There are moments as an author you are “forced” to write something you do not really want to. Sometimes the subject is of no personal interest. Or you have other topics. And in my case it was the finals of this year’s AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) in Morocco. Forget the results. We all enjoyed…
Early in the morning, they gather around the fire to keep warm. There is neither tea nor coffee; instead, we share wild fruits believed to help kick-start the metabolism. No one knows their age, or even what day or date it is. Without a word or signal, they rise to their feet, sleep still in…
I often worry that the phrase “Tanzanians are not stupid anymore” risks fostering overconfidence, encouraging the belief that we have answers to every question and solutions to every challenge. Undoubtedly, Tanzanians are far more educated and knowledgeable than at independence in 1961. Yet it is unwise to assume we now know enough. Too often, confidence…
It was mid-afternoon in 2015 when I landed at Kanombe International Airport in Kigali, Rwanda. This was my second visit to the city in the “Land of a Thousand Hills”, as Rwanda is fondly known. My first visit, in 1998 — four years after the tragic 1994 genocide — had been very brief, lasting only…
Under Tanzanian law, any person making a will must be at least 18 years old and of sound mind. In practical terms, this means the individual must understand the nature of their property, identify the intended beneficiaries and appreciate the legal consequences of the decisions made. Tanzanian law recognises two types of wills: Written wills…
All of life is connected. The evidence for this is overwhelming across multiple scientific disciplines pertaining to life on our planet. While we share much in common with our closest primates and other biological life forms, what makes us, Homo sapiens, truly unique is our ability to read and write. The ability to use words,…
The British philosopher, Francis Bacon (1561–1626) said: Knowledge is power. Indeed, when one knows something, one has the potential that empowers self all needed wisdom and does not know everything. This realisation not only makes this leader humble but also inspires her or him to be open to benefit from the wisdom and knowledge of…
The clock declares it’s almost two,With confidence entirely untrue.It skips ahead, then drags behind,A criminal untroubled by time. At dawn it rushes me in fear,At night it whispers, “You’re still early here.”I check my phone, I check again,The clock insists it knows me best. It blames the power, blames the light,Blames walls for holding it…
The World Development Report (WDR) is the World Bank’s flagship annual publication, providing in-depth analysis of major global development challenges and how countries can address them through effective policies and institutions. It is published once a year. The latest WDR, released on 11 December 2025, emphasises that standards are not peripheral technicalities, but central drivers…
Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once said we cannot solve our problems by pretending they don’t exist. Yet, that is exactly what some of us see as happening in East Africa. Agreed. East Africa has taken plausible action to match rhetoric in its resolve to move ahead as a model socio-economic grouping of a people who confess…
