President John Magufuli has sacked and recalled Tanzanian High Commissioner to Canada Alphayo Kitada. He also disbanded the Cashewnut Board of Tanzania (CBT) as his government struggles with how to safeguard farmers from unsustainably low prices.
The statement issued by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African cooperation, Dr Faraji Mnyepe, on Thursday November 8, also added that Mr Kadata’s diplomatic status has been revoked.
Mr Kidata was appointed Tanzanian High Commissioner to Canada on January 10, this year, after having served shortly as the permanent secretary at State House.
He also served as the Commissioner General of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and permanent secretary at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development.
Mr Kadata becomes the first ambassador to be sacked and having his diplomatic status revoked since the current administration came to office three years ago.
The President also inspected 75 army trucks with a capacity to carry 1,500 tonnes to be deployed to cashew nut growing areas should traders miss a Monday deadline to buy the produce at the government-ordered price of Tsh3,000 ($1.31) per kilogramme.
On Friday, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa issued a four-day ultimatum to traders to declare in writing the amount of cashew nuts they intended to buy this season, or risk their permits being revoked.
In recent board auctions, buyers offered between Tsh1,900 ($0.83) and Tsh2,717 ($1.19) per kg, down from an average of Tsh3,600 ($1.57) last season, which ran between October and September.
The new buying season began this month and CBT had set a minimum price of Tsh1,550 ($0.68) per kg.
Farmers boycotted the regulator’s auctions, prompting President Magufuli’s intervention last week.
He fired the CBT acting director-general, Wakuru Magigi, and held a meeting in State House with traders where he set the $1.31 price per kg.
In the sackings announced Saturday by the presidential spokesman Gerson Msigwa, Dr Magufuli also revoked the appointment of CBT’s chair Anna Abdallah and dissolved the entire board.
The President replaced the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Charles Tizeba with deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Japhet Hasunga.
Industry, Trade and Investment minister, Mr Charles Mwijage, has been replaced by the deputy minister of state in the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government, Mr Joseph Kakunda.
“The President has also appointed Mr Constantine Kanyasu to be the new deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism replacing Mr Hasunga. Former deputy minister for Agriculture Dr Mary Mwanjelwa becomes the new deputy minister of state in the President’s Office responsible for Good Governance,” read the statement signed by Mr Msigwa.
Ukonga MP-elect Mwita Waitara will take up Mr Kakunda’s post, while Mr Innocent Bushungwa replaces Dr Mwanjelwa.
The new ministers and deputy ministers are expected to be sworn-in on Monday.
Article sourced from The East African