni mwandishi na ukapewa nafasi ya kuzungumza naye. Ukitaka labda nikupangie miadi uje siku nyingine,” alisema mwanamama huyo.
Mwandishi aligoma kuondoka kutoka katika ofisi hiyo na ndipo katibu huyo aliposema kuwa bosi wake (Likwelile) ameagiza kama kuna maswali yapelekwe katika ofisi ya uhusiano ya wizara.
Risiti hizo zilipelekwa kwenye ofisi ya uhusiano ambayo nayo ilizipeleka kwenye ofisi inayohusika na hundi zilizolipwa na hazina, lakini majibu hayakuweza kupatikana kwa madai kwamba jambo linalozungumziwa ni la miaka mitatu.
source: mwanahalisi
Gazeti toleo na. 228
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