JK to name Constituent Assembly reps today

President Jakaya Kikwete speaks with Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe (right) after a Tanzania Political Parties Council meeting in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Others are CUF Secretary-General Seif Shariff Hamad (second left) and council chairman Peter Mziray. PHOTO | SALHIM SHAO

By Katare Mbashiru ,The Citizen Reporter

Twenty members were selected from institutions of higher learning, which presented 130 names, while 20 were picked from groups of people with special needs, which submitted 140 names.


   
Dar es Salaam. The eagerly awaited names of 201 Constituent Assembly members appointed by President Jakaya Kikwete will be revealed to the public today.

The Constituent Assembly is expected to kick off on February 18, President Kikwete said yesterday in Dar es Salaam. President Kikwete said yesterday was the final day for his vetting team to ensure, among other things, suitability of the nominees, gender equality and regional balance.

Mr Kikwete who was speaking at a Political Parties Council meeting, said it was not an easy task to appoint the members, bearing in mind that the number of proposed names was large.

The Constitution Review Act empowers the President to appoint 201 members of the Constituent Assembly drawn from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), faith-based organisations and all registered political parties.

Others are institutions of higher learning, groups of people with special needs, workers’ associations, associations representing farmers, associations representing pastoralists and any other group of persons having common interest. Mr Kikwete said more than 3,500 names were proposed from all groups.

“I want to state categorically that people who will not appear in the list should not think that they did not qualify. Many of them had adequate qualifications, but we had to balance gender and regions and come up with only 201 names,’’ he said.

NGOs submitted 1,647 names, out of which 20 were picked, faith-based organisations submitted 329 but only 20 were selected, registered political parties submitted 42 names of which only 20 made it to the assembly.

Twenty members were selected from institutions of higher learning, which presented 130 names, while 20 were picked from groups of people with special needs, which submitted 140 names.

Workers’ associations submitted 102 names out of which 20 were picked and 10 members were selected from pastoralist communities, which forwarded 47 names.

The President further appointed 20 members from farmers’ associations, which submitted 157 names, 10 from associations representing fishermen that submitted 57 names and another 20 from persons having common interest, who submitted 727 names.

Section 22 (3) and (4) of the Act directs the head of state to gazette the names of Constituent Assembly members and convene the assembly within 21 days following the publication of the second draft constitution upon agreement with the president of Zanzibar.

After consultations with Zanzibar President Ali Mohamed Shein, President Kikwete said they decided that the Constituent Assembly commences on February 18.