Richard Kwitega: Humble, focused public leader

At around 2:30pm on Wednesday, Richard Kwitega, the fallen Arusha regional administrative secretary (RAS) was once again in his usual mood.

He joked and waved to scores of his fellow workers, including the secretaries, at the regional secretariat as he told them he was rushing to Dodoma.

Earlier in the day, he had opened a seminar organized by the Finance and Planning ministry for editors and senior journalists. Again in his usual mood.

Little did his fellow workers at the regional block or journalists, including those based in Arusha who interacted with him many times, knew it was his last bye.

Less than two hours later, he died when the car he was using travel to Dodoma collided with a bus at Mdori Village, about 40 kilometres to Babati District.

His death plunged Arusha and its environs into deep mourning, as it happened when the late administrator had been busy with official meetings in the city.

Why should his death cause so much sorrow, to every Tom, Dick and Harry in Arusha as well as those in the public,private and civil society sectors?

He joined the Arusha regional secretariat in 2014, not as RAS, but as assistant regional administrative secretary in charge of human resources.

He immediately caught the attention of the top regional administrators and was soon to be appointed the regional coordinator of the 2015 General Election.

A learned civil servant who would not be overtaken by over zealousness or blowing political winds, he was principled and respected what he did.

The 2015 polls took place at a time Arusha was tense and truly a stronghold of the Opposition ahead of many regions.

In that year, the Opposition swept all but one of the region’s seven parliamentary constituencies and those in the neighbouring regions.

It was the Opposition which drew larger crowds than the ruling party. The entire political leadership in the zone had crossed over to the opposition. As the de facto head of the elections coordination in the region, Mr Kwitega stood to his task, including giving media updates on the exercise.

One week to the voting day, he gave an exclusive interview to The Citizen, on the polls logistics even as the political parties from both sides of the divide cried foul on some drawbacks.

He exhibited a rare instinct of professionalism among the civil servants in such sensitive matters as the General Election.

Besides being the first contact to the writer -- and without appointment -- he provided all the required details on how the region was prepared for the exercise.

Generally, he interacted freely with the media although as a typical civil servant he was not fond of organising press conferences.

Two years ago, he suggested non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on reproductive health to organize training workshops for journalists.

It was not by accident that he made the appeal. In Arusha, he doubled as the regional chairperson of the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children.

Besides his dedication to work, his prominence and visibility had much to do with the trends in Arusha, being both a diplomatic and economic hub.

With the city continuously hosting an array of meetings, conferences and workshops -at least until recently - he was a key representative of the regional government.

This gave him much exposure as the regional commissioner or the district commissioners could not grace all such events in the vast region.

Mr Kwitega was a point man to officiate many events; be they trade fairs, exhibitions, conferences and even those organized by the East African Community (EAC) and allied bodies. His readiness to represent the government and flexibility enabled him to interact and connect with the business and NGO sector players as well.

He also interacted with the agricultural research centres and academic institutions during official launching of numerous programmes.

And as one would have expected, he was averse to troubles.

For instance, he stands that labour disputes between employers and their workers should be resolved amicably before they are taken to courts.

Fare-thee-well, Kwitega.