Government will continue to pursue the Uganda government to settle over 8.8m US dollars still outstanding as war reparations, which is part of 18.4m US dollars agreed by the two governments following the 1979 war.

Mr Shamsi Vuai Nahodha

Minister for Defence and National Service, Mr Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, said in the National Assembly while responding to a question from Mbinga East legislator, Mr John Komba, that the government had no plans to force the Ugandan government to continue using Dar es Salaam port until the debt was fully repaid.

Mr Nahodha said Tanzanian forces fought against Ugandan forces under former dictator, Idd Amin, who had invaded the Kagera salient and declared it part of his country in 1978.

He said Uganda, which had agreed to settling the reparations after the war which toppled Amin in 1979, defaulted, but hastened to add that through negotiations during the second phase administration under former President Benjamin Mkapa, agreed to continue paying in instalments.

“This House only recently paid glowing tribute to former South African president, the late Mzee Nelson Mandela, for his unique character of forgiving and pursuing diplomacy to solve problems.

Let’s nurture that,” Mr Nahodha said. He pointed out that despite the fact that President Yoweri Museveni was teaming up with Rwanda’s Paul Kagame to stop using Dar es Salaam port for their imports and exports, it was not wise to start forcing Uganda to settle the outstanding debt simply out of spite.

In his main and two supplementary questions, Mr Komba had wondered why the government was not acting hard on President Museveni, who acquired his university education in Tanzania and waged his armed struggle against the then Ugandan government from Tanzanian soil.

“This man has now turned his back on us and is working with Rwanda to sabotage Dar es Salaam port despite the fact that we assisted him a lot,” the MP argued, saying Museveni’s actions were unacceptable and so Tanzania should now go for tit-for-tat.

But Nahodha said Tanzania’s founder president, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, was a unique leader who considered all Africans as brothers, hence assisted those facing oppression to free themselves like the Ugandans. “It’s not wise to demand a return for favours done to your brother after differences in opinion.

Let’s emulate Mandela’s spirit of forgiving,” argued Nahodha. Meanwhile, the National Service will consider suggestions by lawmakers that part of the profit accrued from selling tractors by Suma JKT should be invested in establishing voluntary education centres at JKT camps where youths are trained in military skills.

Nahodha told parliament while responding to questions from Special Seats legislator (CCM), Maryam Msabaha, who wanted to know if the government had plans to establish vocational training centres at JKT camps.

Ms Msabaha also wanted to know if JKT graduates who undergo military training were given priority for recruitment in the country’s defence forces. “Recruiting these JKT trainees will assist in preventing them from becoming thugs,” she argued.

Mr Nahodha said his ministry, which received a 40m US dollar loan from India to import tractors and sell them, mostly on loan to farmers, would consider the lawmaker’s suggestion after first repaying the loan. Nahodha further noted that JKT had six camps offering vocational training skills to youths.

He named them as 831 KJ Mgulani, 834 KJ Makutupola, 843 KJ Nachingwea, 842 KJ Mlale, 835 KJ Mgambo and 838 KJ Maramba. “However, my ministry agrees that these centres are very and ill equipped for practical training and we are still looking for funds to improve them,” Nahodha pointed out.

He said the ministry planned to introduce more vocational training centres at JKT camps in Arusha, Kigoma, Mbeya and Mwanza regions using funds raised through the SUMA JKT economic wing.

Source Tanzania Daily News

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