The Vice President, speaking at a campaign rally in Pemba, encouraged residents to re-elect President Hussein Mwinyi to ensure the completion of development projects on the island
Unguja. Zanzibar’s Second Vice President, Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, has highlighted three significant challenges that once affected residents of Pemba Island but have been resolved over the past five years.
He urged voters to continue supporting the CCM party to further strengthen public services.
Mr Abdulla made these remarks on Monday, September 15, 2025, during the launch of CCM’s campaign for Pemba at the Gombani ya Kale grounds in South Pemba. He encouraged residents to support the party’s presidential candidate, Dr Hussein Mwinyi, to complete ongoing development initiatives on the island.
He pointed out that a major challenge had been the lack of dialysis services for patients with kidney problems, which forced residents to travel to Unguja at a significant cost to access treatment.
“This was a serious problem. Residents struggled to access services on the island, but now dialysis treatment is available at Abdallah Mzee Hospital,” he explained. Previously, a patient could spend up to Sh600,000 per week on treatment, but now the service is provided for free, bringing relief to many.
Another challenge he mentioned was the high cost of food in Pemba, which used to be higher than in Unguja due to difficult transport conditions. “What troubled residents most was the disparity in food prices compared to Unguja. But now, there is a vessel docking directly at Mkoani port,” he said.
Previously, goods had to be unloaded at Malindi port in Unguja before being transported to Pemba, which increased the costs for consumers. “Today, prices in Pemba are comparable to those in Unguja.
This issue caused considerable hardship for residents,” he added. The third challenge addressed was the dangerous sea travel conditions during strong winds, which caused accidents and loss of life due to the lack of reliable vessels for transport to Tanga and Kenya.
“Our people were at risk whenever strong winds occurred. Some disappeared at sea and were never found. But today, we have reliable transport, and that problem has been resolved,” Hemed said.
He noted that the private sector responded positively by investing in modern vessels to tackle this issue, thanks to the favourable conditions established by Dr Mwinyi.
He urged residents to support the CCM party in the upcoming elections, saying: “The best choice for your vote in the presidential election is Dr Mwinyi.”
In other news, over 450 members of ACT Wazalendo have joined CCM, expressing their admiration for the leadership of Zanzibar’s CCM presidential candidate, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi.
The Deputy Secretary-General of CCM Zanzibar highlighted the group’s decision to join CCM, Dr Mohamed Said Dimwa, who noted that they were motivated by the development progress under Dr Mwinyi’s leadership.
Mr Faki Ali Juma, a former ACT Wazalendo representative from Micheweni, emphasised that the move was voluntary and driven by the pace of development and Dr. Mwinyi’s leadership vision. He stressed that CCM demonstrates a genuine commitment to building Zanzibar.
“We have been impressed by his leadership, which is why we have decided to join Chama Cha Mapinduzi,” he said.
Mr Juma pledged to cast multiple votes for CCM on October 29 and promised to encourage others to support the party.
He mentioned that the group has a strategy to mobilise everyone, including candidates from other parties, to back CCM.
