By Agaba Abbas

From 1964 to 1985, Mwalimu J.K Nyerere as President of Tanzania laid a strong foundation for the progress and prosperity of TZ. Without any claim of right for his role in the independence and other struggles he paved way for a less known Ali Hassan Mwinyi strategically picked from Zanzibar for the posterity of CMM and the unity and progress of TZ. In fact Mwinyi opened up the seemingly closed TZ to trade and investment opportunities for private players earning him the title of “raisi wa ruksa “

In 1995 the influential (father of the nation) Nyerere stopped an ambitious Jakaya Kikwete to attempt presidency in favour of a little known Benjamin Mpaka to the unanimous agreement of the CMM conference. Ben Mpaka served a ten year tenure indeed rectifying and putting in place a number of things that were not seen by Mwinyi then but deemed necessarily for the country at that time.

This change of leaders included change of teams and key players in the politics of TZ as we see Jakaya Kikwete coming in 2005- 2015. Kikwete’s regime was partly tainted by corruption and this formed the starting point of the no nonsense Magufuli currently revered internationally as an anti-corruption icon.

TZ is a progressive democracy with peaceful transitions from one president (cabinet) to another and the economy is growing. Why doesn’t such transition happen here in Uganda? Escapists will say that is TZ, South Africa, Kenya, China but don’t want to imagine it here in Uganda.

There are both overt and intrinsic values in changing leaders because new leaders apply new solutions to existing and future challenges while long serving leaders become less sensitive to current challenges.

If Nyerere or Mwinyi had chosen to stay forever where would be TZ and would it have the great leaders we profoundly refer to?

For those of us who have been charged with the responsibility to protect this constitution, the time is now to rise up to the occasion for posterity.

The author is Kitagwenda Country MP