By allowing an opponent to stand, the government may be looking to reduce international criticism 

Tanzania’s presidential election is set to become slightly more competitive after the High Court ordered that Luhaga Mpina of the ACT Wazalendo party should be allowed to submit nomination forms to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The commission had effectively banned Mpina from standing by suspending his candidacy on a technicality. Delivering the judgement in Dodoma, a judge declared the suspension unconstitutional. But allowing Mpina to run for the October polls is only a minor concession.

With Tundu Lissu, the leader of the main opposition party Chadema, still in prison facing treason charges, and Chadema banned from standing candidates, few doubt that President Samia Suluhu Hassan will be re-elected with a landslide and that her ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) will win almost all the parliamentary seats (AC Vol 66 No 11, President Hassan turns bulldozer). ACT Wazalendo won four of the 393 seats in the Tanzanian parliament in 2020 and though former leader Zitto Kabwe, the party’s best-known face, hopes to return to parliament for a seat in Kingoma, an eastern city, it is hard to see ACT taking even 10% in the presidential poll.

Samia’s government has so far escaped major international censure for a concerted campaign of repression that saw CCM win 99% of municipal council seats last year after a ban on most opposition candidates, as well as the jailing of Lissu and a series of violent attacks on Chadema and ACT officials. (Dispatches, 22/10/24, Opposition cries foul over latest brutal attack and poll rigging).

But the bans on the main two opposition leaders and public apathy about Samia’s record have prompted fears in ruling party circles of a low turnout that could reduce her legitimacy. Allowing a semblance of competitiveness in the polls should, CCM officials calculate, be enough to again avoid significant international criticism. Copyright © Africa Confidential 2025

According to AU-IBAR, trypanosomiasis affects 38 of Africa’s 55 countries, placing 50 million cattle at risk, with an estimated 3 million deaths annually. 

The African Union has urged member states to invest in integrated surveillance systems that combine human, animal, and vector data to strengthen the early detection and control of trypanosomiasis across the continent.

Speaking during the 37th Conference of the International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) in Nairobi, the Director of the AU’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), Dr. Huyam Salih, emphasized that innovative One Health technologies are essential to eliminate the disease.

She highlighted the use of geospatial tools and mobile diagnostics to monitor tsetse fly distribution and parasite prevalence in both livestock and humans as critical interventions.

“There is need to invest in Integrated Surveillance Systems combining human, animal, and vector data to detect outbreaks early,” Dr. Salih said.

“For this use of geospatial tools and mobile diagnostics to monitor tsetse fly distribution and parasite prevalence in both livestock and humans is needed.”

According to AU-IBAR, trypanosomiasis affects 38 of Africa’s 55 countries, placing 50 million cattle at risk, with an estimated 3 million deaths annually.

The economic cost of reduced livestock productivity, treatment, and control measures is pegged at USD 5 billion annually, while 6 million people remain at risk of contracting Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT).

Despite progress in reducing HAT cases from 28,000 in 1999 to 583 in 2024, Dr. Salih warned that fragmented coordination, inadequate funding, poor community engagement, climate change, and drug resistance continue to hamper control efforts.

She called for greater cross-sector collaboration among medical, veterinary, and environmental agencies, stronger community involvement in vector control, and the adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, predictive modeling, and genomic surveillance.

“There is a need to embrace AI and integrated OH data platforms for vector mapping, predictive modeling, and decision support systems and Genomic Surveillance for parasite detection and resistance monitoring among other technologies,” she said.

She however emphasized the need to ensure that technologies are accessible and adaptable to local contexts.

AU-IBAR is currently rolling out the African Union Digital One Health Platform (AU-DOHP) to integrate data for improved surveillance and response.

Dr. Salih also urged governments to embed trypanosomiasis control into national development plans, food security strategies, and climate resilience frameworks, while appealing for increased investments from the public and private sectors.

The conference, themed “Harnessing One Health Technologies & Innovations towards Eliminating Trypanosomiasis in Africa”, brought together delegates from AU member states, scientists, and development partners.

Some of those present include, the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe, his PS Jonathan Mueke, PS for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni Muriuki , Chairman, KENTTEC, Dr. Geoffrey Muttai AND Chairman of ISCTRC, Prof Joseph Ndung’u. 

By BRUHAN MAKONG, Capital News