Tanzania ruling party Vice Chairperson Kinana resigns

Dar es Salaam. CCM's Vice Chairperson, Abdulrahman Kinana, has resigned from his position following the acceptance of his request by the party's Chairperson and President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan.

This announcement was made in a statement issued on July 29, 2024, by CCM's Secretary for Ideology, Publicity, and Training, Amos Makala, who noted that Kinana had written a letter seeking to step down.

In her response, CCM Chairperson Samia said, "It is true that when I asked you to assist us in the position of Vice Chairperson, I promised that you would serve for a short period as requested. I truly wanted you to continue assisting us, but since you have insisted and a promise is a debt, I must accept your resignation with a heavy heart."

Kinana was appointed CCM's Vice Chairperson in April 2022, succeeding Philip Mangula. He had previously served as the party's Secretary General but resigned in 2018 under the leadership of President John Magufuli.

His resignation comes less than a week after the president sacked two high-profile ministers and long-term CCM cadres. 

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This is not the first time that Kinana is stepping down from a top leadership role within the ruling party.

However, when he stepped down in 2018, he was quoted saying that he was only stepping down as Secretary General and not a party member, and so he would still remain active in party politics. That resignation happened two years before the 2020 polls. 

His latest resignation comes just a year before the 2025 General Election, where Samia is seeking a second term in office and her first term as an elected Head of State. It also comes amidst a consistent reshuffle of cabinet members.

After accepting his resignation letter, Samia said that the party will continue to borrow a leaf of wisdom from Kinana's experience whenever the need arises.