Tanzania's President John Magufuli has named a lean Cabinet of 18 ministers and 19 deputies after weeks of speculation, promised to giv...
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Tanzania's President John Magufuli has named a lean Cabinet of 18 ministers and 19 deputies after weeks of speculation, promised to give them performance contracts and warned them not to celebrate their appointment but focus on the difficult task ahead.
President Magufuli's is the leanest Cabinet in 20 years, and much smaller than his predecessor President Jakaya Kikwete's which had 60 ministers and deputies.However, the return of former minister for energy and minerals Prof Sospeter Muhongo has re-ignited the infamous Tegeta Escrow account scandal in which government officials were implicated in cashing in on millions from the central bank's escrow account.
A probe into the scandal led to Prof Muhongo's resignation in early January this year.
Prof Muhongo, a geologist, will return to lead a ministry whose economic significance increased after Tanzania discovered over 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and is partnering with the oil industry to develop a $30 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.
Other former ministers who were implicated in the scandal but made it to the House again, former lands minister Prof Anna Tibaijuka and former deputy energy and minerals minister William Ngeleja, have not made it to Dr Magufuli's Cabinet.
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| Tanzania’s Magufuli Names Cabinet Almost Half The Size Of His Predecessor’s |
The Ministries of Finance and Planning, Natural Resources and Tourism, Works, Transport and Communication and Science, Technology, Education and Vocational Training did not get any full ministers.
"I am yet to get them," the president told journalists.
He declined to explain why it was proving difficult to get suitable people to lead these ministries, a month after he was sworn in as head of state.
However, given the fact that the General Election in Zanzibar was annulled and so no MPs from Zanzibar have been appointed to Cabinet, raised speculations that the vacant slots have been left for MPs from the Isles once the elections are held in January.
Some ministries that have been left empty, are those which in the past administration were hit by scandals.
The president said this time there will be no traditional retreats for new appointees, which eats up billions of shillings of taxpayers' money. The allocation of $945,000 for that purpose will be directed to funding free education and buying desks for pupils. - AllAfrica.com
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