Almost 30per cent of CCM MPs in previous parliament may not return

Dar es Salaam. If CCM’s decision-making organs do not make serious changes to conform with the views of the party’s voters - as evidenced during the just-concluded primaries - then about 30 percent of the ruling party’s elected legislators in the last Parliament may not be returned to the House.

An analysis of the just-ended primaries shows that about 59 CCM MPs from Mainland Tanzania have lost nomination to new blood.

The number includes 49 MPs from Tanzania Mainland, and ten from Zanzibar.

CCM had a total of 188 MPs at the start of the 11th Parliament in November 2015.

However, when some opposition MPs started defecting to the ruling party, thereby prompting by-elections that saw them being re-elected - the number of its MPs rose to 199.

In Dar es Salaam, for instance, five MPs who were elected on the ruling party’s ticket lost in the primaries. The ruling party will have new faces as its contestants in Dar es Salaam’s Kinondoni, Temeke, Ukonga, Ubungo and Kibamba constituencies.

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If no changes are made by the party’s decision-making organs, then Mr Abbas Tarimba will represent the party in Kinondoni, taking over from Maulid Mtulia.

In Temeke, the party’s most preferred candidate is Abbas Mtemvu, instead of Abdallah Mtolea.

In Ukonga, Mwita Waitara moved to Tarime Rural, leaving the constituency to Jerry Slaa. In Kibamba, the ruling party will be represented by Issa Mtemvu, while in Ubungo, it will be Prof Kitila Mkumbo, both new faces.

In Kawe, the youthful Furaha Jacob secured nomination, defeating heavyweights like Angela Kizigha and religious preacher Josephat Gwajima.

In similar vein, the party’s candidate for Mbagala will be Abdallah Chaurembo and not Issa Mangungu.

It is only contestants for Segerea, Ilala and Kigamboni constituencies who could be on the ballot once again.

In Dodoma, the list of ‘ousted’ CCM MPs in Mainland Tanzania include Omary Badwel of Bahi and Juma Nkamia of Chemba.

In Shinyanga, Ezekiel Maige (Msalala) lost, while in Morogoro, the axe fell on former Ulanga MP Goodluck Mlinga and Agriculture deputy minister Omary Mgumba.

In Mtwara, the Ndanda MP - who was initially elected on the Chadema ticket but defected to CCM, Cecil Mwambe - will not have his name on the ballot. His Tandahimba counterpart, Katani Ahmad Katani – who also defected to CCM from the opposition CUF – may have to defect once again if he wants to see his name on a ballot paper this time.

Mr Jerome Bwanausi of Lulindi, Dr Rashid Chuachua from Masasi and Dua Nkurua of Nanyumbu also felt the heat after being ousted in the nominations.

In Lindi, Liwale MP Zubery Kuchauka lost in the nominations, as did Dr Mary Nagu of Hanang in Manyara Region.

Babati Rural MP Jeet Singh and his Babari Urban counterpart Ms Gekul, as well as Simanjiro MP James ole Millya, will also see their names missing on the ballot papers.

In Arusha, aspirants who nosedived include Monduli MP Julius Kalanga - after Fred Lowassa emerged the winner - while Arusha Urban saw its former RC taking over in the nominations. In Kilimanjaro, a former MP for Mwanga, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, will not see his name on the ballot. In Mara, former Serengeti MP Marwa Ryoba also lost in the primaries. Former Mwibara MP Kangi Lugola also lost in the primaries, too.

In Ruvuma, former Tunduru North MP Ramo Makani is replaced by a new face. His fate is similar to those of Mboni Mhita of Handeni constituency in Tanga; Dr Harrison

Mwakyembe of Kyela in Mbeya and Victor Mwambalaswa of Lupa in Mbeya. In Songwe, Ms Janeth Mbene David Silinde did not make it during the primaries. In Katavi, Richard Mbogo failed to make it while in Singida, the exe fell on Justin Monko, Daniel Mtuka and Allan Kiula.

Analysts say the coming of new faces in during the ruling party primaries was an indication that there was a lot of untapped human potential in major cities that parties could utilize.

University of Dar es Salaam, political science department Prof Bakari Mohamed said CCM has realized that in previous years it had difficulties to have a strong representative in major cities. According to him, some cities like Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Mbeya CCM never had strong politicians who would contest with the opposition and this way it has decided to look for strong contestant who can compete with opposition’s leaders.

“Looking at this situation CCM did not translate it well and realized that one day it would lose in small cities since even in some small cities opposition were doing well,” he said.

Prof Gaudence Mpangala told The Citizen new names voted to via for Member of Parliament (MPs) position during primaries should be the some names to appear and announced by Nec so that they could prove to wananchi and political members who nominated them that they were capable to bring change.

Prof Kitila Mkumbo said if it happened the National Electoral Commission (Nec) endorsed him as a viable candidate to contest for Ubungo constituency he will do a civilised campaign to explain to Ubungo residents what the government has done in water sector.

Though it was in early stage to comment on the matter, Ubungo residents should expect a civilised campaign and a wide range of new things including water accessibility.