Hussein Mwinyi Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Honourable Dr
Hussein Mwinyi
Order:8th
Office:President of Zanzibar
Term Start:3 November 2020
Predecessor:Ali Mohamed Shein
Office2:Minister of Defence and National Service
Term Start2:20 January 2014
Term End2:3 November 2020
Predecessor2:Shamsi Vuai Nahodha
Successor2:Elias John Kwandikwa
Term Start3:13 February 2008
Term End3:7 May 2012
Predecessor3:Juma Kapuya
Successor3:Shamsi Vuai Nahodha
Office4:Minister of Health and Social Welfare
Term Start4:7 May 2012
Term End4:20 January 2014
Predecessor4:Hadji Mponda
Successor4:Seif Rashidi
Order5:1st
Office5:Minister of State for Union Affairs
Term Start5:6 January 2006
Term End5:13 February 2008
1Blankname5:Vice President
1Namedata5:Ali Mohamed Shein
Successor5:Muhammed Seif Khatib
Office6:Deputy Minister of Health
Term Start6:2000
Term End6:2005
President6:Benjamin Mkapa
Office7:Member of Parliament
for Kwahani
Term Start7:December 2005
Term End7:2020
Office8:Member of Parliament
for Mkuranga
Term Start8:October 2000
Term End8:2005
Successor8:Adam Malima
Birth Date:23 December 1966
Birth Place:Zanzibar, Tanzania
Party:CCM
Spouse:Mama Mariam Mwinyi
Relations:Abdullah Mwinyi (brother)
Father:Ali Hassan Mwinyi
Mother:Siti Mwinyi
Profession:Physician
Residence:Zanzibar State House
Blank1:Medical practice

Hussein Ali Mwinyi (born in Unguja 23 December 1966) is the 8th president of Zanzibar.[1] The son of former Tanzanian president Ali Hasan Mwinyi, he is a member of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) political party.[2]

Presidency

2020 election

Link to main article: 2020 Zanzibari general election

Mwinyi joined the presidential race in June 2020.[3] In the primary, he beat running mates Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, former Chief Minister of Zanzibar, and Dr. Khalid Mohamed, who served as the Permanent Secretary for the Second Vice President. The CCM’s 164 National Executive Committee members voted in July 2020, with 78.65% in favor of Mwinyi’s nomination to lead the party in the General Election. In order to prevent accusations of corruption, the intra-party election was broadcast live on television. Several NEC delegates cited Mwinyi’s marketability to voters as a primary reason for their choice.[4] The General Election took place on October 28, 2020, in which Mwinyi defeated 14 electoral candidates by collecting 76.27 percent of the vote. 88 percent of Zanzibar's 566,352 registered voters turned out. The CCM or a version of the CCM has not lost an election since Tanzanian independence in 1961. Seif Sharif Hamad, opposition candidate for the political party ACT-Wazalendo, attempt to organize protests against the election result, soon after which he was arrested. Additionally, Zitto Kabwe, leader of ACT-Wazalendo, claimed that a member of the party's Central Committee was hospitalized by Zanzibari soldiers. These incidents are within the context of the 2020 Tanzanian election that took place simultaneously, an election that was deemed as having "credible allegations" of fabricated results by the United States government.[5] Still, the Zanzibar Electoral Commission chairman Hamid Mahmoud Hamid claimed that the election was carried out peacefully, and candidate Juma Ali Khatib of the TADEA opposition party gave Mwinyi his congratulations for winning the election, saying "through the ballot boxes God has appointed you to lead Zanzibaris."[6] Current Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is also a member of the CCM party along with Mwinyi, praised Seif Sharif Hamad's political "peace and tranquility" on the one year anniversary of Mwinyi's election victory after Hamad's death in February 2021.[7] [8]

Corruption

On the campaign trail, Mwinyi promised to fight political corruption, saying shortly after being nominated for the CCM flagbearer that “crooked public servants should be extremely intimidated because we are going to crackdown on corruption”.[9] Under his administration, 289 cases have been prosecuted by the Zanzibar Anti-corruption and Economic Crimes Authority, or ZAECA, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in government funds saved from being embezzled or laundered.[10] This includes the suspension, but not removal, of Zanzibar Social Security Fund director Sabra Issa Machano, and an official for the Tanzania Revenue Authority. Mwinyi was noted by current ZAECA director Mussa Haji Ali as being the first President of Zanzibar to visit the office since its establishment in 2012.[11]

Development

While his goals for Zanzibar's economic development were criticized by some as "not practical", Zanzibar has seen far higher GDP growth in each quarter of 2021 than in the corresponding period in 2020.[12] In January 2022, the government allocated 149 billion Tanzanian shillings (equivalent to 68 million US Dollars) to develop the archipelago’s blue economy, buying various fishing equipment.[10] In addition, he established Zanzibar's first Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, which was praised by experts for aiming to address the adverse effects of climate change on the country's seaweed industry.[13] He has also made it easier for small business owners to sell their products by expanding permits to thousands of businesses that otherwise would have been shut down by authorities, permits that according to Mwinyi can further be used to secure loans from banks.[14]

Women's rights

After being the first African state leader to join the HeForShe United Nations alliance, he was named the HeForShe 2021 Champion by the UN Women Tanzania.[15] Hosan Addou, UN Women Country Representative to Tanzania praised Mwinyi for continuing to implement the Wanawake Wanaweze ("Women Can" in Swahili) phase ii that supports women taking on leadership roles in politics.[16] In his first year in office, he eliminated the possibility for bail for all sexual offenses, and said that "We will place greater emphasis on eliminating various forms of violence against women, especially those in rural areas, and also improve social services, reduce maternal mortality, as well take water closer to women" [14] [17]

Relationship with China

Link to main article: China-Tanzania relations

Mwinyi has had a positive relationship with China since he was the Minister of Defense and National Service for Tanzania. During talks with the former Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guangli, Mwinyi noted the "good relations" between China and Tanzania, relations that Liang said have been "sound and smooth...over the past 45 years".[18] China is the largest foreign investor in Zanzibar according to Mwinyi, with $7.6 billion in funds.[19] This especially includes medical support. China invested tens of millions of dollars into Zanzibari hospitals, as well as donating COVID-19 vaccines and providing a small team of medics that over the course of the last ten years treated over 100,000 patients.[20]

Relationship with Tanzania

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the former Vice President who took over after former President John Magufuli's death, posted on her Instagram a photo of Mwinyi on the one year anniversary of his election win, along with the Swahili caption that translates to "we trust you and wish you all the best in building a better Zanzibar. I promise you more cooperation." Despite pushes from some Zanzibaris for independence from Tanzania, Mwinyi has called for the retention of the current relationship between the two governments as ensuring commerce, saying "Zanzibaris are the main consumers of rice from Mainland, including Morogoro, thus we should continue to maintain our union by ensuring that our people are provided with the opportunity to do business without being disturbed."[21]

Personal life

He is married and has four children.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020-11-01 . Hussein Mwinyi wins Zanzibar Presidency . 2022-04-15 . The Citizen . en.
  2. Web site: Yussuf . Issa . July 25, 2015 . Tanzania: Saada Mkuya, Hussein Mwinyi Fight for Nomination in Isles . April 29, 2022 . AllAfrica.
  3. News: . Defence minister Hussein Mwinyi joins the race for Zanzibar presidency . The Citizen . Dar es Salaam . 17 June 2020 .
  4. News: . How Hussein Mwinyi won the race for Zanzibar ticket . The Citizen . Dar es Salaam . 11 July 2020 .
  5. News: US cites 'credible allegations' of fraud in Tanzania election . CNN . Reuters . 30 October 2020 .
  6. Web site: Zanzibar . Masato Masato in . 2020-10-30 . Tanzania: It's Mwinyi for Zanzibar . 2022-04-29 . allAfrica.com . en.
  7. Web site: Dodoma . Nelly Mtema in . 2021-06-30 . Tanzania: CCM Salutes Samia, Mwinyi . 2022-04-29 . allAfrica.com . en.
  8. Web site: Kamagi . Deogratius . 2021-11-07 . Tanzania: Samia - Rally Behind Mwinyi . 2022-04-29 . allAfrica.com . en.
  9. News: . Hussein Mwinyi pledges to fight against corruption as he lands in Zanzibar . The Citizen . Dar es Salaam, Tanzania . 15 July 2020 .
  10. News: . Christopher . Josephine . Mwinyi: Zanzibar's blue economy on right track . The Citizen . Dar es Salaam . 13 January 2022 .
  11. Web site: Reporter . Daily News . Zanzibar . 2020-12-24 . Tanzania: Mwinyi Acts Tough On Graft . 2022-04-28 . allAfrica.com . en.
  12. Web site: Zanzibar's economy grows by 2.2 per cent in 2021 first quarter Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority . 2022-04-05 . www.zppda.go.tz.
  13. Web site: Reporter . Sunday News . Zanzibar . 2020-11-23 . Tanzania: Hussein Mwinyi Hailed for Picking Cabinet Ministers . 2022-04-27 . allAfrica.com . en.
  14. Web site: Reporter . Dailynews . 2021-11-10 . Tanzania: Optimism High As President Mwinyi Marks One Year in Office . 2022-04-05 . allAfrica.com . en.
  15. Web site: President of Zanzibar, H.E. Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, Announced as HeForShe Champion HeForShe . 2022-04-28 . www.heforshe.org.
  16. News: . Tanzania: UN Lauds Samia, Mwinyi On Gender Parity . Tanzania Daily News . AllAfrica . 22 June 2021 .
  17. News: . Samia and Mwinyi's plans to uplift women . The Citizen . Dar es Salaam, Tanzania . 9 March 2022 .
  18. Web site: China, Tanzania pledge closer military ties -- china.org.cn . 2022-04-29 . www.china.org.cn.
  19. News: . Mwinyi: What we are doing to attract more investment . The Citizen . Dar es Salaam, Tanzania . 8 December 2021 .
  20. Web site: Masato . Masato . Zanzibar . 2021-09-22 . Tanzania: Mwinyi Appreciates Chinese Medics Role . 2022-04-28 . allAfrica.com . en.
  21. Web site: Reporter . Dailynews . 2021-10-18 . Tanzania: Mwinyi Touts Upholding Union . 2022-04-29 . allAfrica.com . en.