Why did Vice president Phillip Mpango call it a day?

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It is now official. Vice President Philip Isdor Mpango‘s retirement means he will not be in the ballot box come the 2025 general elections. The official reason given is that he wants to rest. But is this the real reason that explains his departure from the political scene, or could there be other seminal variables behind his retirement? This article reviews a number of issues that could possibly offer an explanation for why it was decided that it was his time to bid us farewell.

There were times when Philip Isdor Mpango was considered the next ruler of this country. We thought he was a king in waiting but somehow he is now packing for home. 

There could be many more reasons than those cited as official ones why he is closing the curtain. 

We know he has been struggling with health issues for some time now since he succumbed to the Covid-19. He was hospitalized in Dodoma regional hospital, and came out in public in critical condition. We still remember him coughing as he tried to reassure the nation all was well. 

At that time he was not the second in command but was the finance minister under former president Magufuli 

Later, he seemed to have recovered and was going on with his duties uninterrupted then later he disappeared from public without a notice. 

Government media houses tried to maintain an atmosphere of all was well but after he had missed to grace an important occasion the general public suspected something was not right. 

Later, he appeared and mocked those who were giving an ominous prognosis. 

He said he expected to be around for sometime according to his Maker’s wish. Could health issues pushed him to exit the glamour of national politics? It is a real possibility. 

Another angle worthy exploring is the direction of our political predicament. 

Dr. Mpango has remained silent and almost incognito as his juniors upstaged him. 

He was never vocal on controversial issues such as the leasing of Dar-es-Salaam port to DP WORLD. 

Nor did he say anything when what was suspected and perceived as political motivated abductions, torture and murders kept rearing their ugly faces. 

He never commented on anything in public. 

Could his silence have been misinterpreted as a hushed rebuke to what was going on? 

In politics, backbiting is part of the game so can we suspect his political nemesis saw an opportunity to edge him out? 

Did they conspire to push him out of the exit door. Who knows? 

When a national leader like the former vice chairperson of CCM Abdularhman Kinana exited the political scene the official reason was he did that on his own accord, but did he? 

May we leave to body language experts to interpret what they saw in the videos now circulating of Kinana’s reaction no sooner the name of Messr Stephen Wasira was announced to succeed him.

I could be wrong but I saw Kinana shocked, in disbelief and anguished over his replacement. 

Could he have been pushed out too? We may never know what really goes behind the curtain. 

What was officially stated as personal reasons were behind the departure of Dr. Mpango could be a stratagem to obfuscate a major fallout? 

Or could the reasons given be authentic? What about those who have been questioning his citizenship? 

Some X activists claim he is not but have not cited any evidence to close their case against him. 

Most of what they parade as evidence is really hearsay, innuendos and suspicions. Zitto Kabwe who also hails from Kigoma where Dr. Mpango comes, attempted to defend his homeboy. 

Zitto on his X page lamented about the treatment of Tanzanians from border regions. 

He raised vital points that why every time a Tanzanian from border area like former president Benjamin Mkapa and even himself have to prove their citizenship? 

He upbraided a conduct of treating border Tanzanians like second citizens. He said that went against the unity of the nation. 

The problem for Kabwe his unsolicited defense did not go far enough and prove the claims of questionable citizenship. 

The issue of citizenship came to the fore when a top general raised it before president Samia Suluhu Hassan. 

He said it was regrettable that some aliens had infiltrated senior government positions and are in poke position to make major decisions on behalf of the nation. 

President Samia Suluhu Hassan nodded in agreement, and when her turn to speak she capped the same sentiments expressed by the top general. Could they been referring to Dr. Mpango or others? 

Another name that was being mentioned adversely on citizenship issues was the then head of immigration who has been relieved of her duties and replaced by Dr. 

Anna Makakala. She has been assigned an ambassadorial role. Was she moved because of citizenship concerns or on performance ones? I must concede I have no idea. 

However the issue of citizenship morphed during the reign of former president Magufuli who himself was rumoured to be Mrundi. 

Was he intentionally promoting Warundi in the public service because he too was Mrundi? Strangely, most truck drivers from Burundi have been claiming he was their homeboy! 

I have many times tried to get to the bottom of the matter but so far I have hit a brick wall. 

I have been scouring for where Magufuli was born and who was his father without avail. 

Tanzania, may be because land has not yet become a major thorn and divisive issue since it is not scarce, citizenship status is normally taken for granted. 

Seldom a thorough investigation is carried out except if the man of interest rocks the boat CCM politicians happen to fare in. 

Magufuli claimed in 2020 presidential campaign that he was born in Bukoba municipality, and that his mother and himself were chased away by his father. 

This is why they settled in Chato, Biharamulo. He also added when his father had died they came back to bury him. 

Was he his biological father or a mere guardian? But he too fell short of naming his daddy’s name or an exact location of where he was born in Bukoba to facilitate facts verification. 

Given the scanty information he had chosen to divulge about his claims to citizenship it was impossible for me to establish the veracity of his claims. 

Tanzania public administration is confounded with secrecy and what is shared in public often is a part of the indoctrination program to reassure the general public everything is fine. 

But is it? On the real reasons behind the decision of Dr. Mpango not seeking a second term may remain a speculation until one of those who know the intricacies of the matter decides to spill the beans.

As for now we have every reason to embrace the official version of his retirement, and the rest are mere a product of our own fertile imagination.

Explore our comprehensive analysis of CCM vs CHADEMA dynamics in Tanzanian politics.