PEOPLE IN THE NEWS : The hero and two prodigal sons

Dodoma. There was the hero who saved the party from sinking into oblivion last year. There were also two prodigal sons who grabbed the mic to announce their return home after a date with strangers in the wilderness. It was not just about President John Magufuli at the CCM extraordinary Congress last week.

It was supposed to be his show alone -- but then at least three other faces shone in the limelight at the packed Dodoma Convention Centre.

CCM secretary general Abdulrahman Kinana was the hero, two former party deserters, Mgana Msindai and Fred Mpendazoe, showed up to be the prodigal sons, who came back home to the ruling party.

The party’s secretary general stole the show as retired President Jakaya Kikwete showered him with praise for saving the party in the chaos that was 2015.

Mr Kikwete, who is also the immediate former CCM chairman, referred to Mr Kinana as the ruling party’s trump card during the most difficult times in the history of the country’s oldest political outfit.

According to Mr Kikwete, most CCM leaders were not vigilant enough to sell the party to the people, leaving the Opposition to take advantage of the situation. But Kinana took the party back to the ordinary people.

“Thanks to comrade Abdulrahman Kinana, we managed to turn the fortunes to our favour and won the last year’s General Election,” he said.

Hard times

Mr Kinana was appointed CCM secretary general when the party was facing hard times. The party had become very unpopular because of its weaknesses and the growing cut-throat competition it gets from the Opposition.

Just as he was appointment in 2012, Mr Kinana took the party to where it belongs -- to the people -- by crisscrossing the country, holding political rallies and taking part in development activities of his host coummuties.

And he did not shy away from mistakes when disgruntled CCM members and members of the public at large complained about them. It reached a point he openly lambasted some Cabinet ministers for their lousiness and tarnishing the image of the ruling party’s government.

Mr Kinana was set to step down from the office and had already submitted his resignation letter to the new CCM national chairman.

But Dr Magufuli snubbed his request, as he showered him with praise. “I looked at him and I didn’t even had to ask him. I’m not going to let him and his entire secretariat go. We’re all aware of the hard work he has done in the past few years to keep our party afloat and I strongly believe he should continue strengthening our party,” said Dr Magufuli shortly after reading the resignation letter Mr Kinana had presented to him.

Mr Kinana has a long career within CCM. He was once a minister during Mr Ali Hassan Mwinyi’s presidency and was the first Speaker of the Arusha-based East Africa Legislative Assembly (Eala).

He also served as a campaign manager for two CCM presidential candidates -- Mr Benjamin Mkapa and Mr Kikwete.

‘Lost lambs’

But the focus of the Congress also was on two former CCM members, Mgana Msindai and Fred Mpendazoe, who ditched the party in favour of the Opposition before they return during the meeting.

President Magufuli’s description, which likened them with lost cows that had returned to their zoo with their tails missing, may linger in the minds of those who followed the meeting closely. “We welcome them, but everyone in the group will note that they are different because they no longer have tails.”

Mr Mgana Msindai, the former CCM chairman for Singida Region, Member of Parliament for Singida East and chairman of CCM regional chairpersons defected to the main oppostion party -- Chadema -- late last year.

He was a staunch supporter of former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa, who was axed at early stages of the ruling party’s presidential nomination, compelling him to defect to Chadema along with some CCM bigwigs, including Mr Msindai.

Mr Msindai begged for forgiveness during the extraordinary Congress, pleading with CCM members to let him rejoin the ruling party.

“CCM is my home. CCM belongs to me. I consider it my mother and my father. I went there and got reduced to a mere spectator and thus I decided to come back home and share my wisdom and experience here where I’ve always been counted as a leader,” Mr Msindai appealed.

Mpendazoe

The second lost cow was former Kishapu MP on the CCM ticket, Mr Fred Mpendazoe. He dramatically left the ruling party just before the 2010 General Election, accusing the outfit of embracing corruption and embezzlement of public monies.

In his emphatic address to the media back then he said he had reached the decision because he strongly believed nothing good could be expected out of CCM.

Rumours had it that Mr Mpendazoe’s departure aimed at paving the way for a newly formed party, CCK, and that it was just the beginning of a major defection from ruling party.

But CCK was a short-lived political outfit following its failure to obtain permanent registration, leading Mr Mpendazoe to join Chadema and contest for Segerea constituency where he lost to Makongoro Mahanga on the CCM ticket.

Five years later, Mahanga crossed to Chadema along with Lowassa as well.

Initially, when Mr Lowassa joined Chadema, Mr Mpendazoe supported him and wrote an opinion piece in a Kiswahili weekly, clearing the former Premier from corruption allegations.

Surprisingly, he said CCM’s decision to axe Lowassa from last year’s presidential race in its primaries was the good on grounds that the former Premier’s image was tainted. “I know it wasn’t a simple decision and Mr Kikwete waited until at the end to go for it once and for all,” he said.