I won’t tolerate infighting - Tanzania's president warns appointees

President Samia Suluhu Hassan came out fuming on Monday, February 27, 2023, over feuding top officials in her government.

She vowed she would no longer tolerate such infighting and that those found gullible would outrightly be shown the door.

She told newly appointed leaders the situation has reached a stage where a minister and his or her deputy or a permanent secretary and his/her deputy were no longer seeing eye to eye.

The Head of State said she and the top government leadership had been at pains to resolve differences with such leaders, especially those serving in the same docket.

But she was categorical yesterday that there would be no time to reconcile those bent on unnecessary infights.

Punishing one or transferring another to another ministry or department has equally not helped matters, she explained.

“Next time all of you will be fired,” she stated firmly in her brief speech after swearing in a new minister, regional commissioner and several deputy ministers, permanent secretaries and their deputies in Dodoma.

President Hassan said differences among the senior government leaders were more pronounced with the ministers and their deputies and the permanent secretaries and their deputies.

She declared that there would be no more time to waste on such quarrels and that next time “both of you will face the music for failing in your responsibilities”.

The Head of State did not delve much into who among scores of senior leaders, including ministers and PSs relieved of their duties in recent months lost jobs over this.

However, she hinted that the only cabinet minister sworn in yesterday Mr Abdallah Hamis Ulega may have failed to discharge his duties in the ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries in his deputy capacity.

“Now that you are a full minister, I hope you will discharge your duties more effectively,” she said. Mr Ulega replaced Mr Mashimba Ndaki, the only minister whose appointment was revoked during a mini-reshuffle on Sunday.

Differences among ministers and their deputies or permanent secretaries and deputy PSs have increasingly become a concern for years now, especially from the fourth phase of government.

During the era of President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, a cabinet minister dressed down his deputy in Parliament for not following his instructions or consulting on important matters such as travelling out of the country.

In 2019, the late President John Pombe Magufuli revealed during a public event that he was aware that one of his ministers was not seeing eye to eye with his permanent secretary. The minister was later relieved of his job.

President Hassan is not on record discussing the issue in public but Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has repeatedly reminded newly appointed leaders to avoid such conflicts every time new officials are sworn in.

On Monday, she defended her decision to appoint professionals and scholars in her government, saying the government needs the contribution of every skilled Tanzanian.

She said she has been forced to make minor changes in the cabinet and put in place a new lineup of permanent secretaries and their deputies to improve efficiency.

She added a full ministry which will oversee investment matters was in the offing as a new PS appointed for the docket Dr Tulia Mbaga Kida will lay the ground for the new department.

Institutions expected to fall under the proposed ministry - which will be in the President’s Office - include the Planning Commission and the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC).

President Hassan also announced that very soon there will be a retreat for senior government leaders and technocrats to be held in Arusha at a date to be made public later.

“That is where all the newly appointed leaders and those serving will be grilled to know their responsibility and how to perform them diligently,” she pointed out.

Earlier, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the government expected newly appointed leaders to deliver without fail.

He said the government was keen to see the swift implementation of its projects and programmes.

The Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Tulia Ackson said she expected those who took the oath of allegiance yesterday to live up to their expectations.