HH accuse ECZ of colluding with PF to rig elections as PF leads, with 24 Constituencies left

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema addressing media from his residence.

UPND President Hakainde Hichilema has accused the country’s election mangers the Electoral Commission of Zambia of deliberately not providing the G12 in Lusaka so as to live room for manipulation of results.

Mr Hichilema who spoke at a media briefing held at his house around 22:40hrs Sunday, said the G12 sheet is the only proscribed document which is the legal requirement used for recording ” the will of the people.”

He said nothing can replace the G12 document which is supposed to be used to authenticate the results and that the document was deliberately left out in Lusaka so that the ECZ in collusion with the ruling PF can wait for results from other provinces and use the Lusaka vote to compensate for any deficits.

He wondered how G12 can not be available in Lusaka where the ECZ is located adding that some polling stations are a stone’s throw from ECZ offices.

He explained that the omission was a deliberate move made to secure votes for the PF saying events in some polling stations point to that fact.

He further claimed that PF cadres took over polling stations shortly after the close of polling further adding that some cadres were voting more than twice while others went to vote with premarked ballots in their pockets.

He also accused the ECZ of trying to promote instability in the country by colluding with the PF to take away the decision of Zambians.

Mr Hichilema has since vowed not accept the results describing the process and results as a coup on democracy by those who control the army.

He said he will fight for Zambians and called on well meaning Zambians to fight with him.

And President Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front has maintained the lead in Presidential Election Results from 132 constituencies out of the 156 constituencies country wide.

Electoral Commission of Zambia -ECZ- Chairperson Justice Esau Chulu has so far announced that Mr. Lungu has 1,454,165.

His closest rival Hakainde Hichilema of United Party for National Development now has 1,383,594

The margin stands at 70,571 votes

ECZ is yet to announce results from 24 constituencies and the next update is scheduled at 06:30 hours this morning.

UPND supporters in near punch up with ECZ officials in Livingstone

Livingstone District Electoral officer Vivian Chikoti (left) and other electoral officers supervising the offloading of ballot papers and other election materials at the Civic Centre.

THERE was growing tension and near punch-up last night at the Livingstone totalling centre between United Party for National Development (UPND) supporters and electoral officers following the delayed declaration of winning Member of Parliament, Mayor and councillors for Livingstone Constituency.

According ro resuts, UPND won the presidential as well as parliamentary, mayoral and 16 out of 17 wards in the Constituency but only three councillors have so far been declared winners four days the electorates voted.

UPND supporters lost patience and closed the totalling centre with journalists as well as monitors and police officers locked inside the centre as they demanded for announcing and declaration of winners.

It was at this that UPND supporters roughed up and nearly punched some electoral officers while turning chairs upside down and almost destroyed the computer which was transmitting results.

One UPND cadre almost attacked Livingstone District Electoral officer Vivian Chikoti but alert police officers stopped the act as all stakeholders inside the totalling centre were prevented from leaving the premises.

The cadres, who issued a lot of insults to electoral officers, wondered why Livingstone, which only has a single Constituency, was taking four days to conclude the process of announcing and declaring winners.

In response, ECZ assistant returning officer Wezi Manda said the electronic system of verifying results was lengthy and this was why officials were delaying to to announce and declare winners.

After intensified pressure from cadres, ECZ oficials yielded to demands from cadres and started verifying results manually and assured stakeholders that they would speedy up the entire process.

Earlier in the day, UPND supporters raised concern over missing figures on their candidates and the matter was later rectified.

AGRA yashawishi matumizi ya teknolojia kuongeza tija katika kilimo

Waziri Mkuu Kassim Majaliwa akisalimiana na wadau mbalimbali wa kilimo walipowasiri katika maonesho ya wakulima ya nanenane katika viwanja vya John Mwakangale jijijni Mbeya na baadaye kufunga maonesho hayo. (Picha na Friday Simbaya)

. Kwa miaka 10 imetumia dola za Marekani milioni 51 kuendeleza kilimo

MBEYA: TAASISI ya Mapinduzi ya Kijani Barani Afrika (AGRA) imetoa wito kuwapo kwa matumizi zaidi ya teknolojia kwa wakulima wadogo ili kuwa na uhakika na usalama wa chakula huku wakiingiza ziada katika soko.

Mtendaji wa taasisi hiyo nchini Tanzania Dk Mary Mgonja alisema hayo akizungumza na waandishi wa habari katika maonesho ya wakulima ya nanenane katika viwanja vya John Mwakangale mjini hapa.

Katika mkutano huo taasisi zinazoshirikiana na AGRA katika kuleta mabadiliko kwa wakulima zipatazo 10 zilikuwapo.

Dk Mgonja alisema ana matumaini makubwa na hali ya baadae ya kilimo nchini Tanzania na kuongeza kwamba matumizi zaidi ya teknolojia ndio njia pekee ya kuwainua mamilioni ya wakulima wadogo kutoka katika lindi la umaskini.

“Tanzania kuanzia mwaka 2006 imekuwa ikipewa kipaumbele na AGRA na kwamba miradi 96 imepewa ruzuku inayofikia dola za Marekani milioni 51,” alisema.

Kwa mujibu wa Dk Mgonja ruzuku hizo zimetoa mchango mkubwa katika kukabiliana na changamoto za wakulima wadogo katika mnyoror wa thamani wa shughuli zao kuanzia masuala ya mbegu, udongo, soko, sera hadi fedha.

Sehemu ya uwekezaji huo imezaa matunda kwa kupata aina tofauti za mbegu zilizoboreshwa kukabiliana na hali za maeneo; matumizi sahihi ya mbolea; utunzaji baada ya mavuno; teknolojia ya hifadhi za nafaka na ubunifu wa upatikanaji wa fedha kwa ajili ya kuinua kilimo.

“Ninatoa wito kwa wakulima kukumbatia njia mpya za teknolojia katika kilimo ili kupata tija zaidi ;kuanzia matumizi ya mbegu bora zilizoboreshwa mashambani hadi kwenye matumizi ya teknolojia mpya ya kuhifadhi mavuno; Njia hizo kama zitatumika vyema zitaongeza uzalishaji na kupunguza upotevu wa mavuno. Mambo hayo ni muhimu ili wakulima wadogo wajinasue kiuchumi,” alisema Dk Mgonja.

Tangu kuingizwa kwa teknolojia ya mifuko maalumu ya kuhifadhi nafaka na bidhaa jamii ya mikunde, kampuni tatu zinashughulika na kutengeneza hifadhi hizo, huku zikiuzwa na kuwafikia mamia kwa maelfu ya wakulima.

Aidha Dk Mgonja aliipongeza serikali ya Tanzania kwa kupiga hatua kwenye kuboresha sera ya kilimo yenye lengo la kukabiliana na changamoto za wadau mbalimbali katika sekta ya kilimo.

“AGRA itaendelea kushirikiana na wizara ya kilimo, mifugo na uvuvi kuhakikisha kwamba shughuli za AGRA nchini zinakwenda sambamba na juhudi za serikali ya Tanzania katika kuboresha kilimo,” alisema Dk Mgonja.

Aidha aliongeza kwamba mchango mkubwa wa AGRA umekuwepo katika Matokeo Makubwa sasa na Kilimo Kwanza 

Alisema taasisi ambazo zilisaidiana na AGRA kuleta mapinduzi ya kilimo katika kipindi cha muongo mmoja uliopita ni pamoja na Tanzania Seeds Trade Association (TASTA), CSDI, Equity Bank, Unyiha Associates, BRITEN, RUDI, AGROZ. Nyingine ambazo zilikuwa ni taasisi za umma ni pamoja na ARI Uyole, Chollima AGRO, ARI Mlingano na kituo cha SAGCOT .

Dondoo za Shuhuda

Kwa muda AGRA imekuwa mstari wa mbele katika kuhakikisha kwamba kunakuwa na mazingira mazuri ya biashara ya mbegu kupitia mradi wa Micro Reforms for African Agribusiness (MIRA) : Mradi huu ulizaa matunda mema kwani kuanzia Juni 2016, kumekuwepo na sera mpya ya mbegu.

Mkurugenzi Mtendaji Tanzania Seeds Trade Association (TASTA), Bw. Baldwin Shuma. Alieleza kufurahishwa na Sera hiyo ilitengenezwa kwa namna pekee ambapo inaruhusu sasa makampuni ya mbegu kuzalisha mbegu ambazo zilifanyiwa utafiti na taasisi za umma.

Naye Dk Matilda Kalumuna, wa Taasisi ya utafiti wa kilimo ya Mlingano –Tanga, amesema kwamba AGRA imesaidia taasisi yake kwa kuipa ruzuku ya dola za Marekani 400,000 kusaidia kuimarisha mifumo yake ya kuangalia ubora wa mbolea.

“Kupitia mradi huu taasisi ilifundisha wakaguzi wa mbolea 100; wachambuzi 15 wauzaji pembejeo wenye uelewa 338 na wadau 8000.

Kutokana na mradi huo makampuni mbalimbali na wauzaji wa pembejeo za kilimo waliamua kwa hiari yao kujisajiri na TFRA;mbolea iliyoko sokoni inasajiliwa, kukaguliwa na kuchambuliwa kwa lengo la kuona mbolea zisizokidhi viwango zinajulikana na kuondolewa sokoni.

“Benki ya Equity Tanzania imeingia ubia na AGRA kuanzisha mfuko ambao utasaidia kununuliwa kwa vifaa vya hifadhi ya nafaka. Katika mradi wa majaribio Njombe, Morogoro na Iringa, tutatoa mikopo ya sh kuanzia milioni 5 hadi 30 ili kununua mifuko maalumu ya kuhifadhia nafaka; vihenge vya chuma na vifukofuko (cocoons), kuanzia mwezi huu,“ alisema Mkuu wa biashara ya kilimo wa benki ya Equity, Enesto Josephat

Mtaalamu wa viazi mviringo Owekisha Kwigizile, kutoka kituo cha utafiti wa viazi cha SAGCOT katika mazungumzo yake alisema: “hapa nchini Tanzania tuna aina tatu viazi mviringo zinazotambuliwa kisheria pamoja na kwamba viazi mviringo ni chakula kikuu nchini. SAGCOT na wadau wengine wa AGRA tunafanya juhudi kuongeza vipando bora zaidi ambavyo vitatoa tija kubwa na kuongeza mavuno”