Tuesday of last week, was the day of remembrance for Prime Minister Edward Moringe Sokoine’s death; who died in office on 12nd April, 1984; in a tragic road accident at Wami-Dakawa in Morogoro Region; when he was returning to Dar es Salaam from an ordinary Parliamentary session in Dodoma. Thus, today’s article is dedicated to our fallen leader, Premier Edward Sokoine, whom I had the privilege of working closely with during his whole tenure as Prime Minister. I had initially planned for this article to appear on Thursday of last week, 14th April; but ,instead, I gave preference to a piece on Mwalimu Nyerere’s centenary birthday commemoration event. Hence, its belated appearance a week later today. “Better late than never”, says an old English adage.
Prime Minister Sokoine and I
Edward Moringe Sokoine was a two-term Prime Minister; but not the usual five-year leadership terms, which are specified by the law of the land.
Prime Minister Sokoine and I
Edward Moringe Sokoine was a two-term Prime Minister; but not the usual five-year leadership terms, which are specified by the law of the land.
For, when he was first appointed to that position on 13th February, 1977; it was already mid-term of the 1975 – 1980 leadership period, when his first term expired. And during that period, I was the Executive Secretary of the ruling party, Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM); and thus worked very closely with him.
After that, he did not seek re-election in his Monduli constituency; for he had to go to Yugoslavia for treatment of some serious disease which was troubling him. After successful treatment there, he returned to the country in perfectly good health in February 1983; whereupon President Nyerere promptly nominated him back to Parliament, and re-appointed him to the position of Prime Minister, on February 24th, 1983. And I once again had the opportunity of working closely with him, this time in my capacity as Regional Commissioner for Kilimanjaro Region.
That was his second tenure in which he, unfortunately, served for a very short period of just over one year; when his life was abruptly terminated through his tragic death by the road accident already referred to above.
The Prime minister Edward Sokoine that I knew.
Under the One-Party Constitution which was in operation at the material time; It was a constitutional requirement that the President of Zanzibar also becomes the United Republic’s Vice President; which meant that the Vice President was a full time resident of Zanzibar. Thus the two national-level leaders who were full time residents of Dar es Salaam, and were thus readily available to President Nyerere for quick consultation or advise, were Prime Minister Edward Sokoine, and myself, the Executive Secretary of the ruling party.
And, very fortuitously , President Nyerere appeared to have full and genuine confidence in the two of us; because either one of us, or sometimes both of us together, were being called to his Msasani residence cum office for consultation on many different issues.
After that, he did not seek re-election in his Monduli constituency; for he had to go to Yugoslavia for treatment of some serious disease which was troubling him. After successful treatment there, he returned to the country in perfectly good health in February 1983; whereupon President Nyerere promptly nominated him back to Parliament, and re-appointed him to the position of Prime Minister, on February 24th, 1983. And I once again had the opportunity of working closely with him, this time in my capacity as Regional Commissioner for Kilimanjaro Region.
That was his second tenure in which he, unfortunately, served for a very short period of just over one year; when his life was abruptly terminated through his tragic death by the road accident already referred to above.
The Prime minister Edward Sokoine that I knew.
Under the One-Party Constitution which was in operation at the material time; It was a constitutional requirement that the President of Zanzibar also becomes the United Republic’s Vice President; which meant that the Vice President was a full time resident of Zanzibar. Thus the two national-level leaders who were full time residents of Dar es Salaam, and were thus readily available to President Nyerere for quick consultation or advise, were Prime Minister Edward Sokoine, and myself, the Executive Secretary of the ruling party.
And, very fortuitously , President Nyerere appeared to have full and genuine confidence in the two of us; because either one of us, or sometimes both of us together, were being called to his Msasani residence cum office for consultation on many different issues.
That is how I got to know Prime Minister Edward Sokoine, as a strong, result- oriented leader. He was, basically, “a man of action”; and his loyalty and commitment to serve the people was unquestionable; for he often undertook personal supervision in the process of implementing the major decisions, or directives, which were being made or issued by the ruling party and its government. This is easily confirmed by relevant examples, two of which are given in the paragraphs below. They are the “Kagera war”; and the internal ‘war’ against economic saboteurs.
The Kagera war against Uganda’s President Iddi Amin.
It was just over one year following Edward Sokoine’s elevation to the Premiership, when he was faced with a serious major crisis; namely, the management of the war against Iddi Amin Dada, the then President of the Republic of Uganda, who had ordered his armed forces to invade Tanzania, and had illegally occupied some 1,850 square kilometers of Tanzania’s
It was just over one year following Edward Sokoine’s elevation to the Premiership, when he was faced with a serious major crisis; namely, the management of the war against Iddi Amin Dada, the then President of the Republic of Uganda, who had ordered his armed forces to invade Tanzania, and had illegally occupied some 1,850 square kilometers of Tanzania’s
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