Fate of inept ministers in Kikwete’s hands – CCM

Educational and Vocational Training minister Shukuru Kawambwa has come under a lot of fire recently over falling standards in Tanzania’s schooling system.

The fate of ministers viewed by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) as underperformers is in the hands of President Jakaya Kikwete, according to the party secretariat.

Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday, CCM Secretary for Publicity and Ideology Nape Nnauye said the party’s Central Committee, meeting in Dodoma on Thursday and Friday, grilled seven ministers on why their dockets were under-performing.

“We listened to their defence, drew our conclusions and forwarded recommendations to the appointing authority--the  president--who will act as he pleases,” he said.

The ministers who met the committee, according to Mr Nnauye, are Eng Christopher Chiza (Agriculture and Food Security), Dr David Matayo (Livestock and Fisheries Development), Ms Hawa Ghasia (Regional Administration and Local Government) Dr Shukuru Kawambwa (Education and Vocational Training), Ms Celina Kombani (President’s Office--Public Service Management), Dr Abdallah Kigoda (Industry and Trade) and Ms Saada Mkuya, deputy minister for Finance.

Ms Mkuya represented Finance Minister William Mgimwa, who is outside the country.

Explaining the party’s decision to take the ministers to task, Mr Nnauye said the ruling party had an obligation to make sure its manifesto was implemented to the full as a shoddy job in delivering services to wananchi would backfire on the party in the 2015 general election.

“We just can’t sit there and relax while we know that some people are not doing their job,” he said.

He denied suggestions that the move would lead to the sacking of some ministers or a reshuffle in the cabinet and  insisted that the central committee’s powers ended with the recommendations.

The last cabinet reshuffle in May, in which six ministers and two deputy ministers were shown the door by the President, was preceded by similar calls by the central committee and a heated debate in parliament after the ministers were implicated in a report by the Controller and Auditor General.

“The Prime Minister (Mr Mizengo Pinda) briefed me on all that transpired in the House and discussed each implicated minister on a case-by-case basis,” President Kikwete said when he announced the changes.

“The matter was again seriously discussed by members of the Central Committee of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi, who endorsed the cabinet reshuffle.”

Those who were sacked then were Finance Minister Mustafa Mkulo, Energy and Minerals Minister William Ngeleja, Health and Social Welfare Minister Haji Mponda, Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Ezekiel Maige, Transport Minister Omari Nundu and Industry and Trade Minister Cyril Chami.