Tanzania robbed of public figures in 2019

Dar es Salaam. The number of high-profile Tanzanians who passed away in 2019 is arguably the highest compared to other years in the country’s recent history.

Several high-profile leaders, businesspersons, politicians and other celebrities were deprived of their lives in the year.

They include Ruge Mutahaba, who was Cloud Media Group programmes manager; business mogul and a philanthropist Reginald Mengi and Ali Mufuruki, a business leader.

Also on the list of those who died in 2019 are James Mapalala and Ambassador Paul Ndobho both veteran politicians. Another was famous Clouds FM presenter Ephraim Kibonde.

Mr Mutahaba

He was born in 1970 in Brooklyn in the United States. He collaborated with his friend Joseph Kusaga, who was running Clouds Disco to establish Clouds Media Group. Clouds produces content and entertainment news for youthful audiences aiming at inspiring and empowering young Tanzanians.

He died on February 26 at a South African hospital where he was receiving treatment.

The news of his death was received with shock. One of those who expressed their griefs following Mutahaba’s death was President John Magufuli.

Shortly after the sad news broke out, Dr Magufuli, who referred to Mr Mutahaba as ‘my son,’ tweeted: “I have received with shock the information about the death of Mr Mutahaba.”

Mutahaba attended primary education in Arusha before shifting to Dar es Salaam. He attended his secondary education at Forodhani in Dar es Salaam, and later went for his A-levels at Pugu Secondary School. He then went to San Jose University in the US where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and BA in Finance.

Reginald Mengi

Mengi was born in 1943 and died on May 2, 2019. He was a Tanzanian billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and published his autobiography titled ‘I Can, I Must, I Will’.

He was chairman of the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), Confederation of Tanzania Industries, IPP Gold Ltd., Media Owners Association of Tanzania, as well as the executive chairman and owner of IPP Ltd and chairman of Handeni Gold.

Mengi had an estimated net worth of $560 million according to Forbes Richest Persons in Africa 2014.

He received various awards during his lifetime. including: Most Respected CEO of the East African Community (EAC), Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award, Global Leadership and Humanitarian Award, United Nations NGO Lifetime Achievement Award, the Business for Peace Award, International Order of the Lions Award, and Business Leader of the Year Award.

The media mogul and philanthropist died in Dubai last May.

Mr Mengi’s death came six months after the death of his ex-wife and IPP co-founder Mercy Anna Mengi. In 2015, he married Miss Tanzania 2000 and Bongo Flava singer Jacqueline Ntuyabaliwe.

Mr Mengi studied accountancy and was articled with Cooper Brothers in the UK and after being accepted as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, he returned to Tanzania in 1971 where he was employed by the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand Tanzania.

He stayed with Coopers & Lybrand-Tanzania (now PriceWaterHouseCoopers) up to September 1989 during which time he became its chairman and managing partner.

In October 1989, Dr Mengi left Coopers & Lybrand-Tanzania to concentrate on his own businesses.

Today, his flagship IPP Limited owns several TV and Radio stations as well as newspapers.

It also has interests in a number of Coca-Cola’s Bonite’s Bottlers.

Ali Mufuruki

He was born in 1958 and died on December 7, 2019. He was a Tanzanian businessman leader, author, founder and board member of several organisations.

He was a founder of Infotech Investment Group, founding chairman of CEO Roundtable of Tanzania and Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI) East Africa, board chairman of Vodacom Tanzania and Wananchi Group Holdings, trustee of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) and co-author of the book Tanzania’s Industrialization Journey, 2016–2056.

He died at the Morningside Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.

James Mapalala

He was born in 1936. Mapalala is remembered as one of the veteran politicians and leading pioneers of political pluralism in Tanzania.

He is remembered for being the first Tanzanian politician to have publicly demanded the reinstatement of multiparty democracy in 1986, something that angered the government.

Mapalala died at the Hubert Kairuki Memorial Hospital on October 23, 2019, where he was receiving treatment.

He was admitted at the hospital for nearly two weeks after developing breathing complications.

In 1986, Mapalala was jailed for two years in Lindi and later taken to detention in the Mafia Island before being released in 1989.

He was accused of forming a political party contrary to the constitution which at the time recognised one party political system.

He officially formed the Chama cha Wananchi (CCW) in 1991, and then united it with another political party formed in Zanzibar-Kamahuru to form the present Civic United Front (CUF) in 1993.

He was elected the first party’s national chairman, the position he served until 1994, when his tenure ended following a political wrangle in the party.

The party was then left in the hands of Musobi Mageni Musobi as the national chairman and Seif Shariff Hamad as secretary general. Mapalala is survived by a wife and several children.

Paul Ndobho

He was born in 1938. To many young people, Ambassador Ndobho isn’t familiar to the many of Tanzania young generation. But to the older generation Ndobho is revered as a strong politician, who had guts to stand even against Father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

Ndobho passed away on September 8, 2019 at Bugando Hospital aged 81.

It was in 1968 when Ndobho opposed a bill, which was orchestrated by Mwalimu Nyerere, which sought to provide gratuity allowances to Members of Parliament and ministers. His main argument was that Tanzania was still too pooer to afford such kind of expenditure.

He convinced his colleagues through a private member motion something which at that time was seen as ‘trying to commit political suicide’. However, his motion sailed through as only one legislator opposed it.

The then national newspaper, The Nationalist, branded the decision by the Parliament as ‘A people’s victory’.

Ndobho became a legislator at the young age of 27 after he won the Musoma North parliamentary seat in 1965 through Tanzania African National Unity (TANU). The constituency was the home village of Mwalimu Nyerere.

He was appointed to various positions during Mwalimu Nyerere’s administration, including: Kigoma regional secretary (1975) as well as Tanzania ambassador to Russia (1976). In the early 1990s, when the then President Ali Hassan Mwinyi reintroduced multi-party political system, Ndobho defected to the then main opposition NCCR-Mageuzi.

He vied for the Musoma Rural parliamentary seat through NCCR-Mageuzi the position which he won after Mwalimu Nyerere, the founder of the ruling CCM, campaigned for him.

The aftermath

The nation will continue to honour these high-profile Tanzanians who shaped, inspired and challenged the thought processes of many people in various fields, including politics, business, entertainment and entrepreneurship.