Dr. A KEITH AUCKLAND, OBE who died on October 22 was described as a ‘hands on’ plant breeder in Tanzania where he spent almost 20 years from the early fifties. At Ukiriguru and Nachingwea he worked on sorghum, rice, sesame, and soya and in 1971 became Director of Plant Introduction and Distribution. He later served on many international research organisations around the world.

IRENE BROWN was a lecturer in political philosophy in Dar es Salaam from 1964 and when she left was preparing a book on the ideas of political thinkers throughout history. (Thank you Joan Wicken for sending this obituary -Editor).

BIBI TITI MOHAMED (75) who died in South Africa on November 6 was the first woman in the then Tanganyika to engage herself in full-time politics, relinquishing all else including family business to devote her life to the anti-colonial struggle in the 1950’s. She was divorced twice as she travelled the country mobilising the women, founding the women’s wing of TANU and being the first chairperson of the Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanzania (UWT). She faced a major crisis in 1970 when she and six others were charged with treason; she was sentenced to life imprisonment but released two years later under a presidential amnesty. For the rest of her life she was dogged by ill health but was seen supporting CCM at the famous Temeke by-election last year and was with President Mkapa this year when he collected his presidential nomination forms in Dodoma -The Guardian.