End of an era for JK in active politics

Dodoma. The four-decade long journey of Mr Jakaya Kikwete from being a low level cadre to top leader of the ruling CCM ended yesterday, and he delivered a nostalgic farewell speech to the party’s extra-ordinary congress. Former President Kikwete handed over the reins to his successor President John Magufuli. 

In his farewell speech, expressing the pride for his legacy within and outside the party nd nostalgic stepping down from something (CCM) that he said he was very familiar with his entire life. “Today is a big and special day of my life, the journey to work for this party, which I started 41 years ago, on April 5, 1975, has finally come to an end today,” he said.

Mr Kikwete’s journey within CCM started when he was deployed as a party secretary in Singida District before being sent to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and Mtwara, apart from his short stint in the military, where he as well worked as a political commissar, Mr Kikwete has never known any other employment apart from CCM.

The Former President and national chair of CCM also used the moment to acknowledge and thank individuals and past leaders who brought him and shaped his political career.

“As I step down, I’m happy and assured that I leave CCM in safe hands of Dr Magufuli. I’m retiring. I will only attend party meetings and events when invited.”

He mentioned Mzee Pius Msekwa, Mzee Joseph Butiku and the late Mzee John Mhavile as the people who first interviewed him to work for the party while he was still a student at the University of Dar es Salaam. 

He showered Mzee Msekwa as a walking encyclopedia and his good political tutor, “I worked as a Private Secretary for Mzee Msekwa, but life is a strange thing, when I became CCM’s chairman I appointed Mzee Msekwa to work for me as a Vice Chair,” he said.

He also thanked former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi for nominating him to Parliament in 1988 and for appointing him a deputy minister and later a full minister in a short period of time. “Without you Mzee, I might have continued to be a low ranking party official and possibly I couldn’t be here today.”

He also thanked his predecessor ex-President Benjamin Mkapa for entrusting him to lead the Tanzania’s Foreign docket for 10 consecutive years.  “During that period I got ample time to know the world, and let the world know me, that experience was very vital in my presidency.”

However, he advised his successor that, while CCM is still a strong party, there are challenges that he should address  to make it even stronger. The first challenge he said was inadequate sources of income. 

“In 2006 when I assumed the chairmanship of the party, we had 5.4 million members but today we have 8.7 million voters. 

“But this army of members doesn’t pay their membership fees of Sh1, 200 per year. If we were to collect it from all them the we could be getting Sh10.5 billion per annum, but last year we only collected Sh500 million. 

“We literally depend on allowances from the government for the numbers of lawmakers and councilors across the country,” he said challenging Dr Magufuli over the matter.