‘Women can lead’: Reflecting on President Samia’s first year in power.
By Eric Mattaba
March 2022 marks a year since President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as the president of Tanzania following the death of President John Magufuli. While the nation still reeled from such a blow and the uncertainty that came with it, Tanzania witnessed a smooth transfer of power that was celebrated across the region. Former vice president Samia Suluhu Hassan seamlessly rose to the most powerful position in the country.
President Samia’s political career has been marked by several firsts. First woman vice president, first Zanzibari vice president, first woman president in the country and in East Africa. It is easy to be lost in these analogies, sing their praises and pat ourselves on the back and say we are as progressive as we can be. But we stand at the risk of failing to appreciate what she has strived to achieve in the last year which can speak more to her ability and what kind of leader she is.
The calmness in which the President dealt with the party and how she steered the nation through the grief and laid the former president to rest would count as the first success that cemented her position.
Magufuli’s time as president was a deeply divisive one. While no one would doubt his motivations and patriotic zeal, the methods of achieving his vision and his dislike for being questioned brought heavy repercussions to those who dared to do so. As a result, she inherited a divided political party and a nation looking for a better way of doing things; one that respected fundamental freedoms.
There is always a delicate balance in trying to show strength while depicting stability, especially to a sceptical and divided population. President Samia’s speech during Magufuli's state funeral promised a togetherness of purpose and assured us that the country was in capable hands. To rapturous applause, she said, “to those who are worried if this woman will be able to be President of the United Republic of Tanzania, I want to tell you that the one who stands before you is the president of the United Republic of Tanzania who happens to be a woman.”
Her first speech delivered to the parliament insisted on stability and continuity which gave her time to consolidate her power in the party and the state. She has proceeded to replace the top brass in the party with those loyal to her, leaving the party feeling more secure and confident under her leadership. She immediately changed key government officials, especially those considered key Magufuli loyalists by cleverly shuffling them to appointments and positions that give them little leverage where she can keep a close eye on them.
In her inaugural address, the president also stressed that she and the late president were essentially the same, however, their visions of leading the country cannot be more different. While Magufuli’s strongman tactics were not admired by many, her more diplomatic approach has eased most of the tensions Tanzania has accrued over the last few years. Moves like setting aside COVID denialism have seen the country finally become a part of the COVAX vaccination scheme. President Samia also reversed the policy that barred pregnant teenage girls from returning to school after giving birth; a policy welcomed by many. The President's brand of economic diplomacy has given Tanzania a better standing in trade and investment, an area in which Tanzania lagged in the last few years. Her progressive brand of blending change with continuity has proven impressive.
One of the biggest promises she made when she took office, was that she would ensure women are afforded more positions of leadership by actively advocating for gender equality. Admittedly, changing societal perceptions cannot be done overnight. The president has made some progress by proceeding to increase the number of women in positions of influence. She has appointed a female clerk of the National Assembly, a first for the top executive position. Of the regional administrative secretaries she has appointed, 46% of them are women and of the newly appointed judges, 34% are women. Of even more significance is her cabinet which currently has nine women who are full ministers, an increase from the four ministers in Magufuli’s last cabinet. Something to note in particular is the appointment of Dr Stergomena Tax as the Minister of defence, a position that has always been considered too important to ‘play politics’ with and reserved strictly for men.
The work of dismantling some of the untasteful aspects of the Magufuli years has suffered at an uneven pace. While the release of political prisoners, more tolerance for freedom of expression, lifting of bans on news outlets have all been welcomed, the repressive laws that were used as a crutch for the heinous acts are still in place.
The capture and subsequent charging of the main opposition leader on terrorism charges in July 2021 was met with widespread condemnation. It eroded much of the political capital that the president had garnered, as the charges were widely believed to be a response to the constitution movement/forums organised by the opposition party. The huge following that the case generated exposed the weakness of the case and its laughable pieces of evidence. It was a great lesson in civics - from the different police violations, lack of knowledge of common law among the citizens, the workings of the judiciary system and most importantly, the need for a new constitution. The dismissal of the case seven months later has been welcomed as the beginning of dialogue into better politics but one cannot shake the feeling that this all could have been avoided earlier.
The last year has been greeted with goodwill, it has given us a semblance of the kind of leader President Samia is striving to be. Archie Brown in his book titled The Myth of the Strong Leader describes three categories of leadership; redefining leaders, transformational and revolutionary leaders. While transformative leaders play a decisive role in bringing about systematic change, redefining leaders rewrite the limits of what is possible within politics and bring about political realities.
President Samia, while not a transformer, has definitely redefined the state of Tanzanian politics and governance. She has shown a willingness to work and change how politics can be done with an embracement of freedoms that hint at a leader who is ready to listen. Her mere presence has also worked to spark conversations and change perceptions and narratives on the roles of women. As she said in an interview, she is here to show that women can lead, her conduct and guile have undoubtedly spoken louder than any words can. One can only hope she aspires to be a transformational leader and usher systemic change through constitution reform – something the country desperately needs.
Eric Mattaba is a cofounder of Mediams-Tanzania, an organization that seeks to provide medical aid and education to marginalized communities in the country.
He holds a Masters in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies specializing in social policy.
Eric is passionate about a redefinition of the role of African youth and perceptions of inclusion and participation especially in policy conversations.