Hello

Your subscription is almost coming to an end. Don’t miss out on the great content on Nation.Africa

Ready to continue your informative journey with us?

Hello

Your premium access has ended, but the best of Nation.Africa is still within reach. Renew now to unlock exclusive stories and in-depth features.

Reclaim your full access. Click below to renew.

Tanzania’s ruling party picks veteran Wassira as deputy chair

New CCM vice-chair Stephen Wassira speaks after being named to the position on January 18, 2025.

What you need to know:

  • Born in Bunda, Mara region in July 1945, Wassira has been involved in CCM politics since 1975, when he was first appointed by President Julius Nyerere as Mara regional commissioner at the age of 30.

Tanzania’s ruling party CCM on Thursday named veteran Stephen Wassira as its new vice-chairperson for the Mainland. The 80-year-old former Cabinet minister will be President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s righthand man in planning for the general election due in October.

Wassira, a longstanding CCM member, with over half a century of experience in party and government affairs, was unveiled to delegates at the party’s extraordinary general assembly, which began in Dodoma on Saturday.

He had been nominated on Friday by the party’s top decision-making organ, the Central Committee, in a closed session. The endorsement by the estimated 2,000 assembly delegates was expected to be a formality on January 18.

Wassira is a surprise choice to fill the vacancy left by Abdulrahman Kinana, who resigned abruptly in July last year. The new Mainland vice-chair trashed pre-meeting predictions that had touted former prime minister Mizengo Pinda as the most likely candidate.

Wasirra will be President Samia's principal adviser, along with Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi, who is vice-chair for the semi-autonomous archipelago. Their primary duty will be to lead CCM's campaign to maintain its grip on domestic politics in the election later this year.

Born in Bunda, Mara region in July 1945, Wassira has been involved in CCM politics since 1975, when he was first appointed by President Julius Nyerere as Mara regional commissioner at the age of 30.

His resume also includes stints as a minister in several capacities in the regimes of Nyerere, Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Jakaya Kikwete.

And, despite often being in and out of government and spending long periods of time on the sidelines, he has remained a wily operator within the inner workings of a party, which is susceptible to regular factional splits behind its facade of secretiveness.

This streetwise reputation appears to have been a major factor in his latest nomination, as it could prove valuable for President Samia's bid to retain control of the party she leads, even as she eyes an extension of her incumbency for another five years to 2030.

The CCM assembly was set to continue until Sunday, with other items on the agenda including a review of the party’s progress in implementing its manifesto from the last general election in 2020.