By Malemba Mkongo, African correspondent
East Africa today welcomed its first female president, soft spoken woman Samia Suluhu Hassan.
President Samia was official sworn in on Friday at the State house in Dar Es Salaam, taking the mantle from the late President John Pombe Magufuli who died on March 17 due to a cardiac arrest. The 61 years old has served as the vice president since when Magufuli was first elected in 2015 and five months in Magufuli’s second term. Samia will serve for the remaining second term which will lapse in 2025.
The sixth president of Tanzania was born in 1960 in Zanzibar where she grew up and schooled before moving away for further studies. Madam president kicked off her political career in 2000 at her home ground, where she served as a minister under the then Zanzibar’s president Amani Karume where she served up to 2010. In 2010, the President was elected to the National Assembly to serve as member of Parliament for Makunduchi constituency and was further appointed as a State Minister.
In 2015 ,Magufuli picked her as his running mate for his first presidential election.
Even though the circumstances at which she ascended to powers are gloomy, the excitement among East African women cannot be hidden. She has set precedent to millions of women that have dreams of sitting at the decision table and making a change from the top.
But as she takes over the mantle to lead Tanzania, all the eyes are on how she will bring back unity and harmony to an already divided country. Tanzania was well known for its socialism and unite which was created by the founding father Julius Nyerere.
However, Magufuli’s era was marked with human rights violation and suppression of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression which saw division of the East Africa nation. Magufuli first received international backlash when he called for school heads not to accept back teenage girls who had given birth thus denying them their right to education and a second chance to improve their lives. But during her acceptance address, Samia’s speech reflected hope, unity and forgiveness under her tenure.
She called for the country to forget about the past and hold each other’s hand during the bereaving period and beyond.
Samia further urged the country not to blame each other but unite to build a “new Tanzania” which her predecessor desired for.
“It is time to bury our differences and unite as a country, it is time to look at the future with hope, It is time to wipe each other’s tears. Let us show peace and love for each other,” she said during her first address as the President.
