Jakaya Kikwete

Dr Jakaya Kikwete
4th President of Tanzania
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 December 2005
Prime Minister	Edward Lowassa (2005-08) Mizengo Pinda
Vice President	Ali Mohamed Shein (2005-10) Mohamed Gharib Bilal
Preceded by	Benjamin Mkapa
6th Chairperson of the African Union
In office 31 January 2008 – 2 February 2009
Preceded by	John Kufuor
Succeeded by	Muammar al-Gaddafi
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
In office November 1995 – 21 December 2005
President	Benjamin Mkapa
Succeeded by	Asha-Rose Migiro
Minister of Finance
In office 1994–1995
President	Ali Hassan Mwinyi
Preceded by	Steven Kibona
Succeeded by	Simon Mbilinyi
Member of the Tanzanian Parliament
In office 1990–2005
Succeeded by	Ramadhani Maneno
Constituency	Bagamoyo (1990-95) Chalinze (1995-2005)
Personal details
Born	(1950-10-07) 7 October 1950 Msoga, Tanganyika
Nationality	Tanzanian
Political party	CCM
Spouse(s)	Salma Kikwete
Children	9 Ridhiwani Salama Miraj Ally Khalifa MwanaAsha Khalfan Rashid Mohamed (adopted)
Residence	1 Ocean Road, 11400, Dar es Salaam
Alma mater	UDSM (BA)
Profession	Economist
Religion	Islam
Military service
Allegiance	United Republic of Tanzania
Service/branch	Tanzanian Army
Years of service	1976-1992
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel

Kikwete at the Oval Office, 2008

On board the USS Nicholas

Kikwete was the first African Head of State to meet President Obama in 2009

Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (born 7 October 1950) is a Tanzanian politician who has been the fourth President of Tanzania since December 2005. Previously, he was minister of foreign affairs from 1995 to 2005. He also served as the chairperson of the African Union from 31 January 2008 to 2 February 2009.

Education

Between 1959 and 1963, Kikwete went to Karatu Primary School in Tanzania before continuing with middle school education at Tengeru School from 1962 to 1965. After Tengeru, Kikwete moved to Kibaha Secondary School for his O-levels, which took place between 1966 and 1969, and he remained at this school for his advanced level education. His final educational step was completed when he graduated from the University of Dar es Salaam in 1975 with a degree in economics.

Personal

Kikwete is an avid sports enthusiast and played basketball competitively in school. He has been a patron of the Tanzania Basketball Federation for the past 10 years. He is married to Salma Kikwete, the First Lady of Tanzania, and they have nine children.

As of 4 April 2013, Kikwete was the sixth most followed African leader on Twitter with 57,626 followers.

Leadership and political career

Kikwete was born at Msoga, located in the Bagamoyo District of Tanganyika, in 1950. Graduating with a degree in economics in 1975, he opted for a low-paying job as an executive functionary/officer of the ruling party (TANU later CCM). This gave him the opportunity to work at the grassroots in rural regions and districts of Tanzania.

Kikwete sharpened his leadership acumen in the military. He first had basic military training at Ruvu National Service Camp (1972) and later underwent a basic officers course at the Tanzania Military Academy at Monduli, Arusha. On successful completion of the course in 1976, he was commissioned as a lieutenant. He also undertook the Company Commander's Course in 1983 at the same academy. In his military career, he rose to the rank of lieutenant. From 1984 to 1986, Kikwete was chief [olitical instructor and political commissar at the Military Academy. He retired from the military as a lieutenant-colonel when political pluralism was reintroduced to Tanzania in 1992 when he chose to become a full time politician. Prior to that, he was permitted to be both in the military and political leadership.

In party politics, Kikwete started shining in 1982, when he was overwhelmingly elected by the party (CCM) national congress to be a Member of the National Executive Committee, the highest policy and decision-making body of the party. He has been re-elected every five years since. Also, in 1997, he was elected a member of the party's powerful 31-member Central Committee (CC). He is still a member of the Central Committee since he was reelected in 2002 for another term of 5 years.

As a party cadre, Kikwete moved from one position to another in the party ranks and from one location to another in the service of the party. When TANU and the Zanzibar’s Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) merged to form CCM in 1977, Kikwete was moved to Zanzibar and assigned the task of setting-up the new party’s organisation and administration in the Islands. In 1980, he was moved to the headquarters as administrator of the Dar es Salaam Head Office and Head of the Defence and Security Department before moving again up-country to the regional and district party offices in Tabora Region (1981–84)and Singida Region and Nachingwea (1986–88) and Masasi District (1988) in the country's southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara respectively. Kikwete throve in the military and grassroots party political organisation, mobilisation and administration until 1988 when he was appointed to join the Central Government. President Ally Hassan Mwinyi appointed him Member of Parliament and, simultaneously, Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals on November 7, 1988. In 1990, he was promoted to full Minister responsible for the Ministry of Water, Energy and Minerals. Later the same year, he successfully contested for a parliamentary seat in his home constituency of Bagamoyo. He was reappointed Minister for Water, Energy and Minerals in the government formed after the elections.

In 1994, at 44, he became one of the youngest Finance Ministers in the history of Tanzania. At the Treasury, he established discipline in public finance management and accountability and, until today, he is still remembered for establishing cash budget system and revamping of revenue collection structures, methods and institutions, including preparations for the formation and eventual establishment of the Tanzania Revenue Authority.

In December 1995, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, being appointed by President Benjamin William Mkapaa of the third phase government. He held this post for ten years, until he was elected President of the United Republic of Tanzania in December 2005, hence becoming the country's longest serving foreign minister. During his tenure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tanzania played a significant role in bringing about peace in the Great Lakes region, particularly in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kikwete was also deeply involved in the process of rebuilding regional integration in East Africa. Specifically, several times, he was involved in a delicate process of establishing a Customs Union between the three countries of the East African Community (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania), where, for quite some time, he was a Chairman of East Africa Community’s Council of Ministers.

Introducing candidate Kikwete at a campaign rally in Dar es Salaam on 21 August 2005, President Mkapa described him as a super-diplomat, in recognition of his role in the search for peace in neighboring Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kikwete also participated in the initiation, and became a Co-Chair, of the Helsinki Process on Globalisation and Democracy. On May 4, 2005, Kikwete emerged victorious among 11 CCM members who had sought the party's nomination for Presidential candidacy in the general election. After a 14 December 2005 multiparty general election, he was declared a winner by the Electoral Commission on December 17, 2005 and was sworn-in as the Fourth President of the United Republic of Tanzania on 21 December 2005.

President Kikwete's governing philosophy and political views are influenced by those of Julius Nyerere whom the President was close to. So far Kikwete's government has received accolades across the country and in the donor community for fighting corruption, investing in people, particularly in education, and push for new investments.

Honours and awards

Kikwete at the 34th G8 summit

Honours

• Uganda: Grand Master of the Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa, 2007
• Comoros: Order of the Green Crescent of the Comoros, March 2009
• Saudi Arabia: King Abdulaziz Order of Merit, April 2009
• Jamaica: Order of Excellence, November 2009
• Oman: The Civil Order of Oman - First Class, 2012

Awards

• Sullivan Honor
• 2007: The AAI African National Achievement Award (on behalf of Tanzania).
• 2009: US Doctors for Africa Award.
• 2011: Social Good Award from the United Nations Foundation
• 2011: South-South Award for Global Health, Technology and Development
• 2012: FANRPAN Policy Leadership Award from the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network.

Honorary degrees

• University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), Honorary Doctor of Law, September 2006
• Kenyatta University, Doctor of Humane Letters, 19 December 2008
• Fatih University, Honorary doctorate in International Relations, February 2010
• Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Doctor of Public Health (Honoris Causa), December 2010
• University of Dodoma, Honoris Causa, November 2010
• University of Dar es Salaam, Honorary Doctor of Law, October 2011

Legacy

Eponyms

• Kikwete Bridge, across the Malagarasi River in western Tanzania (275 metres)
• Jakaya Kikwete Primary School in Muleba District, Kagera Region
• Jakaya Kikwete Secondary School in Mbulu, Manyara Region
• J. M. Kikwete Secondary School in Mbozi District, Mbeya Region

External links

• Official website
• Jakaya Kikwete on Twitter

Party political offices
Preceded by Benjamin Mkapa	National Chairman of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi 2007–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Steven Kabona	Minister of Finance 1994–1995	Succeeded by Simon Mbilinyi
Preceded by Joseph Rwegasira	Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation 1995–2005	Succeeded by Asha-Rose Migiro
Preceded by Benjamin Mkapa	President of Tanzania 2005–present	Incumbent
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by John Kufour	Chairperson of the African Union 2008–2009	Succeeded by Muammar al-Gaddafi