JK's sh8b retirement package

Dar es Salaam. In two years’ time, President Jakaya Kikwete will join the ranks of Africa’s former heads of state and be eligible for the Sh8 billion retirement bounty that eluded his predecessor Benjamin William Mkapa.

Considered a “dream send-off” for elected presidents who impacted positively on their nations, The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership will be the icing on the cake should Mr Kikwete scoop the award.

The President will step down in 2015 after two five-year terms and qualify to compete for the prize that comes with a Sh320 million ($200,000) cheque every year.

In its seventh year now, the prize is the biggest financial reward ever to an outgoing chief executive of a country.It was launched in 2006 by billionaire businessman Mo Ibrahim to promote democracy and good governance on the continent.

Since its inception, only three former presidents--Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Festus Mogae of Botswana and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde have bagged the prize. Former President Benjamin Mkapa missed out in the first three years after his retirement in 2005 and is now time barred.

On Monday, a panel of seven judges failed, for the second consecutive year, to award the prize as the contenders did not meet the criteria. It was the fourth time that a winner was not declared.

The prize committee that included former Tanzania premier and AU secretary-general Salim Ahmed Salim and Graca Machel--wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela--urged sitting heads of state to raise their game.

Tanzania’s record in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance has fluctuated over the years but appears to have taken a sharp decline this year, slumping seven places to its worst performance at number 17. In 2012, the country was ranked 10th while it was 13 in 2011.

Past winners continue to top the chart except Mozambique, which was ranked 20. Botswana is second and Cape Verde third. Mauritius tops the chart, with the Seychelles and South Africa completing the top five. At number 15, Rwanda is the best placed of the EAC countries.

Dar dropped vital points in all criteria except human development, dampening President Kikwete’s chances of becoming the first leader from the East African Community to win the coveted prize.

Tanzania scored poorly in sustainable economic opportunity, safety and rule of law and participation and human rights. Sub-categories addressed under the economy were public management, business environment, infrastructure and the rural sector.

Economic opportunity for Tanzanians shrunk between 2011 and 2013, with poor infrastructure (32.7 per cent) accounting for the biggest drop. It was followed closely by accountability (42.1 per cent), education (47.6 per cent), human rights (50.2 per cent) and personal safety (50.5 per cent).

It did well in national security (87.5 per cent), health (74.5 per cent), gender (70 per cent) and participation (63.8 per cent).

With only two IIAGs to his retirement, the question is: What should pre-occupy President Kikwete most to secure his legacy? Political pundits and analysts told The Citizen on Sunday that there was still time for the President to put his act together and finish on a high note.

According to Prof Humphrey Moshi, a senior economics lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, it is not a matter of debate that more resources and energy should be directed to overhauling the infrastructure. “With many unpaved rural roads, constant power outages, a dilapidated central railway line and the troubled Air Tanzania, the data from the Ibrahim index is nothing but a rude reminder to the President,” Prof Moshi said in an interview.

While much of the national highways have been tarmacked, the university don said, the collapse of the railway system negates those results. He was unable to tell whether President Kikwete stands a chance of winning the Mo Ibrahim billions but believes the constitutional review process could be a game changer.

“If the new constitution captures national aspirations and is promulgated before the 2015 General Election as he has promised, I can see that giving him invaluable credit in the competition,” said Prof Moshi.

According to the executive director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), Dr Helen Kijo-Bisimba, Tanzania should strive to improve its record because, while it is ahead of many other countries, the situation on the ground is still “demanding”.

“We have experienced a rise in mob justice, extra-judicial killings, kidnaps and torture of civilians,” Dr Bisimba said. “Yet little action has come from the government to deal with the situation.”

The ban on some newspapers also did not augur well for the President, she added. “We still have oppressive laws that deny citizens their basic right to information but the President has been silent on this and many other human rights abuses,” she added. “It is such things that stand between President Kikwete and the Ibrahim prize.”

Mr Semkae Kilonzo, the coordinator at Policy Forum Tanzania--a network of over 100 policy and advocacy NGOs--said public participation in matters of governance is still largely “cosmetic”.

“President Kikwete should reverse the trend to stand a good chance,” said Mr Kilonzo. “We know the competition is stiff and standards high, but it is possible.”

Other African leaders likely to line up for the award in the near future are Pierre Nkurunzinza of Burundi (2015), Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (2016), Yayi Boni of Benin (2016) and Paul Kagame of Rwanda (2017).

The 2013 IIAG has been calculated using data from 32 independent sources including AfDB, UNICEF and WHO.