Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed her daughter and son-in-law to key posts in her new Cabinet. In a televised speech from Chamwino State House in Dodoma on Monday, Samia announced a reshuffled team featuring 27 ministers and 29 deputy ministers.
Her daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, has been named the Deputy Minister of Education, while Wanu’s husband, Mohamed Mchengerwa, was appointed Minister for Health. The reshuffle led to the removal of seven senior officials from the previous Cabinet.
Wanu, 43, serves as the Member of Parliament for Makunduchi Constituency in Zanzibar, and her husband, aged 46, represents Rufiji Constituency in Tanzania’s Pwani Region.
Also joining the Cabinet is Ridhwani Kikwete, son of former President Jakaya Kikwete, who was appointed Minister of Public Service Management and Good Governance in the President’s Office. Ridhwani, 46, is a CCM lawmaker representing Chalinze in Pwani Region. His father, the fourth president of Tanzania, is widely credited with supporting Samia’s rise to the presidency.
Other notable appointments include Khamis Mussa Omar as Minister of Finance, replacing Mwigulu Nchemba, who became Prime Minister the previous week. Mahmoud Thabit Kombo retains his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation. The newly appointed Cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday morning.
Samia’s recent appointments mirror a broader trend across Africa, where leaders often appoint family members and close allies to influential government positions.
In neighboring Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni’s Cabinet includes several family members: First Lady Janet Museveni is Minister of Education, their daughter Natasha serves as Private Secretary in State House, and their son General Muhoozi Kainerugaba leads the country’s defense forces. Museveni’s son-in-law Odrek Rwabogo and siblings Salim Saleh and Shedreck Nzaire also hold key advisory roles.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, General Muhoozi’s father-in-law, served in Museveni’s Cabinet for two decades until his retirement in 2020.
In Rwanda, meanwhile, President Paul Kagame recently denied claims that he is grooming his daughter, Ange Ingabire Kagame, to succeed him. Speaking at last week’s 18th Unity Club meeting in Kigali, Kagame stressed that neither he nor his children are entitled to preferential treatment. He urged that all citizens should have the freedom to pursue their own aspirations. Referring to his daughter’s recent appointment as Deputy Executive Director of the Strategy and Policy Council in the President’s Office, Kagame remarked, “The girl you said I want to make president might not even want to be one.”
