by Ben Taylor
Former Vice President and Prime Minister, Cleopa Msuya, died in May at the age of 94. In a decades-long political career, he held nearly every major economic portfolio apart from the presidency, serving as the country’s first Vice President from 1990 to 1994, as Prime Minister for two separate periods in 1980-1983 and 1994-1995, as well as Minister of Finance at critical moments in the country’s economic history.Mr Msuya had been receiving treatment for a prolonged illness both locally and abroad, including at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), Mzena Hospital and in London.
Born in January 1931 in Mwanga District, Kilimanjaro Region, Mr Msuya was a prominent civil servant and politician. After studying at Makerere University from 1952 to 1955, he began his career in rural community development before rising through the ranks of public service. From 1964 to 1972, he served as Permanent Secretary in several key ministries, including Community Development and Culture, Lands and Water Development, Economic Affairs and Planning, and Finance.
He was appointed Minister for Finance in 1972, later serving as Minister for Industry before being named Prime Minister for the first time in 1980. Mr Msuya went on to hold multiple cabinet positions, including Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs and Planning and Minister for Industry and Trade.
Msuya was perhaps best known for his role in steering the country through an economic crisis after Julius Nyerere stepped down as President in 1985. Tanzania’s $3 billion debt at the time and reliance on foreign aid necessitated painful concessions. Together with the late Prof Benno Ndulu and Prof Ibrahim Lipumba, Msuya played a major role in guiding the government towards a solution.
President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Nyerere’s immediate successor, has applauded these three economists for how they helped the government to break the deadlock. As Finance Minister under President Mwinyi, Msuya was tasked with initiating the painful but necessary reforms that would pivot Tanzania toward a market-driven economy, and guiding the country’s difficult negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He championed the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) in 1986, which included currency devaluation, privatisation of state-owned enterprises, and deep fiscal restructuring. These reforms, while controversial, were seen as unavoidable in the face of mounting economic pressures.
“We must face economic realities,” Msuya said in 1987. “Our loyalty to socialism cannot blind us to the need for efficiency and global integration.”
Msuya’s reforms were a double-edged sword; they stabilised the macroeconomy but deepened disparities, revealing the limits of IMF-prescribed solutions,” said Prof Amon Mwambene, a historian.
Speaking at the funeral, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said Tanzania had lost a leader whose advice was always rooted in ethical and professional execution of government duties. “His service to the country remains a mark of excellence that current and future leaders should aspire to,” said Mr Majaliwa.
As if to emphasise Msuya’s historic significance to Tanzania, his funeral took place at grounds that bear his name: the CD Msuya Grounds in Mwanga, Kilimanjaro. In a show of respect, local authorities closed all nearby primary and secondary schools, allowing students and teachers to attend the ceremony, an acknowledgment of Msuya’s enduring contributions to the education sector, where he was regarded as an architect of academic progress in Mwanga.
“The nation has suffered a great loss,” said President Samia Suluhu Hassan. “I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, relatives, friends and all Tanzanians.” She declared seven days of national mourning.
Charles Hillary Nkwanga, renowned journalist, passed away on May 11, 2025, at age 66.
Hillary worked with top-tier media organisations, including Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam (RTD), IPP Media, the BBC, Deutsche Welle and Azam Media. His voice was for many years a prominent and authoritative presence on the Kiswahili broadcasts of the BBC World Service.
In 2021, Hillary left the media to take up an appointment as Zanzibar’s Director of Presidential Communications, and later served as chief spokesperson for the Government of Zanzibar, his birthplace.
His death marks the end of a distinguished career in journalism and public service that left a lasting impact both locally and internationally. He had a reputation as a sharp, ethical, and passionate journalist. His reporting and editorial leadership earned him wide respect across East Africa and beyond.
News of his death prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes from across the region. Leaders, journalists, and citizens alike remembered him not just for his professional contributions but for his humility.
“The late Charles was not only a good inspirational friend and a mentor, but also a visionary leader who inspired many generations. What a life and what a humble and nice guy,” said his close friend, Abdulswamad Abdulrahim.
Ahmed Rajab, who died in February aged 79, was a journalist and political analyst whose views on Tanzanian and wider African politics and economics were highly respected.
Rajab’s career began in broadcasting, where he worked in various production roles at the BBC World Service in London before serving within the Unesco communications office in Kenya and then, in 1984, returning to the BBC as a producer.
In the 1990s he switched to print journalism as editor of Africa Analysis, a fortnightly magazine dedicated to African politics and economics. Around the same time, he became a go-to commentator on African affairs for broadcasters, including the BBC, Channel 4 News and CNN. In later years, before his retirement, he served as head of the newsroom at the Middle East/Asia bureau of Irin, the United Nations’ Humanitarian News Agency.
Born in Vuga, Zanzibar, Rajab’s early life was shaped by the revolutionary upheaval of 60s Zanzibar. He escaped this, moving to the UK to study philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, and then a master’s in African studies at Sussex University. After that he went straight to the BBC World Service.
Throughout his career, he rode a parallel track as a human rights activist, including calling for the freedom of Zanzibari’s who were detained following the Zanzibar revolution. In this case, from London he worked closely with a small committee of progressives in East Africa such as Aishura Babu, Issa Shivji, Walter Rodney, and Abdul Sheriff, using human rights platforms in London to press their cause.
Renowned surgeon, medical educator and former cabinet minister Prof Philemon Sarungi died peacefully in Dar es Salaam in March at the age of 88.
Prof Sarungi led a life dedicated to public service and excellence. His academic journey was distinguished, beginning with a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Medicine in Szeged, Hungary, in 1966. He went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Surgery from the same institution in 1970, a Diploma in Orthopaedics and Trauma from the University of Medicine in Vienna in 1973, and a Diploma in Replantation Surgery from the University of Shanghai in 1975.
Returning to Tanzania, Professor Sarungi embarked on a long and distinguished career in medical education at the University of Dar es Salaam, where he shaped the future of the country’s healthcare system. He served as professor and head of the University’s department of surgery from 1971 until 1984, then as the director general of Muhimbili Medical Centre from 1984 to 1990.
Alongside this, Prof Sarungi served as the Member of Parliament for the Rorya constituency, representing CCM. From 1990 he held several key cabinet positions, including as minister of Health, minister of Communications and Transport, minister of Defence and National Service and minister of Education and Culture.