Mwinyi dismisses the Cabinet
Dar es Salaam. The Cabinet formed on November 7, 1985, soon after the 1985 General Election was marred with under performance and corruption that forced President Ali Hassan Mwinyi to make major reshuffles. Two reshuffles were in Mwinyi’s first term, on March 6, 1989 and March 12, 1990 and one in the second term.
The first Cabinet, formed soon after the General Election of October 27 was as follows; Joseph Warioba (Prime Minister and First Vice President), Idris Abdulwakil (Zanzibar President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council), Rashidi Kawawa (Minister Without Portfolio), Salim Ahmed Salim (Minister for Defence and National Service) and Cleopa Msuya (Finance, Economic Affairs and Planning).
Others were Benjamin Mkapa (Foreign Affairs), Paul Bomani (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Kingunge Ngombale-Mwiru (Local Government and Cooperatives), Mustapha Nyang’anyi (Works and Communications), Daudi Mwakawago (Labour and Manpower Development), Muhiddin Kimario (Home Affairs), Jackson Makweta (Education), Al Noor Kassum (Water and Power) and Gertrude Mongella (Natural Resources and Tourism). Yet others were Basil Mramba (Industry and Trade), Dr Aaron Chiduo (Health and Social Welfare), Damian Lubuva (Justice and Attorney General), Dr Pius Ng’wandu (Lands, Water, Housing and Urban Development) and Fatma Saidi Ali (Community Development, Culture, Youth and Sports).
But on March 6, 1989, President Mwinyi made a major Cabinet reshuffle in which he created some four new ministries. He also created the Planning Commission to deal with economic planning. The newly created ministries included the ministry of Public Service Management and the ministry of Information that were put under the President’s Office. Other new dockets were the ministry of Local Government, Marketing, Cooperative and Community Development as well as the ministry of Labour, Culture and Social Welfare.
Prof Kighoma Malima, who was the Minister for Education, was moved to become minister of State in the President’s Office (Planning Commission). He was assisted by three commissioners, Mustafa Nyang’anyi (who had been minister for Works and Communication), Dr Damas Mbogoro (who had been deputy minister in the ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs and Planning and Pius Msekwa who had been Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister and First Vice President’s Office.
Fatma Said Ali was moved from Community Development, Culture, Youth and Sports to the President’s Office (Public Service Management). Hassan Diria was brought back to the country from the German Democratic Republic where he was ambassador to become minister of State in the President’s Office (Information).
Paul Bomani became the Minister for Local Government, Marketing, Cooperative and Community Development and Christian Kisanji became minister for Labour, Manpower Development and Culture.
The ministry of Capital City Development that was in the President’s Office was shifted to the Prime Minister and First Vice President’s Office and continued to be under Anna Abdallah. The ministers who continued to be in their positions included Mohammed Seif Khatib (Minister of State in the Second Vice President’s Office), Salim Ahmed Salim (Defence and National Service), Ernest Nyanda and Abdulrahman Kinana (deputies in the ministry of Defence and National Service), Cleopa Msuya (Finance) and Juma Omar (deputy minister Finance).
Others who continued with their positions were Steven Kibona (Works and Communications) and his deputies, Jared Ghachocha and Ukiwaona Ditopile Mzuzuri, Muhidin Kimario (Home Affairs) and his deputy, Simai Pandu Makame; Benjamin Mkapa (Foreign Affairs) and his deputy, Amina Salum Ali.
Others were Joseph Rwegasira (Industry and Trade) and his deputy, Nicas Mahinda; Jackson Makweta (Agriculture and Livestock Development) and his deputies, Charles Kabeho and Frederick Sumaye; Arcardo Ntagazwa (Lands, Natural Resources and Urban Development) and his deputies, Evarist Mwanansao and Chabanga Dyamwale; Aaron Chiduo (Health), Damian Lubuva (Justice), Pius Ng’wandu (Water), Amran Mayagila (Education) and his deputy, Marcel Komanya. Looking back on the reshuffle, Ntagazwa told Mwananchi in an interview this week that one of the reasons that caused the reshuffles was corruption. He notes that at one time CCM Chairman Mwl Julius Nyerere had to convene a meeting in Dodoma to talk about deepening corruption.
“My ministry was being mentioned for corruption and when President Mwinyi reshuffled the Cabinet I was not reappointed,” Ntagazwa, who later joined Chadema, said.
Damian Lubuva said after the Dodoma meeting, Mwl Nyerere tasked the government to deal with the claims of corruption in Lands Department and the Judiciary.
“When we came back to Dar es Salaam President Mwinyi called a cabinet meeting and required us to resign. I lost the Judiciary docket and only remained as the Attorney General,” Judge Lubuva, who is the immediate past chairman of the National Electoral Commission, noted.
After the reshuffle, Samuel Sitta was appointed minister for Justice.
“I will never forget that experience. You must understand that corruption did not start yesterday. I lost my position as minister because of corruption in my docket,” Judge Lubuva says.
Entire Cabinet told to resign
On March 12, 1990, President Mwinyi called a Cabinet meeting and asked all of them to tender their resignation letters. The ministers had gone to a scheduled Cabinet meeting that they thought would take at least three hours, but it ended after three minutes.
Judge Lubuva says President Mwinyi’s statement that required them to resign shocked many ministers. Ntagazwa says the reason for the reshuffle was corruption.
“President Mwinyi sacked seven ministers who were, allegedly, corrupt,” write Paul Kaiser and Wafula Okumu in their book Democratic Transitions in East Africa.
Another publication, The Europa World Year Book 2004, Volume II says; “In the March 1990 cabinet reshuffle President Mwinyi sacked several ministers who were not attuned to his economic reforms.”
Another publication entitled AED: Africa Economic Digest of March 26, 1990 said President Mwinyi sacked seven ministers and formed a new Cabinet that could go along with his economic policies.
When he named the new Cabinet, Warioba continued as Prime Minister and First Vice President. In addition to sacking seven ministers, he reduced the number of ministries.
Ministers who did not return to the new Cabinet were Chiduo (Health), Kassum (Energy and Minerals), Kimario (Home Affairs), Mongella (Without Portfolio), Kisanji (Water), Ntagazwa (Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism) and Lubuva (Justice).
The ministry of Justice was added to the Prime Minister Office’s docket and the docket of Water was added to the ministry of Energy and Minerals. In the reshuffle Jakaya Kikwete was promoted from deputy minister for Energy, Minerals and Water to full minister.
