Ndugu yangu Eric, hata wakenya wantudharau,
Kenya: Kikwete Criticised for Poking His Nose Into Kenyan Politics
The East African Standard (Nairobi)
September 24, 2006
Posted to the web September 25, 2006
Ernest Mpinganjira
Nairobi
Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete's reported talks with US President George Bush over "political instability" in Kenya have generated debate at home.
Opposition leaders say the President had no business poking his nose in Kenyan politics when Zanzibar is on the brink of chaos and Tanzania staring economic crunch.
The comments came days before the expiry of the ultimatum the Civic United Front (CUF) had given President Kikwete to address the differences between Zanzibar and the mainland, over political autonomy. Failing to act, CUF leaders warned, there would be an uprising in Zanzibar "similar to the recent Hezbollah war with Israel."
At the end of CUF national congress on Thursday evening party chairman, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba, was forthright in his indictment of the President.
"He is a globe-trotter who is out of touch with reality. We appeal to President Kikwete to reduce his foreign trips and concentrate on solving domestic problems," Lipumba said.
There should be no debate over the demand for the formation of a government of national unity to appease the opposition over electoral fraud, he said.
The warning was a pointer to the increasingly volatile atmosphere in Zanzibar, where the President and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi are accused of rigging polls.
CUF leaders in Zanzibar, led by Seif Shariff Hamad, have refused to recognise the CCM Government. The stance has created political instability, which Kikwete is accused of being reluctant to solve.
The stand off in Zanzibar is threatening to explode into full-scale civil strife and has been a cause of concern to Britain and United States. Both fear the situation could land Zanzibar into the hands of Middle East Islamic jihadists and al Qaeda terrorists. Intelligence reports show the groups have a foothold there.
Lipumba says the nation is on the verge of economic crunch because of one crisis after another. Due to power shortages there has been a slump in the manufacturing sector, leading to massive lay offs. As a result the country is preparing for the lowest gross domestic growth in 10 years.
"It isn't ironical that President Kikwete is abroad marketing a country without electricity? Which investor would want to put his money in a country with poor infrastructure?" he says.
The remarks by Lipumba, a former economics lecturer and World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) adviser, reflect the growing pessimism.
The impact of the economic crisis is perceived through indicators such as the foreign bank reserves, which the Central Bank of Tanzania (CBT) announced had dropped from $2.8 billion in January to $2.1 billion. CBT governor David Balali says the amount is just enough for imports for five months.
With hydropower production having dropped to less than 80 megawatts, Tanzania is expected to import more fuel and foodstuff in the next six months.
The subdued economy has disillusioned majority, including, President Kikwete's ardent supporters. They criticised the President for attending a Real Madrid Football Club training session at Barnabeau Stadium in Madrid, Spain, the same day the country sank deeper into the crisis.
There is no time since his election that support for the President been so low. The biting power cuts have sent a message that the Government is extravagant and insensitive to the citizens.
The public are accusing the President and his Prime Minister Edward Lowassa of extravagance, citing more than 15 trips the President has made abroad since his election. Lowassa has done about half that.
President Kibaki and President Museveni have since the power rationing intensified received praise from opposition parties and the public for making less than 10 trips abroad in the past four years compared with Kikwete's 16 in eight months in more than 20 countries. Their entourages are equally lean, compared to that of the Tanzanian leaders, who sometimes at times are accompanied by their families. Lowassa, for instance, travelled with his teenage son to Thailand on official duty -where he allegedly asked the ousted Thai Government to send rainmakers to Tanzania to solve the power crisis.
The perception of extravagance was fuelled further when Minister for Infrastructure Development Basil Mramba told journalists recently that the Government had drawn a budget for three presidential jets, each costing $26 million.
The current reconditioned jet breaks down frequently. It cost the Government $45 million, although Canadian aircraft manufacturer, Lombardi, had offered to sell the Government a new jet at $18 million. There have been calls for the Government to sell the jet and invest the proceeds in power generation.
A Kiswahili daily, Tanzania Daima, reported last week that the jet has been given to First Lady, Salma Kikwete, for her private trips outside the country.
The First Lady travels in police and military helicopters within the country.
On Wednesday, Lipumba summed up the current Government as "headed by wasanii (con artists)." He also indicted Kikwete and Lowassa for abandoning Zanzibar.