Tanzanian President Suluhu Reshuffles Cabinet, Chief Secretary Sacked

  • by Rodney Mponye
  • April 1, 2021

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has named Liberata Mulamula as Tanzania’s new Foreign Affairs Minister, and brought in another woman Ummy Mwalimu as Minister in the President’s office.

The changes included the exit of Chief Secretary, former CCM General Secretary Bashiru Ally, just one month after he was appointed. He has been replaced by Tanzania’s ambassador to Japan Hussein Yahya Kattanga.

President Samia made the mini cabinet reshuffle Wednesday March 31 following the appointment of Dr Philip Mpango as Vice President. All the changes follow the death last month of the country’s 5th President Dr John Pombe Magufuli.

“It has been a short while since you were sworn in so I did not see the need for a complete overhaul of the ministries,” The Citizen of Tanzania reported  the President as saying after the announcement yesterday.

The Citizen of Tanzania also reported that President Samia warned ministers who hardly assign deputy ministers any tasks, something that in the long run causes frictions with the ministry.

The changes by 6th President Suluhu

Top on the list of changes is the nomination of Mulamula as a Member of Parliament and new Foreign Minister, replacing Prof Palamagamba Kabudi who has been moved to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Ambassador Mulamula 65, becomes the 16th foreign affairs minister and only the second woman to serve in that position after Dr Asha-Rose Migiro  January 2006-2007.

Apart from serving in the US, the UN and Canada as Tanzania’s top diplomat there, she was in 2006-2011 the first Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). In this position, she oversaw 11 countries.

Tanzania’s top four in Dodoma yesterday for VP swearing, and naming of a new cabinet. (right to left) President Samia Suluhu, Vice President Dr. Philip Mpango, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa and Speaker Job Ndugai. PHOTO 📷 @hakingowi

Dr Mpango’s former Ministry of Finance has been handed to Mwigulu Nchemba who was the minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, while Jafo Selemani moves from President’s office to the Ministry of State in the Vice Presidents Office.

Dr Mpango as VP

By picking Dr Mpango as Vice President, Samia Suluhu aims to mainatin Tanzania’s tempo in implementing mega projects, concludes The Citizen of Tanzania.

“In his role as Finance minister under President John Magufuli, Dr Mpango was a key figure in the sourcing and disbursement of development funds for the implementation of mega projects, including the standard gauge railway (SGR) line, the Nyerere Hydropower project along the Rufiji River and purchasing of aircraft for Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) among others. Analysts say the choice of Dr Mpango signalled President Hassan’s continuity agenda,” The Citizen of Tanzania stated.

The no-nonsense economist was once quoted as saying, “I swore to defend the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania…when I was lecturing at the university, I taught all students irrespective of where they come from.”

Before he was approved to become Tanzania’s Vice President, Dr Mpango told parliament that he knows that people hate corruption, and want to see the standard gauge railway (SGR) and Nyerere Hydropower Dam completed.

“If this Parliament approves me as proposed by the President, this is what I will work for. That way, we will achieve the aspirations of our people as portrayed when they bid fare-well to former President John Magufuli,” he said.

He added, “I’m not humble as some people say. I’m not humble to corrupt people. I’m not humble to those who swindle public funds. I’m not humble to those who sleep on the job.”

*****

SOURCE:  The Citizen of Tanzania (click)

FULL CABINET LIST: Daily NEWS.