Key parastatal heads axed in Samia's latest reshuffle
Dar es Salaam. Barely two days have passed since President Samia Suluhu Hassan dropped Mr January Makamba and Mr Nape Nnauye from her Cabinet, and the head of state has now dismissed more leaders from various communication institutions in the country.
In a public statement released today, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, by the Acting Directorator of Presidential Communications, Sharifa Nyanga, President Samia made, yet again, changes at the top leadership of some parastatals, affecting the heads of Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL), Tanzania Posts Corporation, and the Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF).
Those dismissed include TTCL Board Chair Zuhura Muro, TTCL Director Peter Ulanga, and Tanzania Posts Corporation Board Chair, retired Brigadier General Yohana Mabongo.
Tanzania Posts Corporation Postmaster General Maharage Chande, UCSAF Board Chair Professor John Nkoma, and UCSAF Chief Executive Officer Justina Mashiba are others affected.
Mr Chande, the former managing director of Tanesco and regional head of MultiChoice Tanzania, was appointed Post Master on September 25, 2023, replacing Macrice Daniel Mbodo.
His position at Tanzania’s power supply company was taken over by Gissima Nyamo-Hanga, who was formerly the executive director of the Rural Energy Agency (REA).
However, Chande’s appointment as postmaster was preceded by a brief appointment as director general of TTCL, a move that was quickly reversed by the president, reinstating Ulanga to his position, and informing the public that the decision to replace Ulanga at TTCL was ill-informed due to knowledge gap about his achievements. She also said that there was a conflict of interest on Mr Chande’s part leading TTCL.
Ulanga, who has also been affected by the latest parastatal reshuffle, previously worked as the Chief Executive Officer at the Universal Communications Service Access Fund. Before joining Universal Communications, he worked at the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority with responsibility for ICT development.
Ms Muro, who has been axed as TTCL board chair, is a private sector veteran, having held different roles such as chairperson of KCB Tanzania Ltd., Mwananchi Communications Ltd., an independent non-executive director of Nation Media Group Ltd., managing director of Kazi Services, the Head of Human Resources at Airtel Tanzania Plc, and managing director at Lindam Group.
