Jakaya Kikwete | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Kikwete in January 2011 | |
| 4th President of Tanzania | |
| In office 21 December 2005 – 5 November 2015 | |
| Vice President | Ali Mohamed Shein Mohamed Gharib Bilal |
| Prime Minister | Frederick Sumaye Edward Lowassa Mizengo Pinda |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Mkapa |
| Succeeded by | John Magufuli |
| 6th Chairperson of the African Union | |
| In office 31 January 2008 – 2 February 2009 | |
| Preceded by | John Kufuor |
| Succeeded by | Muammar Gaddafi |
| 11th Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 27 November 1995 – 21 December 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Rwegasira |
| Succeeded by | Asha-Rose Migiro |
| 7thMinister of Finance | |
| In office 7 August 1994 – 2 November 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Kighoma Malima |
| Succeeded by | Simon Mbilinyi |
| Member of Parliament for Chalinze | |
| In office 26 November 1995 – 20 January 2005 | |
| Succeeded by | Ramadhani Maneno |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (1950-10-07)7 October 1950 (age 74) Msoga,Tanganyika Territory |
| Nationality |  Tanzania |
| Political party | CCM(1977–present) TANU(before 1977) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 10 |
| Residence(s) | Msoga,Chalinze District, Tanzania |
| Alma mater | University of Dar es Salaam (BS) |
| Profession | Economist |
| Twitter handle | jmkikwete |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Tanzania |
| Branch/service | Tanzanian Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Uganda–Tanzania War |
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (born 7 October 1950)[1][2] is a Tanzanian politician who was thefourth president of Tanzania, in office from 2005 to 2015.
Prior to his election as president, he was theMinister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2005 under his predecessor, Benjamin Mkapa. He also served as thechairperson of the African Union in 2008–2009 and the chairman of theSouthern African Development Community Troika on Peace, Defence and Security in 2012–2013.
Kikwete was born and raised inMsoga in theChalinze District of Tanzania, in 1950. He is ofKwere heritage.
Between 1959 and 1963, Kikwete attended Karatu Primary School and Tengeru School from 1963 to 1965, both inArusha Region.[3] After Tengeru, Kikwete moved back to home toPwani Region and attended Kibaha Secondary School for his O-levels, which took place between 1966 and 1969.
He then moved toTanga Region, where he studied at the Tanga Technical Secondary School for his advanced level education.[3] He graduated from theUniversity of Dar es Salaam in 1975 with a degree in political science and public relations.[3]
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As a party cadre, Kikwete moved from one position to another in the party ranks and from one location to another in the service of the party. WhenTANU and Zanzibar'sAfro-Shirazi Party (ASP) merged to formChama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in 1977, Kikwete was moved to Zanzibar and assigned the task of setting up the new party's organisation and administration in the islands. In 1980, he was moved to the headquarters as administrator of the Dar es Salaam head office and head of the Defence and Security Department before moving again up-country to the regional and district party offices in Tabora Region (1981–84) and Singida Region and Nachingwea (1986–88) and Masasi District (1988) in the country's southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara respectively. In 1988, he was appointed to join the central government.
In 1994, at 44, he became one of the youngest finance ministers in the history of The United Republic of Tanzania. In December 1995, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, being appointed by PresidentBenjamin William Mkapa of the third phase government. He held this post for ten years, until he was elected President of the United Republic of Tanzania in December 2005, hence becoming the country's longest serving foreign minister. During his tenure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tanzania played a significant role in bringing about peace in the Great Lakes region, particularly in The Democratic Republic OfBurundi and theDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kikwete was also deeply involved in the process of rebuilding regional integration in East Africa. Specifically, several times, he was involved in a delicate process of establishing a customs union between the three countries of theEast African Community (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania), where, for quite some time, he was a chairman of the East Africa Community's Council of Ministers.
Kikwete also participated in the initiation, and became a co-chair, of theHelsinki Process on Globalisation and Democracy. On 4 May 2005, Kikwete emerged victorious among 11 CCM members who had sought the party's nomination for presidential candidacy in the general election. After a 14 December 2005 multiparty general election, he was declared the winner by the Electoral Commission on 17 December and was sworn in as the fourth president of the United Republic of Tanzania on 21 December.
On 26 May 2013, Kikwete said at a meeting of theAfrican Union that if PresidentJoseph Kabila of the DRC could negotiate with theMarch 23 Movement, PresidentYoweri Museveni ofUganda and PresidentPaul Kagame ofRwanda should be able to negotiate with theAllied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda and theDemocratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, respectively. In response, Museveni expressed his willingness to negotiate.[4]
On 31 January 2016, the chairperson of the African Union Commission,Nkosazana Zuma, appointed Jakaya Kikwete the African Union High Representative inLibya. Followingthe crisis in Libya, Kikwete's role is to lead the AU's efforts on achieving peace and stability in Libya. Later that year, he was appointed byUnited Nations Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon to serve as member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.[5] Since 2022, he has been a co-chairing the Commission for Universal Health convened byChatham House, alongsideHelen Clark.[6]
Kikwete is an avid sports enthusiast and played basketball competitively in school. He has been a patron of theTanzania Basketball Federation for the past 10 years.[3] He is married toSalma and they have five children.[3]
As of 4 April 2013, Kikwete was the sixth most followed African leader on Twitter with 57,626 followers.[7]
| Year | Country | Order | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 |  Uganda | _-_ribbon_bar.gif) | Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa (Grand Commander)[8] |
| 2009 |  Comoros |  | Order of the Green Crescent of the Comoros[9] |
| 2009 |  Saudi Arabia |  | Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud[10] |
| 2009 |  Jamaica |  | Order of Excellence[11] |
| 2012 |  Oman |  | Order of Oman (First Class)[12] |
| 2024 | Tanzania | _-_ribbon_bar.png) | Order of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere[13] |
| Year | University | Country | Honour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | University of St. Thomas, Minnesota |  United States | Doctor of Law[25][26] |
| 2008 | Kenyatta University |  Kenya | Doctor of Humane Letters[27] |
| 2010 | Fatih University |  Turkey | Doctorate in International Relations[28] |
| 2010 | Muhimbili University | Tanzania | Doctor of Public Health[29] |
| 2010 | University of Dodoma | Tanzania | Honoris Causa[30] |
| 2011 | University of Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | Doctor of Law[31] |
| 2013 | University of Guelph |  Canada | Doctor of Law[32][33] |
| 2014 | China Agricultural University |  China | Honorary Professor[34][35] |
| 2014 | Nelson Mandela–AIST | Tanzania | Honoris causa[36][37] |
| 2015 | University of Newcastle, New South Wales |  Australia | Doctor of Laws[38] |
| 2016 | Open University of Tanzania | Tanzania | Honorary doctorate in leadership.[39] |
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Data from Wikidata
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