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Several innovative 'participatory sensing' initiatives are under way in East Africa. They can be seen as local manifestations of the global notion of Digital Earth. The initiatives aim to amplify the voice of ordinary citizens, improve citizens' capacity to directly influence public service delivery and hold local government accountable. The popularity of these innovations is, among other things, a local reaction to the partial failure of the millennium development goals (MDGs) to deliver accurate statistics on public services in Africa. Empowered citizens, with access to standard mobile phones, can 'sense' via text messages and report failures in the delivery of local government services. The public disclosure of these reports on the web and other mass media may pressure local authorities to take remedial action. In this paper, we outline the potential and research challenges of a 'participatory sensing' platform, which we call a 'human sensor web.' Digital Africa's first priority could be to harness continent-wide and national data as well as local information resources, collected by citizens, in order to monitor, measure and forecast MDGs.

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Managing elections in transitional countries, of which Tanzania is one, is not an easy task. Poorly managed elections are sources of tension and conflicts. This article takes stock of the preparations for the 2010 general elections in Tanzania, drawing lessons from other elections held since the country reverted to competitive multiparty elections. Although the electoral machinery has been reviewed and adjusted to make it more efficacious there are a number of unresolved problems that may dent the forthcoming elections. These include the limitations of the first-past-the-post electoral system; the prohibition of independent candidature; the disallowing of voting in the diaspora; ambiguities in the registration requirements, especially in Zanzibar; ineffective voter education interventions; and the undesirable role of the shehas 2 (Zanzibar) and district and regional commissioners in electoral processes. The newly enacted legislation aimed at controlling the use of money and deterring corruption in Union elections is a good measure for ensuring fair play. However, the enforcement strategies and mechanisms are still weak. Enactment of the law is one thing, but its effective enforcement is another issue. This article examines the efficacy of political parties on the road to the 2010 elections and, in light of empirical and anecdotal data, reveals systemic and endemic weaknesses in opposition parties that pave the way for landslide victories for the ruling party and its president.1 The author is grateful to the anonymous reviewer for critical but incisive and constructive feedback. 2A sheha is a central government administrator appointed by the regional commissioner to oversee the implementation of central government laws, orders, policies and directives at grassroots level.