The CCM held elections for leadership positions all over the country form September to December culminating in a Congress attended by almost 2,000 delegates. The Swahili media published details of what happened: Examples:
– The party nullified the election results for five NEC candidates in Pangani for failure to observe election regulations.
– In Tanga an NEC candidate arrived with a truck full of soft drinks to be distributed to voters but was asked to remove it.
– In a dramatic development on September 5 two MPs from Arusha, David Mollel for Arumeru West, who was vying for a position on the NEC and Lekule Laizer, MP for Longido who was running for the CCM Chairmanship in Arusha Region, and ten other party leaders were arraigned in court on corruption charges.
– In Mwanza the Regional Party Secretary confirmed that he had instructed the PCCB to be in attendance during the polling process to keep an eye on any possible unethical practices. This was after the PCCB (nicknamed “scorpions” by some) caught five party members on corruption charges.
– In Dar es Salaam polling took place at the National Service barracks at Mgulani amid tight security mounted by plain clothed police, national intelligence and the PCCB. Yet bribing was alleged to have taken place in toilets and Police were posted inside and outside the washrooms.
– In Kibaha the regional crime officer confirmed that four candidates were arrested while handing out bribes.
– In Moshi the regional PCCB officer confirmed that one bigwig escaped in his car before being arrested. He was seen with a briefcase filled with money which he was distributing to voters.
– The Rukwa Regional Crime Investigating Officer said security guards at the gate discovered that some candidates carried with them folders full of herbs and roots they believed would help them win.
– The Regional head of the PCCB in Shinyanga said they had arrested four CCM leaders in Bukombe District while they were handing out TShs 10,000 bribes in the party office.
Election Results
In Lindi, the first lady, Mrs Salma Kikwete, was elected a delegate to the party congress with 406 votes out of 458. Her son Ridhwan Kikwete also won in Bagamoyo together with another family member, Yusuf Kikwete – Mtanzania.
In Musoma Charles Makongoro Nyerere, the son of Mwalimu Nyerere, and in Kigoma, former MP Azim Premji won CCM regional chairmanships.
Energy and Minerals Minister Nazir Karamagi also won a NEC seat but veteran minister, Joseph Mungai, failed to retain his Iringa seat. The Minister had dominated the Iringa political scene for 37 years and had served as minister under all past presidents. After the result he complained that he had never seen such a dirty campaign. He referred to a pamphlet that claimed he was a Kikuyu from Kenya.
The immediate past Secretary-General of the party, Philip Mangula also lost as did Minister Dr Juma Ngasongwa who failed in Morogoro. Former CCM Secretary General Philip Mangula, who suffered a humiliating defeat, said that, by the look of things, the time would come when the nomination of candidates to vie for CCM leadership positions would take the form of tender advertisements, whereby the highest bidder would win.
On November 7th National Assembly Speaker Samuel Sitta told MPs that he would take legal action against those who delayed returning forms that declared their assets and debts after the deadline of December 31. When opening the CCM Congress President Kikwete had said that, in future, assets declared by senior government officials and politicians would have to be assessed by the CCM Leadership Ethics Committee – Nipashe.
On November 16 the House Speaker announced that members of the public who feel defamed by MP’s speeches in the National Assembly could now lodge their complaints with him. If he finds them worth investigating, he would forward them to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges, Ethics and Powers for action.
Minister for Public Safety and Security, Bakari Mwapachu, asked Inspector General of Police (IGP) Said Mwema to expose to the media all police officers who were discovered to have taken part in corrupt practices – Mwananchi.
Some CCM members were reported not to be happy with the way party elections have been ‘raided’ by the PCCB. They insisted that the party had its own disciplinary and ethics committees which could have done the job instead of exposing the party’s muck in public. But President Kikwete said it was he who gave the order for PCCB to come in, which was justified, since the party could not purge itself of the rot – The Swahili press.