President Magufuli appoints Diwani Athumani Msuya head of intelligence

Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli has today, September 12, appointed Commissioner Diwani Athumani Msuya as the new head of Tanzania Intelligence and Security Services replacing Dr Modestus Kipilimba.

In statement issued and signed by the head of Presidential communications Gerson Msigwa, the new director-general of TISS’s appointment takes immediate effect and he has already been sworn in by the President at State House in Dar es Salaam.

Before his latest appointment as director-general of TISS, Commissioner Diwani Athumani Msuya was the head of the anti-graft agency, PCCB.

The sacking of Dr Kipilimba makes him the shortest serving DG of TISS since Tanzania’s independence in 1961 though the organ was first established by the British Colonial government in 1948.

Prior to his appointment as the head of intelligence services Dr Kipilimba was the director of the National Electoral Commission’s voters register (NEC) whereas Diwani was the Director of Criminal Investigations in the Police Force (DCI).

After the fifth phase government assumed power in the tail-end of 2015, there were several changes that saw Dr Kipilimba become the acting director of National Identification Agency (Nida) before he was appointed as the Director General of TISS in 2016.

Diwani who becomes the ninth to serve in that capacity was first appointed as the RAS for Kagera before he was he was brought back to Dar es salaam to lead the anti- graft agency PCCB.

Over the years, TISS has been headed by Emilio Mzena (1961 to 1975) Dr Lawrence Gama (1975-78) Dr Hassy Kitine (1978-80).

The agency was later under current Minister of Justice and Constitutional affairs Augustine Mahiga (1980-83), Lieutenant General   Imran Kombe (1983-1995).

After Kombe the organ’s reigns were taken over by Apson Mwang'onda (1995-2005) then Othman Rashid (2005-2016)