Welcome to our weekly Health Diaries column where we explore various health topics and simplify complex conditions for our readers. Lupus, medically known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. In lupus, the body’s immune system, which normally protects the body from infections, mistakenly attacks healthy…
We have often heard it said that Europe considers it to be in its best interest to keep Africa perpetually poor. The argument goes that a developed Africa would mean an impoverished Europe, as Europe heavily depends on Africa for much of its nominal wealth. The British pound, for instance, is pegged to the gold…
Turmeric has been used for over 4,000 years in Indian Ayurvedic medicine and as a sacred spice in Hindu rituals. It spread through Asia and the Middle East as both a dye and healing herb. Ginger originated in Southeast Asia and was one of the earliest spices exported to Europe during the spice trade. It…
Instead of taxing retained earnings, the government should focus on improving tax compliance, expanding the tax base through formalisation of the informal sector… The 2025/26 financial year budget, a raft of new taxes has been introduced – one of which is a 10% withholding tax on retained earnings. While intended to enhance domestic revenue mobilisation,…
It was the summer of ’98 and I was a new student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.Within the beautiful campus of green trees and vintage buildings, the Sarratt Student Center stood. The center was named after one of the mathematicians and professors of the university, Charles Madison Sarratt. The story goes that Sarratt once…
I am often asked – sometimes asked, at least once – how I manage to stay so fit and healthy. I’m in my mid-60s and can still keep up with the teenage schoolkids I teach. It’s easy to say, “I cycle everywhere,” but anyone can cycle – and most don’t. So, there must be some…
Mwalimu Nyerere, famously quipped, we Tanzanians are not tribalistic.Nyerere insisted, we mostly tease each other. Waitu, Chaggas and Parees? We are traditional wataanis. And tonight I am with my Pare maternal bibi, visiting London. From afar, Jeff Msangi’s demeanour and spectacles are of a typical nerd. Nerds tend to be sharp, zealous, smart, knowledgeable. Up…
Our three-month stint in 1973 at the Buhemba National Service Camp in Mara Region had come to an end and we were now being transferred to the Oljoro National Service Camp in Arusha for a further three months of paramilitary training. We boarded buses for the journey and were naturally excited, as we would be…
The landscape is made up of savannah grassland, tufted grass ridges, river valleys and swamps. A large river serves as the primary source of water for the resident animals. During the dry season, small grooves in the river bed become vital gathering point for large herds of elephants, waterbucks and numerous giraffes. As we peacefully…
The EAC is in deep trouble – and it’s not just about the money. The regional bloc, once full of promise, has now been forced to borrow from its own institutions just to stay afloat. Up to $656,000 is being gathered from bodies like the East African Health Research Commission and the Inter-University Council for…
