President Mkapa had a major reshuffle of his cabinet on September 9 but few new faces were brought in (previous post in brackets):
Minister of Industries and Commerce ~ Iddi Simba (leading businessman and former head of the East African Development Bank)
Minister of Regional Administration and Local Government ~ Kingunge Ngombale-Mwiru (Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Information and Policy)
Minister of Communications and Transport ~ Ernest Nyanda
Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives ~ William Kusila (Minister of Communications and Transport)
Minister of Labour and Youth Development ~ Paul Kimiti (formerly in the Ministry of Agriculture)
Minister for Water ~ Mussa Nkhangaa (Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office)
Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education ~ Pius N’gwandu (Minister for Water)
There are no changes in the other nine ministries.
Minister of State, President’s Office (Cabinet) ~ Mateo Qaresi (Minister of State, President’s Office ~ Civil Service)
Minister of State, President’s Office (Civil Service) ~ Jackson Makwetta (Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education)
Minister of State, President’s Office ~ Wilson Masilingi
Minister of State, Vice-President’s Office ~ Edward Lowassa
Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office ~ Bakari Mbonde (Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office)
Deputy Minister, Finance ~ Prof. Crispin Hauli
Deputy Minister, Health ~ Ms Tatu Ntimizi
Deputy Minister, Regional Administration ~ Dr. Deogratius Mwita
Deputy Minister, Home Affairs ~ John Mgeja (CCM Publicity Secretary)
Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Co-operatives ~ lsmail Iwvata (Deputy Minister, Water)
Deputy Minister, Water ~ Major Sigela Mswima (Deputy Minister, Home Affairs)
Ms Gladness Mziray, Deputy Minister of Health, has retired on medical grounds.
The re-introduction of a Ministry of Regional Affairs has been widely criticised as many had hoped that the President would reduce rather than increase by one the number of ministers.
The reshuffle was made necessary by the recent loss of two ministers through election petitions.
However, former Minister for Industries and Commerce, Dr William Shija, who lost his seat and his ministerial appointment following alleged violation of electoral procedures in the 1995 elections (some 17,000 voters had been unable to cast their votes) regained his Sengerema (Mwanza) seat on October 5 defeating Dr Fortunatus Masha of the United Democratic Party (UDP) by 29,345 to 21,549. The CUF candidate scored 789. In the previous election Shija got 19,917 votes against Masha’s l3,080. The byelection was unusual in having only three candidates. There were none from the main opposition party the NCCR; it is not known whether this was because the party could not agree on a candidate or whether it had finally realised that there could be advantages in cooperating with other opposition parties rather than always competing against them. There was a very heavy turnout. The Dar es Salaam Guardian quoted UDP leader John Cheyo as complaining about the high cost of by-elections – he estimated the cost of this one at Shs 350 million and recommended the adoption of some alternative approach in future for the filling of constituency vacancies.
Former NCCR MP for Bunda, Musoma, who lost his seat following a petition alleging irregularities in his campaign at the last elections and who was hoping to regain it in a by-election, had his hopes dashed on September 29 when the Court of Appeal rejected his second appeal against the original judgement. Judge Samatta said he believed that the defeated candidate, former Prime Minister Joseph Warioba, had not been served with a copy of the notice of appeal by Mr Wassira within the stipulated time. Wassira had claimed that he left the notice with a hotel receptionist in Mwanza. Wassira has now appealed again – for the third time.
CHADEMA has selected Mrs Aripa Geoffrey Marealle as its new ‘Special Seat’ MP to succeed Mrs Mary Kabigi who died in April.
Meanwhile, ‘The African’ reported in October that CHADEMA chairman Bob Makani had renewed his appeal for opposition candidates to field common candidates in the October 2000 elections so as to give the opposition a chance to beat the CCM.
On November 8 the Sunday Observer reported the first signs of a melting of the icy relationship between Mrema and his arch rival in the same party, Secretary General Mabere Marando, when both were attacking the CCM for owing the defunct National Social Security Fund more than Shs 500,000 in loans.
Further melting of the political atmosphere was reported in the Daily Mail on October 13. Mrema was said to have caused surprise when he turned up at the send-off party given by CCM Vice-Chairman John Malecela for his daughter Mwendwa prior to her marriage. Mr Malecela gave special thanks at the party at his residence (attended by 400 people including President Mkapa) to Mr Mrema. “This shows” he said “that our differences in politics do not affect our social relations”.