Elections 2010 Sunday Nation foreshadows bigger things await prof. Tibaijuka!

Rutashubanyuma · 2010-09-25T16:28:28+00:00

(By Rutashubanyuma Nestory a public policy analyst based in Arusha.) On September 05th 2010, Sunday Nation columnist Murithi Mutiga penned down a piquant hagiography of Prof. Anna Tibaijuka following her triumphant parliamentary pasting in Muleba South constituent. Mr. Mutiga pleasantly reviewed Prof. Tibaijuka's achievements at UN-Habitat where she had diligently served as its executive Director, but her feisty career with BAWATA where she had championed women's rights particularly the rural ones was lacuna! The columnist rehashed her contribution in elevating status of the Habitat agency she was chaperoning to a level equivalent of other UN agencies. He also attributed her tireless sensitization of AU had led to the establishment of African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development including sister continental organs. The scribe reckoned Prof. Tibaijuka received her tertiary education at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Uppsala but Mr. Mutiga wobbled when he noted she was a lecturer when she joined the UN. In fact, by then she was already a fully fledged professor. The then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed Prof. Tibaijuka as his special envoy on human settlement in Zimbabwe following the infamous Harare evictions that had targeted supporters of the main opposition party – the Movement for Democratic Change – MDC. The writer did not appraise whether her appointment there broke new grounds given the records indicate uninspiring policy shifts. The columnist observed that Prof. Tibaijuka's reign of UN-Habitat office in Nairobi was popular with the staff that had openly exerted their grouses ensuing to her demotion effected by Mr. Annan's successor Ban-Ki-Moon. The staff at UN-Habitat office, mainly Kenyans, upbraided racial discrimination after a German national Mr. Achim Steiner displaced her as Under Secretary General marooning her to the UN Directorate. Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, foretold Prof. Tibaijuka was in for a ministerial appointment. Mr. Mutiga speculated that Prof. Tibaijuka may also be in contention for a foreign ministerial portfolio and discerning from president Kikwete's sprint to State House the sky could be the limit for her. But this prognosis is fraught with risky presuppositions. Regardless of Chadema or CCM nailing the State House, I can safely presage Prof. Tibaijuka's journey to a ministerial appointment remains alive and intact. If CCM will be a party in power notwithstanding whichever ministerial post she bags away, she will ignite a national fervour for an upright leadership that has demonized CCM in the last three decades. Prof. Tibaijuka's gender sensitivity well captured by her bold efforts to form and sustain BAWATA, while she was still a UDSM don, will catapult her presidential bid to stratospheric heights. Across the political divide, the duress to exorcise our graft demons will quell presidential clamour for other pretenders within CCM apogee knowing most of them have either condoned state sponsored graft via their contemptuous silence or have been its principal architects. If Chadema will be the party in power I can easily visualize Prof. Tibaijuka will have a long wait to make because Dr. Slaa will go for a second term necessary to finish an elaborate list of governance projects he would have initiated. However, it is noteworthy to remember Mr. Mutiga read too much on our succession politics. The writer had presumed CCM will overcome the Chadema's onslaught and president Kikwete's political biography will repeat itself in 2015. In Kikwete's political odyssey, he was foreign minister at the time we elected him the president. But our previous three presidents defied this mould. Both Nyerere and Mwinyi did not hold foreign affairs experience before they became presidents. Mkapa despite years in foreign ministry he was a Minister for Science and Technology when we helped elect him president. Mr. Samwel Malecela whose foreign affairs aptitude is second to none was made to learn how to spell "Ouch" the hard way after the CCM apex scuttled his presidential stargaze. An overriding factor remains electability. Concluding, CCM stay in power is already fait accompli reminds me of Nyerere's howler of 1997 where he had prophesized he would witness at least three CCM presidents passing a torch among themselves only for 14th October 1999 to confirm his prophesy was not from our Almighty Maker!

Thread starter Rutashubanyuma
Start date Sep 25, 2010

Rutashubanyuma

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Elections 2010 Sunday Nation foreshadows bigger things await prof. Tibaijuka!

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