Arusha RAS Richard Kwitega speaks during a seminar for editors which was organized by the Ministry if Finance and Planning here yesterday. With him is financial information systems management director from the Ministry of Finance, Mr John Sausi. PHOTO|CITIZEN PHOTOGRAPHER
Arusha. A leadership award for the fallen regional administrative secretary (RAS) for Arusha would be launched this year.
The Richard Kwitega Leadership Award would be given to individuals who excel in leadership responsibilities in society.
The maiden prize will be awarded to him posthumously in May this year to coincide with the World Press Freedom Day, Claud Gwandu, chairman of the Arusha Press Club (APC) said.
Mr. Kwitega,one of the longest serving regional administrators in Arusha, died on Wednesday last week in a grisly road accident in Manyara Region.
The vehicle he was travelling in to Dodoma for official business collided with a bus heading to Arusha. He was buried at his home village in Mwanza region on Saturday.
Mr. Gwandu said the award was the brainchild of the media lobby group in the region for the late RAS’s exemplary service to the society in leadership aspects. “He exhibited the highest level of professionalism and support to various groups he interacted with. These include the media,” he said.
He added, however, that the annual award would only be coordinated by APC and that the exercise would rope in other individuals and institutions outside the media.
“We will seek funds from our partners and turn this into a reality”, he told The Citizen on Saturday, noting that the late official ensured the media was not intimidated. He further added that winners of the award would not be picked by the journalists but by a cross section of people who understood what good leadership entailed. The climax of awarding would be on World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) which is observed globally every May 3rd.
The Day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in order to raise awareness on the importance of freedom of the press.
This would also serve as a reminder to the governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression.
In one of his numerous interactions with the media in Arusha, the late Kwitega had proposed tailor-made courses for the journalists.
These would impart him with the necessary skills in reporting on a raft of challenges in the society such as gender-based violence, among others.
Prior to joining the civil service in the mid-1990s, he worked on research projects sponsored by the World Bank on Tanzania Economic Performance.
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