East African Gazette
Tanzania
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced the passing of Ali Hassan Mwinyi, the former President of Tanzania.
Suluhu made the announcement of Mwinyi’s passing on via her official social media account, formerly known as Twitter.
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“Dear citizens, it is with great sadness that I announce the death of the retired President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mr. Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who passed away today, Thursday 29 February 2024 at 11:30 pm, at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital, Dar es Salaam, when he was being treated for Lung Cancer,” she wrote.
Adding: “On behalf of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, I offer my condolences to the family, relatives, friends and all Tanzanians for this great tragedy for our nation. Our country will be in a period of seven days of mourning, where flags will fly at half-mast starting tomorrow March 1, 2024. The late Ali Hassan Mwinyi will be buried on March 2, 2024 in Unguja, on the island of Zanzibar”.
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She mentioned in her post that Mwinyi had been receiving treatment for lung cancer since November last year.
Mwinyi took office as the second President of Tanzania from 1985 to 1995, following the tenure of the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, who was the country’s founding President.
He died at the age of 98, on February 29, 2024 in Dar es Salaam.
The union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964 gave birth to Tanzania.
This peaceful amalgamation was considered a remarkable occurrence in a continent that had gained notoriety for political violence as the primary means of instigating change or succession.
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Who is Mwinyi?
Mwinyi was born on May 8, 1925 in Kivure village of Kivure, Pwani Region, where he was also raised.
He relocated to Zanzibar, where he received his primary education at Mangapwani Primary School in Mangapwani, Zanzibar West Region.
Subsequently, he pursued his secondary education at Mikindani Dole Secondary School in Dole, Zanzibar West Region. Following this, he held positions as a tutor, teacher, and head teacher at different schools from 1945 to 1964, before transitioning into politics.
President Julius Nyerere stepped down from his position in October 1985 and selected Mwinyi as his successor.
Nyerere continued to serve as the chairman of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) until 1990, which eventually led to conflicts between the government and the party regarding economic reform ideology.
During the transfer of power, Tanzania’s economy was experiencing a downturn.
From 1974 to 1984, the GDP experienced an average annual growth rate of 2.6%, while the population was growing at a faster pace of 3.4% per year.
By the early 1980s, rural incomes and urban wages had both declined, despite the presence of minimum wage laws in Tanzania.
Additionally, the country faced challenges such as an overvalued currency, scarcity of basic goods, and a foreign debt exceeding three billion dollars.
Agricultural production was at a low point, leading to widespread belief that Nyerere’s Ujamaa socialist policies had not succeeded economically.
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These policies involved the nationalization of key industries, the compulsory resettlement of rural communities into communal farms, and the prohibition of opposition political parties. Supporters of Nyerere were against involving the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in domestic economic reforms, fearing that it would lead to instability and conflict with their socialist principles.
Tanzania’s relationship with the IMF had been strained due to the government’s failure to meet the conditions of a financial package agreement reached in 1980.
In the early stages of the political transition, there was a widespread belief that Mwinyi would adhere to Nyerere’s policies due to his reputation as a loyal supporter of his predecessor.
However, Mwinyi and his supporters advocated for economic and political reforms aimed at liberalizing the market and reevaluating traditional socialist ideologies.
He surrounded himself with reform-minded individuals, going as far as replacing three cabinet members and other ministers who were resistant to change.
During his inaugural address to Tanzania’s Parliament in 1986, he pledged to engage in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, with the expectation that any resulting agreement would benefit the citizens of Tanzania.
In the same year, Mwinyi reached an agreement with the IMF to secure a $78 million standby loan, marking Tanzania’s first foreign loan in over six years.