I am a resident of Arusha and a mother of two. Ten years ago, during the excitement of my honeymoon in Zanzibar, my husband convinced me to get a tattoo of his name beautifully inked on my shoulder blade. At the time, it felt romantic and symbolic, a celebration of a future we thought we […]

Two years ago, police officers raided my brother’s house in a village after an informer told them he was hiding bhangi. They found two sacks of dried leaves inside. He was later charged with trafficking in narcotic drugs and sentenced to thirty years in prison. What confuses our family is that my brother has no […]

I am a Ugandan entrepreneur expanding my skincare brand across East Africa. I registered my brand ‘GlowRoot’ under ARIPO, thinking it would protect me in all member countries. I recently discovered that a Tanzanian company is using the same name for its products. When I tried to stop them, I was told my ARIPO registration […]

I am a law-abiding citizen and my face has never been photoshopped unless you count that one time my daughter posted our photo with a Snapchat filter. Recently, I have noticed a boom in hospitals offering plastic surgery, including cosmetic procedures, across Tanzania. It is like every street corner has a beauty clinic promising to […]

I live in Mbeya and our neighbour constantly burns plastic and rubbish near our houses, creating smoke and a bad smell. We tried asking him to stop, but he says it is his right since it’s his compound. Can he really burn waste as he wishes on his property? Please guide us, we are suffering […]

I am a motorcycle driver commonly known as a boda boda. Last week I carried a passenger who had been dropped off at a bus stop since traffic was heavy that morning. On the way, he lamented having to wake up early to arrive at work on time, and sometimes he is forced to abandon the […]

Technical delay in taxation I am a foreigner running a marketing company in Tanzania, and I am unfamiliar with Tanzanian law. We appealed against a significant tax assessment by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA). Our first case did not go well. We were unsuccessful at both the Tax Revenue Appeal Board and Tribunal. Consequently, we […]

I run a large beverage manufacturing company in Morogoro that produces soft drinks under  a certain brand. A few years ago, when I started my business, I noticed that a Ugandan company had a similar brand name registered at The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)and used it in their home market. I did not […]