Tanzania's President John Magufuli. Tanzania has slapped stringent
restrictions on all diplomatic, consular missions and international
organisations meetings with its officials as well as political leaders
in the country, it has emerged. FILE PHOTO | DANIEL HAYDUK
AFP
As the East African Community summit convenes this month, it will be
welcoming a new club member — President John Magufuli, who swept into
power, overcoming perhaps the most ...
competitive of Tanzania’s elections since the advent of multi-partyism.
By winning comfortably, Mr Magufuli, then considered an outsider by CCM standards, proved wrong the prediction by pundits that the ruling party CCM would suffer what its sister party — Kanu of Kenya — had suffered back in 2002.
Dr Magufuli seems to be winning his countrymen over. This is attributed to his sweeping, no-nonsense handling of issues of national importance.
Hospital stores have been replenished and new equipment bought, under-performing administrators sacked, easy government lunches scrapped, and unnecessary travel banned.
However, Dr Magufuli has yet to step out of his country as president.
BIG BROTHER
Dr Magufuli’s broom, like that of his Nigerian counterpart, General Muhammadu Buhari, seems to be sweeping swift, furious, and wide.
His message seems clear, though: That the government must deliver for Tanzanians. And that is a breath of fresh air, even by regional standards.
Tanzania is not just any other country. It is not Burundi. It is as strategic as it is pivotal in the regional integration matrix.
In terms of size, Tanzania is Kenya and Uganda combined, its resource base perhaps only comparable to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s.
Tanzania can easily become the EAC’s big brother — if it chooses to be.
In 1967, Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere, Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta, and Milton Obote of Uganda were the founder leaders of the EAC that collapsed a decade later.
Although this was blamed on lack of functional supportive institutions, many believe that mutual suspicion among its leaders dealt the bloc the deathblow.
The revived EAC has a Common Market under way after the implementation of the Customs Union.
Many institutional structures, including the EAC secretariat, have been put in place to ensure consultative decision-making and keen monitoring and sharing of the benefits of integration. Decisions concerning major issues are more collegial and consultative. This is good for regional integration.
That is why President Magufuli’s honeymoon with regard to regional presence needs to come to an end.
'COALITION OF THE WILLING'
Tanzania remains vital in the EAC integration process. However, there have been big decisions in the past on which the country was considered to prevaricate, forcing the other members to slow down, not show their preferences, or pull back altogether for fear of offending Tanzania.
Many believe that it is these mixed signals that may have led to the birth of the so called “coalition of the willing” in 2013, when the EAC member states needed to move ahead with matters touching on the standard gauge railway project in which Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda had great strategic interest.
Some think that Tanzania may have seen the Northern Corridor plan as a threat to its own Central Corridor plan of linking the port of Dar es Salaam with the hinterlands of Burundi, Rwanda, and DRC.
With the integration process now on an uptrend, especially with the coming into effect of the EAC Monetary Union and even the envisaged political federation, it is vital that President Magufuli step up to the regional plate.
He needs to begin to “do stuff” and influence things. Equally important, Tanzanians, as well as other EAC residents, need to begin to “feel him” and see his actions on the regional and international scene.
For example, a corruption-free jumuiya campaign by Dr Magufuli might just be what the doctor ordered for the region.
He will also need to debunk the notion that Tanzanians fear their brothers and sisters from the region.
Tanzania has a lot to offer. Food security experts, for instance, argue that Tanzania could easily feed the region in one season if it decides to exploit its potential.
It is already meeting a great proportion of Kenya’s one million tonne annual maize deficit at a fraction of its potential while sufficiently meeting its own needs.
However, the country, like the others in the region, will require expertise and skills to exploit its vast resources for the benefit of its people.
The EAC Common Market Protocol has provisions for the free movement of people, goods, and services.
But these provisions may not be of any use without bold leadership from the top. President Magufuli has already shown at the national level that it will not be business as usual.
He should bring that game plan to influence at the region level.
Mr Kiraka is a consultant at Comesa. jkiraka@riimafrica.net
competitive of Tanzania’s elections since the advent of multi-partyism.
By winning comfortably, Mr Magufuli, then considered an outsider by CCM standards, proved wrong the prediction by pundits that the ruling party CCM would suffer what its sister party — Kanu of Kenya — had suffered back in 2002.
Dr Magufuli seems to be winning his countrymen over. This is attributed to his sweeping, no-nonsense handling of issues of national importance.
Hospital stores have been replenished and new equipment bought, under-performing administrators sacked, easy government lunches scrapped, and unnecessary travel banned.
However, Dr Magufuli has yet to step out of his country as president.
BIG BROTHER
Dr Magufuli’s broom, like that of his Nigerian counterpart, General Muhammadu Buhari, seems to be sweeping swift, furious, and wide.
His message seems clear, though: That the government must deliver for Tanzanians. And that is a breath of fresh air, even by regional standards.
Tanzania is not just any other country. It is not Burundi. It is as strategic as it is pivotal in the regional integration matrix.
In terms of size, Tanzania is Kenya and Uganda combined, its resource base perhaps only comparable to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s.
Tanzania can easily become the EAC’s big brother — if it chooses to be.
In 1967, Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere, Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta, and Milton Obote of Uganda were the founder leaders of the EAC that collapsed a decade later.
Although this was blamed on lack of functional supportive institutions, many believe that mutual suspicion among its leaders dealt the bloc the deathblow.
The revived EAC has a Common Market under way after the implementation of the Customs Union.
Many institutional structures, including the EAC secretariat, have been put in place to ensure consultative decision-making and keen monitoring and sharing of the benefits of integration. Decisions concerning major issues are more collegial and consultative. This is good for regional integration.
That is why President Magufuli’s honeymoon with regard to regional presence needs to come to an end.
'COALITION OF THE WILLING'
Tanzania remains vital in the EAC integration process. However, there have been big decisions in the past on which the country was considered to prevaricate, forcing the other members to slow down, not show their preferences, or pull back altogether for fear of offending Tanzania.
Many believe that it is these mixed signals that may have led to the birth of the so called “coalition of the willing” in 2013, when the EAC member states needed to move ahead with matters touching on the standard gauge railway project in which Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda had great strategic interest.
Some think that Tanzania may have seen the Northern Corridor plan as a threat to its own Central Corridor plan of linking the port of Dar es Salaam with the hinterlands of Burundi, Rwanda, and DRC.
With the integration process now on an uptrend, especially with the coming into effect of the EAC Monetary Union and even the envisaged political federation, it is vital that President Magufuli step up to the regional plate.
He needs to begin to “do stuff” and influence things. Equally important, Tanzanians, as well as other EAC residents, need to begin to “feel him” and see his actions on the regional and international scene.
For example, a corruption-free jumuiya campaign by Dr Magufuli might just be what the doctor ordered for the region.
He will also need to debunk the notion that Tanzanians fear their brothers and sisters from the region.
Tanzania has a lot to offer. Food security experts, for instance, argue that Tanzania could easily feed the region in one season if it decides to exploit its potential.
It is already meeting a great proportion of Kenya’s one million tonne annual maize deficit at a fraction of its potential while sufficiently meeting its own needs.
However, the country, like the others in the region, will require expertise and skills to exploit its vast resources for the benefit of its people.
The EAC Common Market Protocol has provisions for the free movement of people, goods, and services.
But these provisions may not be of any use without bold leadership from the top. President Magufuli has already shown at the national level that it will not be business as usual.
He should bring that game plan to influence at the region level.
Mr Kiraka is a consultant at Comesa. jkiraka@riimafrica.net
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