The impact of fertilizer subsidy scheme on the performance of fertilizer distributors in Tanzania

The objective of the study was to examine the procedures used to set up the subsidy prices and evaluate the prices and quantity allocations given to distributors in order to measure their impact on the financial performances of the distributors. Two fertilizer trading companies, MIs Tanzania Fertilizer Company Ltd and MIs Premium Agro Chern Ltd were taken as case studies. The data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using tables, ratios and trend analysis. Excel computer program was used to analyse the data and illustrating them by using figures and graphs. The findings indicated that the distributors' businesses will not realise profits and attain growth unless the subsidy prices set by the government are equal or higher than their commercial prices, and that the quantities allocated to them are equal to their budgeted sales volumes or are above their break-even volumes. The researcher recommends a review of the current price setting procedures and quantity allocation criteria to improve the distributors' financial performances and to achieve the government objective of the scheme. The researcher also recommends a country importation schedule, standards for subsidy fertilizer distributors and having own fertilizer plant. While the policy of subsidizing fertilizers to our farmers is good for the country's food security programmes and increase in foreign exchange earnings, the recommended measures would streamline the administration of the scheme, ensure reliability in fertilizer supplies, provide feedback and facilitate policy analysis

Self-destruction by multiple methods during a single episode: a case study and review of the literature

Background: Although the prevalence of suicide in the world is not clear, however, the reported rates of suicides are consistently higher among men tan women regardless of age group.Methods: A case employing multiple methods during a brief time of self-destructive behavior is presented. A 44-year-old postmaster who was under criminal investigation by his head office for embezzlement, leaped down a high river cliff and drowned after an initial attempt to commit suicide by hanging from the bridge over the river. The autopsy and sceneinvestigations were both employed and very helpful.Results: Three different methods of suicide were apparent in this instance: hanging, leaping down the cliff and drowning as was evidenced by the autopsy and positive diatom test. The complexity of this case was the planned protection against the failure of one method employed to commit suicide. The methods used were all highly lethal ones. There was neither history of previous suicide attempts nor psychiatric disorder.Conclusion: Although the cause of death may appear clear at autopsy in cases of self-destruction by multiple highly lethal methods during a single episode, scene investigation is important for the forensic pathologist to understand the whole story of the case and determine the manner and actual cause of death. Scene investigation and autopsy is emphasized as part of the whole postmortem investigation of death in cases of unusual suicide using multiple methods of self-destruction

Self-destruction by multiple methods during a single episode: A case study and review of the literature

Background: Although the prevalence of suicide in the world is not clear, however, the reported rates of suicides are consistently higher among men tan women regardless of age group. Methods: A case employing multiple methods during a brief time of self-destructive behavior is presented. A 44-year-old postmaster who was under criminal investigation by his head office for embezzlement, leaped down a high river cliff and drowned after an initial attempt to commit suicide by hanging from the bridge over the river. The autopsy and scene investigations were both employed and very helpful. Results Three different methods of suicide were apparent in this instance: hanging, leaping down the cliff and drowning as was evidenced by the autopsy and positive diatom test. The complexity of this case was the planned protection against the failure of one method employed to commit suicide. The methods used were all highly lethal ones. There was neither history of previous suicide attempts nor psychiatric disorder. Conclusion: Although the cause of death may appear clear at autopsy in cases of self-destruction by multiple highly lethal methods during a single episode, scene investigation is important for the forensic pathologist to understand the whole story of the case and determine the manner and actual cause of death. Scene investigation and autopsy is emphasized as part of the whole postmortem investigation of death in cases of unusual suicide using multiple methods of self-destruction

Mob justice in Tanzania: a medico-social problem

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the magnitude of mob justice and associated factors. BACKGROUND: Mob justice is a social and public health problem that has grown in Tanzania in recent decades that has negative effects on social and health of the country, communities, and families. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A four-year autopsy study was conducted at the Department of Pathology, MUCHS. Information on the cases was obtained from police, the relatives, friends and other witnesses if available. RESULTS: 1249 persons were killed by mobs in Dar es Salaam during the period of 5 years (2000–2004). The alleged offense ranged from a serious crime like theft or murder to a mere violation of local customs or religious beliefs. The mode of the killings were mostly burning (48.11%) and stoning (49.96%). Other modes accounted for only 3.0% of the cases. The pattern of injuries ranged from skull and other skeletal fractures to viscera rupture. CONCLUSION: MJ is a social, legal and public health problem in Tanzania that needs immediate attention. Unemployment of youth and perceived economic inequalities should be addressed. As long as the judicial system doesn't work and corruption is not punished, people will continue to organize their own trials and judge their suspects in the street. These must be tackled in order to reduce the growing incidences of mob justice, hence saving life. It must be ensured that criminals do not violate the freedom, dignity and respect of each and every human or member of the society

Sexing contemporary Tanzanian skeletonized remains using skull morphology: A test of the walker sex assessment method

Determination of sex in a burial or comingled assemblage is an essential element in forensic human skeletal identification. Establishing the sex of individual skeletal remains using skull landmarks is one of the traditional human osteological methods. This study sampled 86 skeletonized skulls of contemporary Tanzanians to test a popular sex assessment technique developed by Walker's cranial nonmetric approach. The sex estimate was scored from Walker's Log Regression equations involving nuchal crest, mastoid, glabella, mental eminence and supra orbit ridge characters. Basing on the formula, females display feature scores of 1–3, and males typically display individual feature scores of 3–5. At the same time, mastoid and glabella were the best features of sex determination after the evaluation. Also, the test displayed a high overlap between males' and females' characteristics of mental eminence, nuchal crest, and supraorbital ridge. Generally, the Walker sex estimation method using cranial features on current skeletonized Tanzania population failed to provide concrete sex assessment results, thus justifying the suggestion that; we need a modified population-specific approach

Toxoplasma encephalitis in HIV: case report

(East African Medical Journal: 2001 78(5): 275-276