Kikwete prepares for the end game

Aligning his forces
Three fresh faces stood out among the new cabinet. The first was Saada Mkuya Salum, who was promoted from a deputy in the Finance Ministry to Minister, making her the second female to hold the all-important docket since independence. Some celebrated her appointment, seeing it as an endorsement of gender equality while others underlined her inexperience and questioned her suitability for such a crucial docket.

“She previously served as deputy minister but only for two years and is largely unknown and young. Some members of the CCM and opposition question her credentials and capacity to handle such an important ministry. Nevertheless, the appointment signals continuity at the ministry, and major changes to fiscal policy should not be expected,” said Salim.

Kikwete’s decision to place the all-important dockets of finance and security on the shoulders of individuals from Zanzibar – Salum and Hussein Mwinyi – are being seen as overtures towards an island that has long agitated for sovereignty and been home to its share of political tension and secession demands. A second key appointment was that of Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, who will be leading the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Salim notes that it speaks to the country’s highly anticipated debate over the draft constitution, which was set to begin in February. Migiro will be the principal interlocutor between State House, the Constituent Assembly and the CCM, and since the CCM had opposed the three-government structure proposed by the draft constitution, she will need to balance the interests of the three stakeholders.

Omar Mohammed, a senior analyst with pan-African consulting firm Africapractice, also highlights Migiro as a lynchpin.

“The former Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Secretary General of the UN is a key ally of Kikwete and since constitutional reforms are a key legacy issue for this President, this appointment is hugely significant as Migiro will play point on the implementation of the new constitution,” he said. “It is also worth noting that Migiro was a member of the Constitutional Review Commission. So she has been involved in the process since the beginning and understands the dynamics and complexities at the core of making sure this becomes a reality before the President leaves office in 2015.”

A third appointment, which is being scrutinised is that of Deputy Minister for Information, Culture, Youth and Sports Juma Nkamia. Nkamia’s derogatory comments against the Media Council of Tanzania and the Editors’ Forum when he called them “mere NGOs”, who had assumed the role of overseeing the media, raised the hackles of the local press and prompted a media blackout.

Nkamia has also demanded the shutting down of popular online platform JamiiForums, and so his appointment, especially in light of plans to reform media laws before 2015, has doomsayers predicting that the administration intends to take a hard line with the press.