Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed her daughter and son-in-law to prominent government positions in a significant cabinet reshuffle.
In a televised address from Chamwino State House in Dodoma on Monday, November 17, the President announced 27 ministers and 29 deputy ministers. Her daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, will serve as Deputy Minister of Education, while her son-in-law, Mohamed Mchengerwa, has been named Minister of Health. The reshuffle also replaced seven senior officials from the previous cabinet.
Wanu, 43, represents Makunduchi Constituency in Zanzibar, while Mchengerwa, 46, is the lawmaker for Rufiji Constituency in Pwani Region. The new cabinet also features Ridhwani Kikwete, son of former President Jakaya Kikwete, as Minister of Public Service Management and Good Governance. The 46-year-old lawmaker represents Chalinze Constituency in Pwani.
Other appointments include Finance Minister Khamis Mussa Omar, succeeding Mwigulu Nchemba, who was recently appointed Prime Minister, while Mahmoud Thabit Kombo retains his post as Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation. The new cabinet is scheduled to be sworn in on Tuesday.
President Samia’s appointments reflect a broader pattern observed in some African countries, where leaders place family members or close allies in influential government positions. In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni has appointed multiple family members to key roles, including First Lady Janet Museveni as Education Minister and their son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, leading the defence forces. In Rwanda, President Paul Kagame has stated that while his sons serve in the Rwanda Defence Forces, his daughter, Ange Ingabire Kagame, is not being groomed for political office.
