1985: Mwinyi names cabinet, Nyerere remains CCM chair
Dar es Salaam. The official end of Julius Nyerere’s tenure as the President of Tanzania was Tuesday, November 5, 1985. This was the day when President-elect Ali Hassan Mwinyi was sworn-in by Chief Justice Francis Nyalali.
The Uhuru Stadium, then known as National Stadium was jam packed. There were dignitaries from both inside and outside the country to witness Nyerere’s dream if retiring coming true. Nyerere expressed a desire to retire for the first time in 1975. When he retired in 1985 he remained CCM chairman till 1990.
Before Mwinyi took oath of office Mwl Nyerere pardoned 2,310 prisoners and commuted sentences of many others by three months. Those jailed for murder, rape and armed robbery were not pardoned. Those jailed under the preventive detention law were not pardoned. Some of the local dignitaries who attended the swearing-in ceremony included Zanzibar President, Idris Abdulwakil, CCM Secretary General, Rashidi Kawawa, the outgoing Prime Minister Dr Salim Ahmed Salim and Zanzibar Chief Minister, Seif Sharif Hamad. Mama Maria Nyerere and Mama Mwinyi were among 40,000 people who attended the event, which was aired live on Radio Tanzania.
Mwinyi was being sworn-in following a landslide victory of 92.2 per cent, equivalent to 4,778,114 YES votes in the October 27 polls.
Total votes cast were 5,181,999 and only about 215,626 were NO votes and 188,259 votes were spoilt. A total of 6,901,555 people registered to vote.
Nyalali administers oath of office
As Mwinyi was being sworn-in everyone in the stadium stood up silently. The presidential flag was also lowered down, marking the end of Nyerere’s tenure. Chief Secretary, Timothy Apiyo, was the government official who helped in the administering of the oath. President Mwinyi took the oath of office holding the Quran. After the oath, the outgoing President, Nyerere handled over a copy of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania to the new President. He also gave Mwinyi a copy of the CCM Manifesto. Soon after the national anthem was played and Mwinyi received 21 gun salute. As the gun salute was going on the presidential flag was being hoisted.
Warioba becomes Prime Minister
After arriving at the State House for the first time as President of Tanzania, Mwinyi nominated Joseph Warioba as MP and appointed him Prime Minister and First Vice President. At the time of his appointment, Warioba was Minister for Legal Affairs, serving, concurrently as Attorney General. He had been AG since 1976. He had been minister for Legal Affairs since 1983.
He started his public service in 1966 as state attorney after completing his studies at the Dar es Salaam University College. Between 1968 and 1970 he became solicitor for Dar es Salaam city council. Between 1971 and 1975 he served at the ministry of Foreign Affairs, before being transferred back to the Attorney General’s Office. In 1976 he was appointed Attorney General.
Warioba was sworn in as Prime Minister and First Vice President by President Mwinyi soon after his appointment. He was sworn-in together with Zanzibar President Idris Abdulwakil, who took the oath of the Second Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Mwinyi forms Cabinet
On Thursday, November 7, 1985, two days after being sworn-in, President Mwinyi named his Cabinet, which had several new faces. The following was the Cabinet; Joseph Warioba (Prime Minister and First Vice President), Idris Abdulwakil (Zanzibar President and Second Vice President), Rashidi Kawawa (Minister Without Portfolio), Dr Salim Ahmed Salim (Minister for Defence) and Cleopa Msuya (Minister for Finance). Others were Benjamin Mkapa (minister for Foreign Affairs), Paul Bomani (Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development) Kingunge Ngombale-Mwiru (Minister for Local Government and Cooperatives), Mustapha Nyang’anyi (Minister for Works and Communication), Daudi Mwakawago (Minister for Labour and Public Service and Muhiddin Kimario (Home Affairs).
And yet others included Jackson Makweta (Education), Al Noor Kassum (Energy and Minerals), Gertrude Mongella (Natural Resources and Tourism), Basil Mramba (Industry and Trade), Dr Aaron Chiduo (Health and Community Development), Damian Lubuva (Minister for Legal Affairs. He also served as Attorney General), Dr Pius Ng’wandu (Land, Housing and Urban Development),Fatma Saidi Ali (Culture, Youth and Sports).
Lubuva who later served as Judge of Court of Appeal told Mwananchi in an interview over the weekend that he quickly immersed himself with the functions of the Attorney General because he had previously served in that capacity in Zanzibar from 1977 to 1983. Before going to Zanzibar he had been serving as deputy Attorney General of the United Republic of Tanzania under Warioba.
“I had never held a political office before my appointment as minister for Justice in 1985. So I had to learn a thing or two, especially in Parliament. Lubuva’s recent function was as chairman of the National Electoral Commission.
President Mwinyi also appointed 10 deputy ministers and six ministers of State. Three of the deputy ministers were new.
The new deputy ministers were lieutenant colonel Abdulrahman Kinana (deputy minister for Defence), Amina Salum Ali (deputy minister for Finance and Planning) and Nicas Guido Mahinda (deputy Minister for Industries and Trade). Deputy ministers who were carried over from the Nyerere’s administration included Arcado Ntagazwa (shifted from the ministry of Finance to Works and Communication), Evarist Mwanansao (shifted from Trade and Industries to Land, Housing and Urban Development), Stephen Kibona (deputy minister for Defence. He had been shifted from ministry of Finance).
Deputy ministers who had been carry overs from the Nyerere administration and continued in their portfolios included Hamad Rashid Mohammed (Home Affairs) and Nalaila Kiula (Education).
