A week of mourning

Dar es Salaam. It has been a week like no other in Tanzania. The nation mourns the loss of five of its prominent leaders in the past seven days alone.

Samwel John Sitta, who in different periods held various government positions, Joseph Mungai, who too was one of the long serving public servants, Hafidh Ali Tahir, a legislator from Dimani in Zanzibar, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) deputy secretary general (Zanzibar), Saleh Ramadhan Feruzi and the first Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairman under multiparty system, Maalim Zubeir Juma, all died within this week.

While Tahir, Feruzi and Juma were buried in Zanzibar, Sitta and Mungai will be buried today. Sitta’s farewell will be observed in Urambo District, his home town, Mungai will be laid to rest in Mufindi District, Njome Region.

Samwel John Sitta

He is the man who made Tanzanian Parliament what it is today. He passed away in Germany in the early hours on Monday and his body was airlifted to Dar es Salaam on Thursday.

Yesterday morning, President John Magufuli led thousands of mourners to pay their last respects to the fallen leader at Karimjee Hall before the body was airlifted to Dodoma where Parliament held a special session to give tribute to him.

Common wananchi and top government leaders, including two former presidents Benjamin Mkapa and Jakaya Kikwete along with their wives Anna and Salma respectively joined Dr Magufuli and late Sitta’s family to bid him farewell.

The event was also attended by Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Zanzibar Vice President Seif Ali Idd, former speakers of Parliament Pius Msekwa and Anna Makinda, government and political leaders, and heads of various public and private institutions.

Sitta died at the Technical University of Munich Hospital in Germany where he had gone for treatment for prostate cancer.

Writing own history

Those who spoke during the event painted Sitta as a person who wrote his own history by demonstrating commitment in leadership and guidance.

They depicted him as a person with an open heart and mind who was able to see a leadership potential in budding young persons before assisting them.

Speaking on behalf of the government, the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Ms Angellah Kairuki, said that for the 49 years that Sitta worked as a public servant in various positions, he managed to build a history of integrity and hard work.

In their condolence messages, almost all the leaders who spoke attributed Sitta’s contribution to their achievements as leaders and personal lives.

For some, he even paid their school fees from start to finish. This was testified by Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda, one of the beneficiaries.

Makinda

Ms Makinda, who served under Sitta as Deputy Speaker during the 9th Parliament before taking over from him as the first woman Speaker, said the man was one of the people who helped to shape her.

“I knew him since 1975. He campaigned for my confirmation in the august House, together with former ministers Maokola Majogo and Jackson Makwetta. I still believe that without them, I would not be the person I’m today. From there we have been working together so as to grow more in our public leadership life,” she said.

She said she regarded Sitta as her brother and mentor in politics.

“Before he went to Germany for treatment we prayed together. As usual, he played his role,” she said.

Further testimonies

For his part, Chief Justice Mohammed Chande Othman said despite being a leader, Sitta showed that being on a top position did not mean being above the law.

“He showed high level of humility. I recall an incident that happened 21 years ago when he was minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs. He was called as one of the witnesses in a road accident case at the High Court. He came two hours before the court opened. He obeyed the court order and gave his testimony. This teaches us that despite of what or who we are, our respect to all people, to other authorities is important,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by the Principal Judge Ferdinand Wambali.

In his farewell note, Mr Makonda, reminded the gathering how Sitta rescued him after he dropped out of university after failing to pay tuition fees.

He said later Sitta took him in as part of his family and continued to treat him as his son and even helped him to get married.

Mr Makonda asked the government to give a second thought an idea of setting aside a special area in Dodoma for burial of Tanzanians who demonstrate high degree of commitment in serving their country.

“Given the fact that we have decided to shift the government seat to Dodoma and there is enough land there, I would like to ask the government to consider this idea,” he said noting that there were many countries around the world, including France, which have been doing so.

Speaking on behalf of the family, one of Sitta’s daughters, Caroline Sitta, said they will remember the departed leader as a caring father and a grandfather, who held every one of his five children as special and celebrated their birthdays in a special way.

She said Sitta was a God-fearing person and that helped him to lead the kind of life which endeared him to many people.

In Dodoma

Parliament revoked some of its standing rules to allow the casket carrying Sitta’s remains and some members of his family to enter into the debating chamber where a special session was held in tribute of the former Speaker.

Among those who spoke were Mr Zitto Kabwe (ACT-Wazalendo), Mr Tundu Lissu (Chadema) and leader of Official Opposition, Mr Freeman Mbowe. They gave moving speeches showing how Sitta managed to transform the National Assembly into a strong pillar of governance.

They noted that it was Speaker Sitta who managed to remove Parliament from the shadows of the Executive and make it operate as an independent organ with powers to supervise the government without fear.

Delivering his eulogy, Speaker Job Ndugai prayed that God grants him ability, courage and wisdom to accomplish just a portion of what Mzee Sitta managed so that he would be remembered as an exemplary leader.

Mr Ndugai served as an aide to Mzee Sitta during the Ninth Parliament as House Chairman alongside Ms Jenista Mhagama and Mr Zubeir Ali Maulid.

“He inspired us to see the bigger picture and achieve greater heights. Now here I’m, Mr Maulid is the Speaker of Zanzibar’s House of Representatives and Ms Mhagama is a Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Policy, Parliament, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled. He groomed us well, we will remember him for this too,” he said.

In Zanzibar

Feruzi, who served the ruling party for more than a decade, died on Tuesday and was buried at Mwanakwerekwe, Unguja.

Government leaders, politicians and thousands of common wananchi attended the burial which was conducted after prayers at Mahfoudh Mosque, located at Mbweni on the outskirts of Unguja Municipality.

“He will be remembered as one of the leaders who catalysed the plural politics in Zanzibar. He was a strong politician,” remarked Kwamtipura member of House of Representatives, Mr Hamza Hassan Juma (CCM), who also once served as minister in the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government.

He died after a long illness which also saw him travelling to India for treatment several times.

On the same day, Zanzibar also lost Maalim Zubeir Juma, who served as the first chairman of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) after restoration of multipartism in the country. He was buried in Kizimbani.

He chaired the Commission during the first multiparty election in which CCM candidate, Dr Salmin Amour, won by a slight margin. While Dr Amour got 50.1 per cent of the votes, CUF candidate, Seif Sharrif Hamadi managed 49.9 per cent of the vote.

The results were contested by CUF and international observers who claimed that the polls were rigged.

In another development, Tahir, who died yesterday morning at Dodoma General Hospital (see a separate story) was buried yesterday evening at his home village of Maungani in Magharibi B District.

Hundreds of wananchi, government leaders, politicians and sports lovers attended the burial.

His body arrived at Zanzibar airport at around 2.45pm after MPs had had the opportunity to pay their last respects in Dodoma in the morning.

Reported by Saumu Mwalimu (Dar), Hassan Ali (Zanzibar) and Athuman Mtulya (Dodoma)