Chief Secretary, Ambassador John Kijazi has died

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s Chief Secretary Ambassador John Kijazi has died, State House has announced.

Kijazi was 65, he is survived by a widow and three sons.

According to a statement released by State House’s Director of Presidential Communication Gerson Msigwa, Ambassador John Kijazi died today February 17, at 9pm at the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma where he was receiving treatment.

The statement did not mention the cause of of Mr Kijazi’s death.

"Information about burial arrangements of Mr Kijazi will be released later,” reads the statement.

Ambassador Engineer John William Herbert Kijazi was Tanzania's representative in different foreign missions  including  India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal based in New Delhi, India from 2007 - 2016 making him Tanzania’s Head of Mission abroad.

Prior to becoming an ambassador, Engineer Kijazi was Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and later Ministry of Infrastructure Development from 2002 to 2006, after he was appointed Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and eventually assigned to New Delhi, India.

Between 1996 and 2002, Engineer Kijazi was a Senior Road Construction Engineer within the Ministry of Construction before being promoted to Director of Regional Roads within the same Ministry.

Engineer Kijazi received a Bachelor of Science in Public Engineering in 1982 from the University of Dar es Salaam, and later a Master's Degree in Highway Engineering from the University of Birmingham, England in 1992.

Education

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Civil Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Masters of Science in Highway Engineering, Birmingham University, UK

Career

1982 – 1986 Assistant Executive Engineer, Ministry of Public Works, Tanzania

1986 – 1996 Regional Engineer, Ministry of Public Works, Tanzania

1996 – 1999 Senior Road Maintenance Engineer, Ministry of Public Works, Tanzania

1999 – 2002 Director of Regional Roads, Ministry of Public Works, Tanzania

2002 – 2005 Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Works, Tanzania

Jan – Nov 2006 Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Tanzania

Dec 2006 – Jun 2007 Special Duties, Minstry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation HQTS, Tanzania

Jun 2007 – High Commissioner to India

27 May 2013 – High Commissioner to Singapore