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Tanzanian President appoints new ministers for energy and lands

Xinhua, January 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Saturday made a mini cabinet reshuffle by appointing two new ministers for energy and lands following the exit of former ministers for the two dockets over corruption allegations in the eastern African nation's energy sector.

Announcing the reshuffle, the Chief Secretary to the President Ombeni Sefue said George Simbachawene was named as the new Minister for Energy and Minerals.

William Lukuvi was appointed as the new Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Sefue said, adding that all the newly appointed ministers were sworn in by the President on Saturday evening.

Kikwete made the cabinet reshuffle shortly after the Minister for Energy and Minerals Sospeter Muhongo announced his resignation following the corruption allegations.

Muhongo dismissed any wrongdoing and insisted that he was resigning in order to bring closure to a long-running corruption scandal linked to the transfer of 120 million U.S. dollars to a private energy company, which the country's Members of Parliament in November declared as fraudulent and corrupt.

On December 16, 2014, the country's Attorney General Frederick Werema resigned over his role in the multi-million dollar energy sector graft scandal.

On December 22, 2014, Kikwete sacked Anna Tibaijuka, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, over the corruption scandal in the energy sector that has rocked his government.

"The new appointments have been necessitated by the sacking of the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development and the resignation of the Minister for Energy and Minerals," Sefue told a news conference at State House in Dar es Salaam.

He said Kikwete also swapped the Minister for East African Cooperation Samwel Sitta to head the Ministry of Transport which was headed by Harrison Mwaklyembe who was given the East African Cooperation portfolio.

In November 2014, investigations by a parliamentary watchdog committee found that about 120 million U.S. dollars of government money had been taken from an escrow account, paid to an energy firm and then given to various government ministers.

The corruption allegations have led to donors suspending aid to Tanzania. A group of 12 donors including Japan, the UK, the World Bank and the African Development Bank decided in October to withhold about 490 million U.S. dollars until the government takes action over the alleged corruption. Endi