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Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete

On 27 February 2005 Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete formally announced his candidacy for the presidency at a Dar es Salaam rally, and by February 28 he was already out on the campaign trail. Kikwete had the charisma and broad popularity to enable him to exert bold leadership and make significant progress in a number of areas.

Zanzibar has historically been over-represented (relative to its 3% share of the population) in the government and leadership of the ruling CCM party. The unofficial rotation of mainland/Zanzibar presidents was broken with the election of President Kikwete in 2005. However, as a native of Bagamoyo, a coastal town once under the Zanzibar Sultanate, Kikwete was culturally close to Zanzibaris. Kikwete's election continued the traditional rotation between Christian and Muslim presidents.

Although he openly embraces his own (Muslim) religion, Kikwete has made religious tolerance and acceptance a large part of his Administration. Born in Msoga Village in Tanzania’s Coast/Pwani Region, Kikwete was the sixth-born of nine children to his father, Halfani Mrisho Kikwete, and mother Asha Jakaya. During his childhood, he moved around the country a lot as his father was transferred to different outposts in working for various regional administrations.

Kikwete underwent military training (1972-1976), and was commissioned as a Lieutenant, later rising to Lieutenant-Colonel. During that time, he worked both in military and political roles, but decided to direct full attention to politics in 1992 when political pluralism was reintroduced in Tanzania.

With his degree in Economics and commitment to establish accountability in government finances, Kikwete was the youngest and arguably the most influential Finance Minister in Tanzanian history. He was credited with creating cash budget systems and ramping up revenue collections to better allow for public finance management, as well as the establishment of the Tanzania Revenue Authority.

Kikwete had for years affiliated himself with Tanzania's founding president, Julius Nyerere, and his immediate successors, Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Benjamin Mkapa. Kikwete had also been an active member of the ruling Chama Cha Mapin-Duzi (CCM), or revolutionary party. The 55-year-old politician had held a number of positions in government.

After serving for ten years from 1995-2005, Kikwete was the longest-serving Foreign Minister in Tanzanian history. He was instrumental in restoring peace in the African Great Lakes region, and promoting regional integration in East Africa with the introduction of a Customs Union between Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda in 2005.

Kikwete said on several occasions that there was a "generation gap" in Tanzania, and only after "Ujama socialism" old-timers move on and a younger set of Tanzanians come to the fore will Tanzanian society become less aid dependent and more dynamic. Kikwete's popularity among young Tanzanians will probably help speed up this transition. He has spoken several times about the importance of secondary education and the need to improve Tanzania's performance in this area. Kikwete was also deeply concerned by the impact of HIV/AIDS.

This President was no less remarkable for a style that stands in marked contrast to that of his predecessor, Benjamin Mkapa. Kikwete repeatedly demonstrated since taking office that he will not be stage-managed by State House handlers, but will unexpectedly stop his official car and step out on the sidewalks to talk to ordinary Tanzanians, will break away from his choreographed route through a hospital to stop and talk to real patients about treatment and care, and will pay calls at ordinary fruit and vegetable markets to talk to traders and keep tabs on prices.

However, as an editorial put it, "wars are won by armies, not army chiefs." Over the longer term, if Kikwete was to inspire the discipline and efficiency within his government which will put an end to corruption and transform this country economically, the new accountability will have to be reflected not only at the ministerial level, but throughout the ranks of regional and district government down to the village level. This was a longer term war, fraught with uncertainty, which Tanzania's promising new leader will have to wage over the duration of his presidency.

Promising an administration with "New zeal, new vigor and new speed," President Jakaya Kikwete delivered his first major policy address to the newly sworn-in Tanzanian parliament on 30 December 2005. Speaking frankly about the challenges he faces, he made poverty alleviation and economic growth his top priorities, then spoke at length on his strategy to cement national unity among all Tanzanian ethnic and religious groups. He spoke with particular passion about Zanzibar, emphasizing his resolve to bridge the sharp political divide between Pemba and Unguja, and asking all Zanzibaris to work together "to leave history behind" and make Zanzibar a viable economic and political contributor to the Union.

There was also an anti-corruption message: Kikwete stressed the foundation of all his initiatives would be good governance, and that he would demand accountability and transparency from officials at all levels of government and campaign finance reform for future political campaigns.

President Kikwete challenged the parliamentarians to seriously look at campaign finance reform, outlined his plan to review the process of contracts and government procurement, and appealed to the Public Ethics Commission to ask each public official, elected or appointed "to account for our assets and wealth." The President stressed that his plan will be an "inclusive economic growth" from nomadic cattle herders to IT developers.

In broad strokes he enumerated how his government will support agriculture, small and medium businesses (SMEs), the health and education sectors, social services and improvements in energy and water delivery. He focused on tree planting as the linchpin to halt environmental degradation in Tanzania and called on both local governments and the private sector to initiate reforestation campaigns. He acknowledged that the details of his agenda in all areas would be outlined once his cabinet was in place.

On 31 January 2006, the Finance Ministry received some of President Kikwete's harshest criticism when Kikwete stated that all Finance Ministry officials must be scrutinized to "weed out" any officials who have embezzled public funds. He observed: "The Ministry of Finance was the guardian of the government revenue and pumps life into the nation." He told new Minster Zakia Hamdani Meghji that corrupt finance officials should be relieved of their duties immediately and directed her to revive the Ministry's ethics committee to deal with corrupt officers. "There was no need to wait for evidence from the Parliament or urban councils. The auditor's findings are enough to justify action against inept and corrupt officials," the President said.

By 2007 Kikwete was in a position where he must either confront his allies for their corrupt practices (which could open him and his party to further allegations), or confront an electorate that was increasingly disillusioned in him and his government. Kikwete, indeed, was at a turning point, not only with his electorate, but with donors.

By November 04, 2010, election results in Tanzania showed President Jakaya Kikwete had extended his lead as he vies for another five-year term. Tanzanian election officials said Kikwete's ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party had won about 3.3 million votes, with results released from about two-thirds of the country's 239 constituencies. Officials said opposition candidates Ibrahim Lipumba and Wilbord Slaa were running a distant second and third.

By 2012, through a series of reforms to increase transparency, good governance, and country-led development, President Kikwete had helped Tanzania become a strong partner with the United States and the business community. Tanzania was the recipient of a $698 million Millennium Challenge Corporation compact, launched the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor (SAGCOT) initiative, and was among the first countries selected for the Partnership for Growth — all of which helped Tanzania make gains in enhancing food security, reducing poverty, and creating economic opportunities.