Kilimanjaro opposition stalwart who perfected art of persuasion

Arusha. It was another lunch time shocker yesterday. But Philemon Ndesamburo, 82, who died at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) Referral Hospital in Moshi shortly before noon, will not only be remembered as one of the prominent Chadema leaders in the northern zone.

He was also the longest serving MP for the highly competitive Moshi Urban constituency, serving for 15 consecutive years.

Here was an opposition politician who would prefered to tell the government what it should do in a persuasive manner rather than being brash and confrotational as it common with many opposition politicians. The grey-haired regional Chadema supremo would often travel in his helicopter during his many visits to party members in the northern regions.

The visits were more frequent during election campaigns as Mzee Ndesamburo had positioned himsefl both as the kingmaker and the financier of last resort to opposition politicians in northern regions.

Mr Ndesamburo, a prominent businessman, became Moshi Urban MP at the turn of the century in 2000. He retired in 2015. But even after bowing out as the Moshi Urban legislator, he would not hesitate to discuss issues of national importance. Most of his remarks were suggestions directed to the government on what should be done to improve the national economy rather than criticisms.

As late as last week, the former legislator who owned a chain of businesses in Moshi and Dar es Salaam, was at his home town of Moshi and had time to discuss the government’s industrialisation drive.

He argued that the spirited drive by President John Magufuli’s administration would not attain the desired results if it was not linked to agriculture, which remains the backbone of Tanzania’s economy. “Industries would have a multiplier effect on the economy if they sourced their raw materials from agriculture,” he said, noting that the chorus of industrialisation could die down with the same speed it started without involving agriculture.

He cited the Industrial Revolution in England which, he said, was rooted in the agrarian revolution, adding that without modernised agriculture, industrialisation in the UK would not have brought prosperity to that level the country attained.

“President Magufuli has good intentions in giving a push to industries. But he should realise this cannot be achieved if agriculture is downplayed. “The two sectors have to complement each other for the economic take off desired,” he said in an interview, noting that the rewards would be greater for the majority of farmers who would find a market for their crops. Only a fortnight ago, Dr Ndesamburo—he was conferred with a Honorary PhD last year—was in Arusha and was in his element when he discussed the persisting conflicts between the government administrators and MPs.