Latest mini cabinet reshuffle: Same old faces and a blow to Magufuli loyalists
President Samia Suluhu last night announced her long-rumoured mini cabinet reshuffle, appointing a new defence minister and attorney general while sacking ministers of energy, Communication and Information Technology and Works & Transport. Here are a few thoughts on last night’s reshuffle.
Former SADC executive secretary Dr Stergomena Tax has been named minister of defence, replacing the late Elias Kwandikwa, making her the first woman to head defence ministry. As a result, three important positions are now held by women: The President, defence and foreign affairs. Dr Tax has been a loyal CCM cadre throughout her career, and she has been rewarded for her unwavering loyalty to the party during her tenure at SADC.
January Makamba replaces Medard Kalemani as the new energy minister. This is the latest in President’s Suluhu’s efforts to curb Magufuli staunch loyalists’ influence within the party and the state. Just as it was the case of Liberata Mulamula, one of many casualties of the Magufuli’s vengeance politics, the return of Makamba signals that President Suluhu is keen to welcome back her old allies who fell out with Magufuli. Makamba’s return should also be explored further; he is a loyal member of the Kikwete network and worked closely with President Suluhu at the vice president’s office. Makamba takes office when the global energy landscape is changing rapidly, but investors will be cheering this appointment.
With several ongoing mega infrastructure projects, it looks like the President feels she needs a more experienced Works and Transport minister, hence the return of Prof Makame Mbarawa, replacing Leonard Chamuriho. Like Kalemani’s departure, Chamuriho’s sacking show continued efforts to eliminate the so-called Chato gang or Gbadolite faithfuls as coined by yours truly. Chamuriho was first nominated as an MP by his best buddy Magufuli before landing cabinet post. Mbarawa’s return is also about balancing the union equation. There was an outcry in December 2020 when Magufuli’s last reshuffle had no full minister from Zanzibar, only one deputy. The soft-spoken engineer is calm and well respected by his peers.
The reshuffle also saw the return of Dr Ashatu Kijaji, who replaced Dr Faustine Ndugulile as minister of Communication and Information Technology. Kijaji served as Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning under Magufuli. Ndugulile’s sacking will surprise some; some see him as young (by Tanzania’s standards), progressive, tech-savvy and the right guy to bring about much-needed digital transformation. But the communication ministry has recently become a battleground for many things, including, among other things targeting telecom operators and controlling dissent through social media censorship, especially Twitter, which was temporarily switched off again recently.
The appointment of DK. Eliezer Feleshi as the new attorney general replacing Dr Adelardus Kilangi, will be welcomed with mixed feelings. Kilangi was a loyal member of the Magufuli’s inner circle; alongside Palamagamba Kabudi he was very instrumental in the enactment of various draconian laws which saw the country sliding towards authoritarianism, a trend that saw rampant state crackdowns on freedom of speech and organization, press freedom, suppression of critical voices and deterioration in human rights. The then Judge Eliezer Feleshi played a major role in disbarring Fatma Karume in 2020 for alleged breach of code of ethics when Fatma challenged Mafufuli’s appointment of Kilangi as the Attorney General. Feleshi’s appointment leaves a lot to be desired, but I’m sure my friend Fatma will have something to cheer for the next few days.
Overall, the reshuffle is underwhelmed. Many will argue that some ministers should have been sacked as well. The retaining of the two entertainers at the health ministry (Dorothy Gwajima and Godwin Mollel) will not go down well, but it’s not surprising. The two are the faces of the shambolic and incompetent handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but a lot has changed since then. Finance minister Mwigulu Nchemba has been struggling with his responsibilities recently. Aggressive levies and taxes have made him widely unpopular with the public, but it’s very clear he is just fulfilling his boss’s vision to boost shrinking state coffers.
Conclusion
In short, the latest mini cabinet reshuffle is about two things: (i) rewarding loyalty, same old faces and (ii) curbing Magufuli’s influence. Apart from Dr Tax, other ‘new’ ministers have all served in various portfolios before. President Suluhu has got her loyal allies but will struggle to teach these old dogs new tricks. As highlighted above, the departure of Magufuli’s loyalists like Kalemani and Chamuriho is part of ongoing efforts to reduce the Magufuli clique’s influence and manage factions ahead of 2025 polls. Other unpopular Magufuli loyalists like Humphrey Polepole already facing the music.
In the early days of her reign, President Suluhu remarks were very measured; she spoke highly of Magufuli, promising to follow in his footsteps and reminding people many times that “Magufuli and I are the same”, signaling continuity which she has delivered so far albeit with some discontinuities. The sacking of Magufuli’s loyalists within the party and the state is part of ongoing power realignment.
Will this reshuffle change things? I don’t think much will change; average Tanzanians are struggling to cope with recent excessive levies and the economic fallout from the pandemic. I also don’t expect the reshuffle to change President Suluhu approach on democracy and her stands towards the opposition. The most urgent issue for the Tanzanian opposition is re-building and rejuvenating its base. However, the main opposition leader is facing trumped-up terrorism charges, and many opposition supporters are still detained on various election-related offences. God Bless Tanzania.
