News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo.
President Jakaya Kikwete has formed a new cabinet of 50 members. The challenges it faces will be to implement the promises made by the ruling CCM party during the election campaign.
The President has also created a new cabinet portfolio to boost foreign direct investment inflows to the East Africa’s largest economy. The 50 members, including deputy ministers, has 24 new faces, whereas the previous cabinet had 47 members.
News emerging from Dar Es Salaam says soon after the successful conclusion of the country’s general election on October 19, President Kikwete has taken a bold step of appointing two new members to his cabinet who were vocal in criticizing some members of the ruling CCM on matters of corruption.
Observers were quick in maintaining that the appointment has set the stage for a clean-up of the ruling party before the next general election, which is now scheduled for October in 2015.
The head of state has also named the highly respected former powerful National Assembly Speaker, Samuel Sita, as the new Minister for the East African Community Affairs, perhaps having in mind the the task of speeding up negotiations for the political federation of East Africa.
Overall, the Tanzanian President, who introduced 24 new faces to his cabinet, has performed a careful balancing demands of his the millions of CCM supporters who want more action on poverty reduction.
BUT Kikwete will be under pressure from the main opposition, CHADEMA party, and other small political parties, and Tanzanians in general, to press through constitution changes to provide for peaceful and fair polls in the country.
Furthermore, Kikwete named the outspoken veteran lawyer and former journalist, Harrison Mwakyemba, who chaired the Richmond Scandal investigations, the deputy minister for public works, to deal with the road construction. This is an area marked by grand corruption.
The Ministry will be headed by another hardworking MP John Magufuli.
Kikwete has also retained Benard Membe as Foreign Affairs Minister, a move that has angered a section of his ruling CCM party, who say he is grooming Membe to be his future successor in 2015.
President has also named several new cabinet members, including former Nairobi-based UN top diplomat and UN Habitat Chief, Anna Tibaijuka, as the new Lands Minister. Also in the cabinet is Makame Mnyaa Mbarawa, an academician who was brought home from a powerful position in a South African university to serve in the cabinet.
He takes over as the Minister for Communications, Science and Technology.
The general Secretary of the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania {Tucta}, Nicholas Mgaya, was last week quoted by the EASTAFRICAN weekly as saying that the new ministers will have to deal with the long standing woes of workers on high taxation.
Mgaya said the new cabinet should find ways of broadening the collection of taxes from other sources in order to cushion workers most of whom pay from their meager salaries.
“We are sure that there are many business people who are dodging taxes. The new cabinet should strengthen means of collecting taxes from this group.”
Energy and Mineral Minister, William Ngeleja, also kept his job, as did the Minister for Defense and National Service, Hussein Mwinyi.
Tanzania civil servants have been gratified by the President’s move to replace Labour Minister Juma Kapuya, who came in for widespread criticism over his handling of the civil servants strike just before the general election.
The Minister has been replaced by Madame Gaudensia Kabaka, who formerly was the deputy Minister for Education.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com