He says his U-tano philosophy that entails Research, Innovation, Production, Marketing, and Accountability will swiftly transform Tanzania, with tangible benefits visible early
Dar es Salaam. On February 5, 1967, the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, formally announced the Arusha Declaration.
Tanzanians from every region and district turned out to demonstrate their support, often through long marches, which were the preferred expression of solidarity in many areas.
The distance from Mwanhala Village to Nzega Town in Nzega District is 24 kilometres.
Villagers from Mwanhala walked together to Nzega to show support for the Arusha Declaration. Among them was a nine-year-old boy named Georges.
Gabriel Fella Bussungu, Georges’ father also joined the march.
The procession was so large that the elder Bussungu initially lost sight of his son.
As they neared Nzega, he finally spotted Georges. He was so furious that he wanted to reprimand him.
As he was about to do that his attention was drawn to a heroic figure from Tanganyika’s independence struggle, Ms Amina Maufi, a founding member of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) and a Central Committee member.
Ms Maufi had come to Nzega to welcome the Mwanhala procession.
On seeing Georges, Ms Maufi was delighted. She lifted him and asked to meet his parents.
The elder Bussungu stepped forward, and she praised him for raising a child capable of walking 24 kilometres in support of the Arusha Declaration.
The elder Bussungu accepted the commendation, his anger subsided, and Georges escaped punishment.
Returning home to Mwanhala, Georges was hailed as a hero. The elder Bussungu resolved to continue raising his children well so they could receive commendations repeatedly, while Georges began dreaming of a political future.
The boy in this story, Georges Gabriel Bussungu, was nominated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on August 27, 2025, as a presidential candidate for the union presidency in the 2025 General Election under the Ada Tadea ticket.
From 1967 to 2025, a span of 58 years, the political spirit has kept propelling Bussungu.
Early political involvement
In 1969, just two years after the Arusha Declaration, Mr Bussungu joined the TANU Youth League while attending middle school.
He studied at Mwanhala Middle School, where political awareness was minimal.
He persuaded fellow students to form a TANU Youth League branch and was elected chairman.
In 1970, Bussungu became TANU’s Junior League Chairman in Nzega District, holding the post for one year before passing the baton in 1971.
This illustrates that Bussungu, now a presidential contender, has been politically active since childhood.
Education and career
Mr Georges Gabriel Bussungu was born on April 23 1957 at Makongoro Health Centre in Nyamagana District, Mwanza, to Modesta Manugwa Nabeji and Gabriel Fella Bussungu.
The elder Bussungu originates from Misungwi, Mwanza, where he was a teacher and later an agricultural officer whose work required frequent transfers, including to the Nzega District as manager of a Small Agricultural Centre, shaping George’s early life in Mwanhala Village.
Georges began Standard One at Utwigu Lower Primary School in 1964.
By 1967, he had completed Standard Four with excellent results, earning admission to Mwanhala Middle School in 1968, where he completed Standard Eight in 1971.
In 1972, he joined Lake Secondary School in Mwanza, transferring a year later to Kazima Secondary School in Tabora, where he completed secondary education in 1975.
In 1976, he enrolled at the College of Business Education (CBE), Dar es Salaam, to study business.
At the end of 1976, Bussungu secured his first employment at the Ministry of Industry and Trade as a Grade III Business Assistant.
In 1977, he returned to college, joining Moshi Cooperative College, where he earned a Diploma in Leadership and Accounting in 1979.
After his diploma, Georges joined the National Service (JKT), serving a year at Bulombola Camp, Kigoma, and Mgambo Camp, Kabuku, Tanga.
In 1979, during the Kagera War against Idi Amin, he contributed to the national defence effort.
In 1980, he returned to Moshi Cooperative College and earned a Higher Diploma in Cooperative Leadership in 1981.
He was then promoted and appointed Business Officer in the Kigoma Regional Commissioner’s Office.
In 1983, Bussungu was transferred to Musoma, Mara, as Business Officer for Musoma Town, and in 1984 was promoted to Assistant Business Officer for Mara Region.
In 1985, he joined IDM Mzumbe, earning a Diploma in Management in 1986.
Between 1988 and 1990, he pursued a Master’s degree in Business Leadership at IDM Mzumbe, becoming the institution’s first graduate at that level.
He later obtained a Certificate in Contract Management Leadership from the Boston Institute of Development Economics, USA, in 2009, and a Leadership Certificate from Mzumbe in 2012.
In 1997, he was transferred to the Singida Region as Business Officer.
In 2006, he was promoted to Assistant Regional Administrative Secretary for Planning and Coordination in Singida, holding the same post in Manyara Region in 2015.
He legally retired in 2017 upon turning 60.
Political Career
Bussungu’s political journey, which began with the TANU Youth League in 1969 and continued when he formally joined TANU in 1971.
On February 5 1977, he was among the Tanzanians who transferred their TANU membership to Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) following the merger of TANU and the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP).
In 2019, as a longstanding CCM member, Georges contested the chairmanship of the CCM Parents’ Wing.
Although he did not pass the Central Committee’s screening, he remained within CCM.
In 2021, he left CCM and joined Ada Tadea.
In February 2022, he contested the parliamentary speaker election after the resignation of the late Job Ndugai, but received no votes.
In the 2022 General Election he was elected Deputy Secretary-General of Ada Tadea.
On May 10, 2025, Mr Bussungu was nominated by his party as its presidential candidate.
Family
Mr Bussungu is a family man, married to Ms Yasinta Medard Chuleha, with ten children: Gloria, Georgina, Gabriel, Gertrude, Gerald, Godfrida, Gladness, Gilian, Geofrey, and Grace.
He explains that he was inspired to give all his children names beginning with the letter “G.”
2025 elections, vision
On October 29, 2025, Tanzanians will vote for the union president, MPs, and councillors.
In Zanzibar, voters will elect the president, members of the House of Representatives, MPs, and councillors.
Campaigns are ongoing, and Mr Bussungu is seeking to lead Tanzania in what he calls a “yellow revolution.”
He pledges to launch three revolutions as president: intellectual, technological, and economic, describing these as essential for rapid national advancement.
Mr Bussungu plans to implement his “U-tano” philosophy: Research, Innovation, Production, Marketing, and Accountability.
He asserts that adopting U-tano will swiftly transform Tanzania, with tangible benefits visible early.
He notes that Mwalimu Nyerere identified three enemies: Ignorance, Disease, and Poverty.
Mr Bussungu argues that to overcome these challenges the country requires quality education, quality healthcare.
He attributes persistent poverty to what he terms “URU”: Nepotism (Upendeleo), Corruption (Rushwa), and Lack of Accountability (Uwajibikaji).
Favouritism undermines meritocracy, corruption is the nation’s chief adversary, and public sector negligence is a critical problem.
Without addressing URU, Tanzania cannot advance. He promises to fight corruption, eliminate nepotism, and enforce accountability if elected president.
