Dar es Salaam. Abdul Juma Mluya, the Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate in the 2025 General Election, presents himself as a leader with solutions rooted in the lives of ordinary Tanzanians and a vision that extends to the diaspora.
His journey from CCM youth member to DP chairman has been long, determined and, at times, defiant.
In 1995, tensions within Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) ran high as the party prepared to choose its flagbearer.
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete led in the third round of voting at the National Congress but was forced into a run-off against Benjamin Mkapa after failing to secure 50 percent of the votes, even though the party constitution did not require it.
Mr Mkapa eventually won. Many CCM members, especially the youth, felt Kikwete had been denied victory. While Kikwete conceded and urged his supporters to back Mkapa not everyone accepted his decision.
However, the decision earned him praise from elders, including Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and then-President Ali Hassan Mwinyi. Among them was Abdul Juma Mluya, who was convinced Kikwete had been wronged. Refusing to remain in CCM, he defected, beginning a political journey that would eventually see him lead the Democratic Party.
Political journey
Mr Mluya’s involvement in politics dates back to 1986, when at the age of 12 he joined the CCM Youth League (UVCCM). He received his full CCM membership card in 1992.
But after the 1995 congress that endorsed Mkapa, he turned away from CCM and joined Chama cha Wananchi (CUF), officially receiving his membership card in 1996.
By 1998, CUF’s late Secretary-General Shaban Mloo had appointed him to a special task force preparing for the 2000 General Election.
Mr Mluya also established CUF’s “Mapambano Branch” in Vingunguti, Ilala, Dar es Salaam, which became the eighth branch officially registered since the party gained permanent registration in January 1993.
He chaired the branch between 2000 and 2001, later stepping aside but remaining its patron until 2012, when he defected to the Democratic Party.
That move came after the late DP chairman Christopher Mtikila instructed the party’s then-Operations Secretary, Ernest Gamba, to persuade Mluya to join. Out of respect for Mtikila, Mluya agreed and received his DP membership card from the chairman himself.
Soon after, he was appointed DP Secretary for Economy and Planning. In the same year, he led the party’s campaign in the Arumeru East parliamentary by-election, where DP’s candidate Mohamed Mohamed finished fourth.
Later that year, he contested for the position of DP Deputy Secretary-General for Mainland Tanzania and won, serving for six years until 2018.
He then rose to the post of Secretary-General, where he served for seven years. On July 26, 2025, Mr Mluya was elected DP Chairman, cementing his place as the party’s new face.
Priorities for Tanzania
Mr Mluya says his politics are grounded in the struggles of ordinary citizens. If elected president, his first priority will be to address the challenges faced by low-income Tanzanians.
He has pledged to make healthcare his number one agenda, arguing that no government can prosper without a healthy population.
His vision is for reliable, accessible, and affordable medical services.
Education reform also ranks high on his list. For Mr Mluya, the problem is not access but the system itself.
He promises to overhaul the structure to create an education framework capable of liberating future generations.
Agriculture and livestock, which he describes as the backbone of the economy, will receive strong government support.
He also pledges to strengthen infrastructure by linking every district and region, fight corruption, and entrench good governance under the rule of law.
On the constitution
Unlike other leaders calling for a “new constitution”, Mr Mluya advocates for what he terms a “better constitution”. He pledges to initiate a thoughtful process to deliver one that addresses the needs of the present while safeguarding future generations.
He places special emphasis on Tanzanians in the diaspora, describing them as an underutilised national resource. Many, he notes, face difficulties investing back home due to restrictive citizenship laws.
Mr Mluya vows to push for constitutional and legal reforms to allow dual citizenship, enabling Tanzanians abroad to contribute fully to national development.
“The diaspora must be free to invest in their motherland,” he insists.
Other pledges
He promises tax reforms to ease the burden on ordinary citizens and says local contractors will be prioritised in government tenders.
Where foreign contractors are necessary, they will be required to partner with locals, ensuring money circulates within Tanzania.
Family and background
Mr Mluya is married to Zaitun Kome, and together they have three sons: Juma, Ibrahim, and Jamal.
He was born on November 24, 1974, in Yerayera village, Uyumbu ward, Usoke division, Urambo District, Tabora Region.
He is the eldest of seven children of Juma Mrisho Mluya, a former railway station master, and Halima Mustafa Komba.
His father died in 1987, while his mother is still alive.
Politics runs in his family. His grandfather, Ramadhan Juma Mluya, was a member of the CCM National Executive Committee (NEC) and chaired the party’s rural Tabora District Secretariat.
Another grandfather, Ali Juma Mluya, sought CCM’s nomination for Morogoro Urban in 1995. His younger brother, Mohamed Juma Mluya, is the CCM Publicity Secretary in Vingunguti Ward, Ilala.
Education and public service
Mr Mluya began his primary education in 1982 at Boma Primary School in Korogwe, Tanga, completing it in 1988.
He attended Ifunda Technical Secondary School in Iringa from 1989 to 1992, earning his O-Level certificate.
He later trained in electrical engineering at Ihemi Frontline Youth College in Iringa and pursued short leadership and patriotism courses at the National Defence College.
In 2022, he served on the presidential task force that reviewed the political landscape and recommended reforms to strengthen democracy.
He also chaired the Political Parties Council’s Parliament and Politics Committee, serving until 2025.
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