Like Nigeria and some other countries on the continent, Tanzania is beginning to embrace compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol and diesel.

It is seen as cleaner and better for the environment than those fossil fuels, but its relative cheapness is the biggest draw for the 5,000 or so motorists in the East African state who have embraced the change – particularly commercial drivers.

This represents a small fraction of Tanzania’s vehicles, but the early adopters are paving the way for a wider acceptance of CNG – the government reportedly wants near total adoption by the middle of the century.

Tanzania has large reserves of gas under the sea and for those filling up, CNG can cost less than half its petrol equivalent.

The potential saving was enough to persuade taxi owner Samuel Amos Irube to part with about 1.5m Tanzanian shillings ($620; £495) to convert his three-wheeled vehicle – known locally as a bajaji – to CNG.

But now, having to get the gas twice a day, he often spends more time waiting at a filling station in the largest city, Dar es Salaam, than he does earning money.

There are only four places in Tanzania’s commercial hub where he can fill up.

Quietly frustrated, he says he has to wait for at least three hours every time he wants to refuel, but the savings make it worth it, as he spends just 40% of what he would on the equivalent amount of petrol.

The slow-moving queues of vehicles at the Ubungo CNG station snake down the road. Things are orderly – there are three clear lines, one for cars and two for bajajis – but the irritation is palpable.

Medadi Kichungo Ngoma, in the queue for two hours already, stares at the vehicles ahead of him as he waits by his silver pick-up truck.

He tells the BBC that he was among the first people in the city to convert his vehicle, which involved installing a large cylinder in the back of the pick-up, and reminisces about the short queues.

“Sometimes the attendant would have to be called to serve us,” he says.

He complains that the infrastructure has not expanded to accommodate the increasing demand.

This is also the refrain heard at the largest of the city’s CNG filling stations near the airport.

Sadiki Christian Mkumbuka has waited here for three hours with his bajaji.

“The queue is very long,” he says, adding that “we should have as many stations as there are for petrol vehicles”.

But the price consideration will keep people coming back.

“I pay 15,000 shillings ($6; £5) to fill my 11kg gas tank, which goes for about 180km,” says another motorist who introduces himself as Juma, adding that this is less than half the cost for petrol to cover the same distance.

The push to encourage motorists to adopt CNG-powered vehicles in Tanzania was hatched over a decade ago but did not begin in earnest until 2018.

Those in charge of the project acknowledge that they did not foresee the rapid rise in demand.

Aristides Kato, the CNG project manager at the state-oil firm, the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), tells the BBC that there “has been a very drastic increase” recently in the use of natural gas by vehicle owners.

“We found ourselves not having enough infrastructure to support the demand for gas-using vehicles,” he admits.

The authorities, though, want more people to switch to CNG because it is a relatively clean-burning fossil fuel that results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants, according to the UN.

Plus the locally available natural gas should allow for cheaper prices than petrol. But the cost of converting a vehicle plus the lower mileage that a full tank gives a motorist compared to petrol or diesel may be putting some people off.

However, the country manager of Taqa Arabia, an Egyptian company that runs the filling station near the airport, sees the growing demand as a “positive sign that CNG use has started to develop in Tanzania”.

Amr Aboushady says his firm plans to build more stations and hopes to “replicate our success story in Egypt by helping the [Tanzanian] government best utilise natural gas as an affordable, reliable, cleaner source of energy”.

Egypt has pioneered the use of CNG on the continent, with about half a million vehicles converted to a dual-fuel system since the 1990s.

Other African countries that have approved CNG use for vehicles include South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique and Ethiopia.

The authorities in Tanzania are committed to rolling out more infrastructure and hope to encourage more private investors to get involved.

A central CNG “mother station” is being built in Dar es Salaam by TPDC, which will supply gas to smaller stations around the country.

In addition, TPDC is acquiring five mobile CNG units that will be located in Dar es Salaam as well as the capital, Dodoma, and Morogoro.

These measures should in the medium-term lead to shorter queues, but for the time being the lack of filling stations will continue to frustrate Tanzania’s CNG pioneers.

By BBC News

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The elections are viewed as a barometer for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took over in 2021 with promises of reforms and improved civic freedoms — only to disappoint international observers, who point to a return to her predecessor’s repressive policies.

The party said on Friday that he and other party figures had been “forcibly” detained by officers after leaving a rally that police broke up using tear gas in the country’s south.

In a post on social media platform X early Saturday, Chadema confirmed Mbowe and other detained figures from the party had been released on bail.

“Some of our colleagues were severely beaten by the police despite the fact that nobody resisted the arrest,” Mbowe said following his release.

He said officers had accused them of “violating the campaign schedule” with their intended rally, labelling the allegation “baseless”.

“I believe this is a deliberate move to disrupt our planned campaigns,” he said, in a video shared by the opposition.

He added that police were still holding some Chadema members, and that he and others had been told to report back on November 29, but that he intended to consult lawyers.

Only last month, Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu — as well as other opposition figures — were briefly detained after riot police prevented a mass rally in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

– Barometer –

The local polls slated for November 27 are expected to be a barometer of the political landscape ahead of a presidential election due next October.

The arrests come only days after Mbowe protested over the apparent disqualification of scores of Chadema candidates hoping to run in the local polls, calling the move by the authorities a “deliberate manipulation”.

Hassan took office after the sudden death of her authoritarian predecessor John Magufuli in 2021 and has yet to be tested at the ballot box.

She was initially feted for easing restrictions that Magufuli had imposed on the opposition and the media in the country of around 67 million people.

But rights groups and Western governments have criticized what they see as renewed repression ahead of the elections, with arrests of Chadema politicians as well as abductions and murders of opposition figures.

By AFP

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Chadema had protested earlier this week that many of its candidates had been “unfairly” disqualified from running in the November 27 polls in towns and villages across the nation.

“On 22 November 2024, the police force ambushed a convoy in Halungu Forest, located in Mbozi District, and arrested the National Chairman of the party, Freeman Mbowe,” Chadema director of communication and foreign affairs John Mrema said on X.

Mrema said Mbowe and other Chadema leaders were stopped at a police roadblock, where “the police forcibly opened the car doors, assaulted those inside, and forcefully arrested them.””The police have taken away our leaders without disclosing their destination, and we still do not know where they are being held or for what reasons,” he added, urging their release.

The local polls are expected to be a barometer of the political landscape ahead of a presidential election due next October.

They will also be the first test at the ballot box for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office after the sudden death of her authoritarian predecessor John Magufuli in 2021.

She was initially feted for easing restrictions that Magufuli had imposed on the opposition and the media in the country of around 67 million people.

But rights groups and Western governments have criticised what they see as renewed repression ahead of the elections, with arrests of Chadema politicians as well as abductions and murders of opposition figures.

Mrema also said that prior to his arrest Mbowe had been blocked by police from speaking at a rally of supporters in the southern town of Mlowo.

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Alongside its US$180 million bid for Bamburi Cement, Amsons Group has announced a US$320 million development plan to build an integrated clinker and cement manufacturing plant in Tanga, Tanzania, with a cement production capacity of 5,000 tons per day.

Adding to its regional play, Amsons is gearing up for a major upgrade at the recently acquired Mbeya Cement in Tanzania, with plans for a new grinding mill, setting the stage for a transformative impact across East Africa’s cement industry.

Speaking when he confirmed the developments, Amsons Group Managing Director Edha Nahdi said the firm is firmly focused on its regional market expansion strategies.

These strategies, he said, are underpinned by a proposed greenfield cement manufacturing set up in Tanga, expansion of the existing Mbeya Cement Factory, and the offer for the acquisition of Bamburi Cement in Kenya to complement its existing enterprises, including its Dar-es-salaam-based Camel Cement Factory.

If successful in its Bamburi Cement acquisition, Nahdi also confirmed that the firm plans to invest a further US$400 million in a medium-term commitment in foreign direct investments (FDI) to modernize Bamburi Cement’s grinding and clinkerisation plants.

The offer, placed through its Kenyan subsidiary and investment vehicle, Amsons Industries (K) Ltd, will involve acquiring up to 100% of the shares in Bamburi for Sh65 per share.

In its binding offer issued on 22 October 2024, Amsons announced potential plans to develop a clinker plant at Matuga, Kwale County, to secure raw material self-sufficiency and reduce production costs for Bamburi Cement. This investment will enhance Kenya’s competitiveness in the regional construction industry.

“Thanks to the support of the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments, our regional expansion plans are now firmly on course. We plan to be one of the largest cement manufacturers in Kenya and Tanzania by 2030,” he said.

In its offer document to Bamburi shareholders, the Tanzanian conglomerate also affirmed its dedication to preserving and developing Bamburi’s workforce and nurturing local talent.

Amsons Group is a family-owned business founded in 2006 in Tanzania. Its primary business operations historically involved bulk oil and petroleum products importation under the Camel Oil Tanzania retail brand.

The group has steadily diversified and grown its portfolio in the manufacturing sector with a 6,000MT/day cement manufacturing capability, including through the recently acquired Mbeya Cement facility. In addition, the group has a 500MT/day Wheat Flour Milling Plant, a state-of-the-art premix Concrete plant, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Fuel and lubricants, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and Transportation fleet across Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Tanzania.

“Amsons Industries (T) Ltd is a quality cement products manufacturer in Tanzania under the brand names “Camel Cement” and “Tembo Cement,” two household brands in the Tanzanian construction market. Our offer to acquire shares in Bamburi is part of our corporate market expansion plan and will mark the formal entry of Amsons Group into the Kenyan market, where we plan to make investments in other industries in the coming months,” Nahdi said.

“To produce our cement, we deploy world-class cement manufacturing technology that has afforded us sustained market growth and partnerships as the preferred supplier of choice to leading building and construction sector players. We intend to replicate our success in Kenya by building on the solid foundation already set by Holcim at Bamburi Cement.”

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This happened as he addressed journalists over a planned protest.

The party’s Vice Chairman for Tanzania Mainland, was also arrested at his home in Tegeta, just hours before the planned protests were scheduled to begin.

Mbowe had just arrived in a small vehicle and began addressing the media when police intervened to arrest him.

His arrest follows his recent announcement of planned protests to condemn a series of kidnappings and murders, including the case of party member Ali Kibao.

Despite the plans for peaceful demonstrations, police spokesperson David Misime had previously declared the protests illegal. Mbowe said that the party’s focus on these issues is driven by demands for accountability, including calls for the resignation of the Minister of Home Affairs, Hamad Masauni, and other senior security officials.

He also highlighted the urgent need for the return of party leaders who have been abducted, either alive or deceased, naming Deusdetith Soka, Dioniz Kipanya, Jacob Mlay, and Mbwana Kombo among them.

Police said they were looking for more party officials for questioning.

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“The [preliminary] post-mortem has been done and it is obvious that Ali Kibao has been killed after being severely beaten and even having acid poured on his face,” Mbowe told journalists, adding that a full autopsy report was expected on Monday.

“We cannot allow our people to continue disappearing or being killed like this,” he said.

He added that several other party officials had also gone missing, without giving details.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said she had ordered an investigation into Kibao’s “assassination”.

“Our country is democratic and every citizen has the right to live. The government I lead does not tolerate such brutal acts,” she wrote on X, offering her condolences to his family, friends and party leaders.

Police said they were investigating the “tragic incident”.

Also Read: Body of Missing Employee Found Decomposed in House in Embakasi

Mbowe urged the president to form a judicial commission to investigate abductions and the killing of Kibao, adding that police were among the suspects in the case.

Kibao’s death comes a month after police arrested and briefly detained more than 500 Chadema supporters and senior leaders during a gathering.

Global rights group Amnesty International had described the mass arrests in August as a “deeply worrying sign” in the run-up to local government elections in December and general elections due next year.

Hassan has taken some steps to ease restrictions on the media and opposition since coming to power in 2021.

But rights groups and government opponents have raised fears the recent crackdown on the opposition could signal a return to the oppressive policies of Hassan’s predecessor, the late President John Magufuli.

By agencies.

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The Chadema leaders were arrested in the southwestern city of Mbeya, where the party was due to hold a rally on Monday to mark International Youth Day, Chadema’s director of communications and foreign affairs John Mrema said on Sunday.

He said that around 500 youth supporters had also been arrested by police as they were making their way to the Mbeya gathering and were being escorted back home.

Tanzanian police had announced Sunday a ban on the Chadema youth gathering, accusing the party of planning violent demonstrations.

The youth wing had said about 10,000 youngsters were expected to meet in Mbeya to mark International Youth Day under the slogan “Take charge of your future”.

Chadema leader Freeman Mbowe said he “strongly” condemned the arrests of his deputy Lissu, secretary general John Mnyika, zonal chair Joseph Mbilinyi and leaders of the youth council.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all our leaders, members, and supporters who were arrested in various parts of the country,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

“The party is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to inform the public of every development step by step.”

Chadema officials had on Sunday denounced the police ban and called on President Samia Suluhu Hassan to intervene.

Since taking the helm in 2021 after the sudden death of president John Magufuli, Hassan has moved away from her predecessor’s authoritarian policies and embarked on political reforms, including relaxing some restrictions on the media and the opposition.

In January 2023, she lifted a ban on opposition rallies imposed in 2016 by Magufuli, in an overture to political rivals seeking the restoration of democratic traditions.

Lissu had returned to Tanzania soon after Hassan lifted the ban, ending five years spent largely in exile following a 2017 assassination bid.

In March 2022, Mbowe was freed about seven months after he and other Chadema leaders were arrested just hours before the party was to hold a public forum to demand constitutional reforms.

Announcing the ban on Sunday, Awadh Haji, Tanzania’s police chief in charge of operations and training, said the force had “clear indications that their aim is not to celebrate the International Youth Day but to initiate and engage in violence”.

Lissu had on Sunday vowed that the youth event would go ahead as planned.

“President Samia, don’t bring Magufuli’s strange ways. International Youth Day is celebrated globally. Why are your police blocking Chadema youth on the road and arresting them?” he said on X.

“This is not a time to stay silent, be afraid, or just talk. It’s a time to stand up and be counted. Let’s raise our voices with all our strength!”

Tanzania is due to hold presidential and parliamentary polls late next year.

By Agencies

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The deal marks a significant milestone as Amsons seeks to invest in one of Kenya’s iconic blue-chip companies listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE).

The proposed investment will not only cement a Tanzanian company’s place as one of East Africa’s largest takeover deals but also promises substantial growth potential for Kenya through the potential foreign direct investment from the proposed US $180 million deal.

Amsons Group, through its Kenyan subsidiary and investment vehicle, Amsons Industries (K) Ltd, has issued a notice of intention to launch a public take-over offer that will involve the acquisition of up to 100% of the shares in Bamburi for Sh65 per share.

Group Managing Director, Edha Nahdi, said the proposed cross-border acquisition will deepen the group’s position in the cement sector in East Africa as part of the regional economic development and market integration ideals.

“We have great plans to deepen our investment in Kenya and in Bamburi.” said Nahdi.

The cash offer by Amsons Group represents a premium offer above the Bamburi Cement share price as of the closing of trade at the NSE on July 09, 2024.

Amsons Group is a family-owned business founded in 2006 in Tanzania that now has more than US$1 billion in annual turnover. Its main business operations historically involved bulk oil and petroleum products importation under the Camel Oil Tanzania retail brand.

The group has steadily diversified and grown its portfolio in the manufacturing sector with a 6,000MT/day cement manufacturing capability, including through the recently acquired Mbeya Cement facility. In addition, the group has a 500MT/day Wheat Flour Milling Plant, a state-of-the-art premix Concrete plant, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Fuel and lubricants, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and Transportation fleet across Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Tanzania.

In the Fuel Sector, Amsons Group has Fuel Depots in several Countries, including Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, and DRC, with over 150 retail stations in those countries.

Last November, Holcim agreed to sell its 65% participation in Mbeya Cement Company Ltd in Tanzania to Amsons Group and has recently completed the acquisition following regulatory approvals.

Holcim’s Regional Head of Asia, Middle East & Africa, Martin Kriegner, said: “This agreement to sell our stake in Bamburi Cement advances Holcim’s strategy of extending our leadership in our core markets as the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.”

“With Amsons Group, we are pleased to have found a strategic and trusted partner best positioned to develop Bamburi Cement PLC’s business in the long term.”

“Amsons Industries (T) Ltd is a quality cement products manufacturer in Tanzania under the brand names “Camel Cement” and “TemboCement,” two household brands in the Tanzanian construction market. Our offer to acquire shares in Bamburi is part of our corporate market expansion plan and will mark the formal entry of Amsons Group into the Kenyan market, where we plan to make investments in other industries in the coming months,” Nahdi said.

“To produce our Cement, we deploy world-class cement manufacturing technology that has afforded us sustained market growth and partnerships as the preferred supplier of choice to leading building and construction sector players. We intend to replicate our success in Kenya by building on the solid foundation already set by Holcim at Bamburi Cement.”

The post Tanzania’s Amsons Group Launches an East African Record Bid to Acquire Bamburi Cement from Holcim appeared first on KahawaTungu.

Their arrest prompted a series of meetings between Kenya and Tanzania officials in Rombo Mkuu area that led to the release.

Officials described the incident as dramatic.

Officials said they were detained by Tanzanian police who responded to a distress call from a suspect who had been arrested in Tarakea Town over suspicion of being part of a cartel targeting and stealing vehicles in Kenya.

The incident happened Friday May 24 morning.

A team of five policemen from Buruburu police station in Nairobi had trailed and arrested a Kenyan man over cases of stealing of motor vehicles which are sold in Tanzania. The suspect is part of a cartel operating in this region targeting salon cars.

Then suspect took them to where the cartel use to ship the stolen cars to Tanzania.

Using the unofficial route the team said they mistakenly entered Tanzanian territory without their knowledge.

They were in company of one suspect namely Samuel Ngatia who is a suspect of motor vehicle theft.

While in Tanzania, they arrested one Tanzanian in Tarakea Town who raised an alarm and officers from Tarakea police station who were on patrol responded while armed and arrested the officers for the offence of being illegally present in Tanzania.

They tried to explain the Tanzanian suspect was wanted over claims he has been receiving stolen motor vehicles from Kenya in vain.

They were escorted to custody in Rombo Mkuu area, officials said.

It was then the officers made a call to Kenya and the Kajiado South team in the company of their colleagues from Illasit started to negotiate for the release of the officers.

The Sub county security intelligence met and asked a meeting with the Tanzanian team.

The Deputy County Commissioner Anthony Macharia led the team to Tanzania and had a meeting with the Rombo District security committee which led to the release of the five officers.

The Kenyan suspect was also released to the security team though the Tanzanian suspect was not handed over to Kenya.

The Kenyan suspect is being interrogated ahead of planned arraignment.

Police say dozens of vehicles are stolen in Kenya and driven to Tanzania where they are sold by a vicious cartel.

Some are recovered while others are cannibalised or changed in features.

Others are driven to Zambia, DRC and other neighboring countries where they are sold.

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Cyclone Hidaya is inching closer to the eastern coast of Tanzania, with an expected landfall later on Friday, according to the latest weather forecast. It is also likely to bring more rain to neighbouring Kenya, including in the major coastal city of Mombasa, just north of the eye of the cyclone.

“Crucially, the coastal region is likely to experience Cyclone Hidaya, which will result in heavy rainfall, large waves and strong winds that could affect marine activities in the Indian Ocean,” the office of Kenyan President William Ruto said.

Floods in Kenya have already claimed at least 210 lives since March, according to updated tolls from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration on Friday. It said 125 people have been injured, 90 are missing, and 165,500 people are displaced.

Ahead of the expected cyclone, Ruto’s government also ordered mandatory evacuations for residents near 178 dams and water reservoirs in 33 counties, and the government warned citizens to remain on alert.

The rains have been amplified by the El Nino weather pattern – a naturally occurring climate phenomenon typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy downpours elsewhere.

In Tanzania, at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in recent days. With the arrival of Hidaya, there are more fears of weather disruption.

“The presence of Hidaya Cyclone … is expected to dominate and affect the weather patterns in the country including heavy rain and strong winds in some regions near Indian Ocean,” the Tanzania Red Cross Society said on the social media platform X.

The heavier-than-usual rains have also killed at least 29 people in Burundi, with 175 people injured, and tens of thousands displaced since September last year, the United Nations said.

More heavy rains expected

Kenya’s capital Nairobi is among the areas expected to suffer heavy rains over the next three days, the Kenya Meteorological Department said on X, warning of strong winds and large ocean waves along the country’s coastline.

The forecaster urged residents to be vigilant for flash floods and lightning strikes, adding that strong winds could “blow off roofs, uproot trees” and cause other damage.

Earlier this week, Kenya’s President Ruto announced he was deploying his country’s military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas.

Explainer: Why has the flooding in Kenya been so devastating?

In a bulletin released on Thursday evening, the Interior Ministry ordered anyone living close to major rivers or near 178 “filled up or near filled up dams or water reservoirs” to vacate the area within 24 hours, warning that they would otherwise face “mandatory evacuation for their safety”.

The devastation has also affected Kenya’s tourism sector – a key economic driver – with some 100 tourists marooned in the famed Maasai Mara wildlife reserve on Wednesday after a river overflowed, flooding lodges and safari camps.

Rescuers later managed to evacuate 90 people by ground and air, the Interior Ministry said.

In the deadliest single incident in Kenya, dozens of villagers were killed when a dam burst on Monday near Mai Mahiu in the Rift Valley, about 60km (40 miles) north of Nairobi.

The Interior Ministry said 52 bodies had been recovered and 51 people were still missing after the dam disaster.

Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, who is reporting from Kiambu County, said that residents in the area, which was also hit with heavy flooding, are asking “why the government has not done more” to prevent the disaster.

He reported that one company, which was contracted to fix a bridge and flood-control infrastructure in the area, ran away with the money without finishing the project.

Opposition politicians and lobby groups have also accused Ruto’s government of being unprepared and slow to respond to the crisis despite weather warnings.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch said “Kenya’s government has a human rights obligation to prevent foreseeable harm from climate change and extreme weather events and to protect people when a disaster strikes”.

By Agencies.

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