Zanzibar primaries: Ministers on the brink as CCM incumbents fall out of favour

Unguja. Several Cabinet and deputy ministers risk losing their parliamentary seats following internal Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) primaries in Zanzibar that have proved unforgiving to many incumbents.

The ministers—who include heads of strategic portfolios such as agriculture, infrastructure, and finance—failed to garner majority support from CCM delegates in their respective constituencies, casting doubt on their return to the Zanzibar House of Representatives.

Among the most prominent names affected is Shamata Shaame Khamis, the Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock, who was defeated in Micheweni constituency.

He was outvoted by Dr Hamad Omar Bakari, who secured 270 votes against Shamata’s 236. Other contenders in Micheweni, including Muzdalfa Ahmad Rashid and Khatib Faki Khatib, received only a handful of votes. Out of 520 ballots cast, five were spoiled, with 515 valid.

In Uzini, Deputy Finance and Planning Minister Juma Makungu Juma also failed to win back his position, garnering just 205 votes.

The seat is now likely to go to Badria Masoud Natai, who dominated the primaries with 509 votes. Other candidates, Ali Mood Ali and Zainab Omar Ali, received 89 and 46 votes, respectively.

Nadir Abdulatif Yussuf, Deputy Minister for Works, Communication and Transport, also lost his ground in Chaani, receiving 510 votes compared to 588 for Juma Usonge, the new frontrunner.

While CCM’s top leadership still holds the power to reinstate any of the sidelined candidates, the vote outcomes make such chances increasingly remote.

These three join two other ministers—Shaib Hassan Kaduara (Minister of Water, Energy and Minerals) and Masoud Ali Mohamed (Minister in the President’s Office for Regional Administration, Local Government, and SMZ Special Departments)—who were not even cleared to contest in the primaries.

More incumbents face exit

Beyond the ministerial ranks, several sitting MPs and representatives have failed to retain their appeal among party delegates.

Among them are Abdallah Mwinyi (Mahonda), Ameir Abdalla Ameir (Kwerekwe), Mohamed Ahmada Salum (Malindi), Nassor Salim Ali (Kikwajuni), Rukia Omar Ramadhani (Aman), and Shaaban Waziri (Uzini).

In other cases, sitting MPs were excluded altogether from the nomination process. These include Jamal Kassim Ali (Magomeni), Haji Omar Kheri (Tumbatu), whose slot is now contested by Mohamoud Omar Hamad and Mtumweni Ali Saleh, and Mussa Foum Mussa (Kiwani), replaced by Second Vice President Hemed Suleiman Abdulla.

Also out is Abdulla Khamis Kombo, the outgoing MP for Mkoani and current Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as Miraji Khamis Mussa of Chumbuni.

A message from the grassroots

Political observers in Zanzibar say the results reflect deep voter dissatisfaction and shifting loyalties within CCM’s grassroots base.

“This is still a preliminary process, and the final say rests with the party’s national executive bodies,” said political analyst Ali Makame.

“But the emerging picture is clear—many of those who failed were no longer in touch with their voters or failed to address their constituents’ needs.”

Makame noted that elected officials have a duty during their five-year term to engage with voters, resolve local challenges, and maintain a sense of accountability.

“When they don’t, this is the result—voters speak through the ballot, even within their own party,” he said