Kijazi retires with fond memories from Tanapa
Retired Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) conservation commissioner, Allan Kijazi (Centre) with his wife, follows proceedings of a farewell party which was organised in his honour by the agency organised . He is flanked by the Chairman of the TANAPA Board of Trustees, Gen (rtd) George Waitara (Left)
What you need to know:
- According to Dr Kijazi, when he moved in to head the conservation entity, in 2011, Tanzania had 14 National Parks, the number has since shot up considerably.
Arusha. Former Commissioner of Conservation for the Tanzania National Parks, Dr Allan Kijazi who is retiring from the public service sector has listed some of the gains made during his tenure, including the establishment of the largest National Park in East Africa.
According to Dr Kijazi, when he moved in to head the conservation entity, in 2011, Tanzania had 14 National Parks, the number has since shot up considerably.
“We now have a total of 22 National Parks, including Nyerere, which is the biggest in the country and the entire East African Region,” he said.
Also read: Tanapa to introduce 3 national parks
The park, established in November 2019, after being annexed from the Selous Game Reserve, measures more than 30,000 square kilometers.
The other National Parks established during the time when Kijazi was in charge include Gombe and Saa-Nane that were gazetted in 2013. Then there is Kigosi, Ugalla River, Burigi-Chato, Ibanda-Kyerwa and Rumanyika-Karagwe that were established in 2019.
Speaking during his farewell party in Arusha, Dr Kijazi said he had served under the tenure of three different heads of state, including President Jakaya Kikwete, who appointed him in 2011 to be the Director General of Tanapa, replacing Gerald Bigurube.
The late John Magufuli, in addition to keeping Kijazi as the Head of all National Parks in the country, promoted him to be Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
On the other hand, President Samia Suluhu appointed Dr Kijazi to be the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements, the post which he held until his recent retirement from civil service.
The Tanapa Chairperson of Board of Trustees, General (Retired) George Waitara said Dr Kijazi had successfully steered the organization from its former civilian type of management into the current paramilitary mode of conservation.
“And it was all possible due to cooperation accorded to him by his own staff, Tanapa management as well as senior government officials,” said General Waitara during the ceremony which was held in Arusha.
