By Brian Okoth
Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who served as Tanzania's second president from 1985 to 1995, died on Thursday. He was 98.
Condolence messages paint a picture of a president who reformed Tanzania at a time his input was significantly needed.
Mwinyi died of lung cancer during treatment at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Tanzania's commercial hub Dar es Salaam, President Samia Suluhu Hassan said.
Mwinyi is credited with transforming the East African nation, turning its economy around, and introducing multi-party democracy.
Julius Nyerere, Tanzania's first president, who served from 1964 to 1985, handpicked Mwinyi to succeed him after his voluntary retirement in October 1985.
'Mr Permission'
Prior to ascending to the seat of President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mwinyi was the president of the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar and Tanzania's vice president.
Largely unsuccessful socialist experiments called "ujamaa" – to mean familyhood – had left Tanzania's economy in a precarious position.
Ujamaa entailed creation of a one-party state, nationalisation of key economic sectors, and establishment of collective farming villages.
Mwinyi reversed the socialist policies introduced during Nyerere's rule, a move that turbocharged Tanzania's economic recovery.
The head of state removed restrictions on private enterprise and made the import process a lot easier. As a result, Tanzanians gave him the nickname Mzee Rukhsa, a Swahili phrase to mean "Mr Permission."
Political journey
Mwinyi was born on May 8, 1925 in the district of Mkuranga, near the city of Dar es Salaam. His parents' native home was Zanzibar, where he spent a better part of his youth.
From 1954 to 1956, he pursued a diploma in education at the Dublin Institute of Adult Education in Ireland. He then returned to Tanzania and taught at several primary schools in Zanzibar.
His father had hoped he would become a religious leader, but his destiny took a different path.
Mwinyi's journey to politics can be traced back to 1964. He held several ministerial positions, including in the home affairs, health, and natural resources dockets.
From 1977 to 1982, he served as Tanzania's ambassador to Egypt.In 1984, he was elected the president of Zanzibar, and when Nyerere retired the following year, Mwinyi took over.
Lung cancer
In early 1992, Mwinyi opened up room for multi-party democracy in Tanzania, and allowed opposition parties to field candidates in subsequent elections.
After retiring from politics in 1995 – and handing over power to Benjamin Mkapa – Mwinyi kept a low public profile, living with his family in Dar es Salaam.
His legacy was blighted by claims of corruption, especially towards the end of his rule.
Mwinyi was a teacher in his early career. He married Siti Mwinyi in 1960 and had 12 children.
Though Mwinyi shares a name with the current president of Tanzania, he and Samia Suluhu Hassan are not siblings.
President Suluhu announced that Mwinyi had been receiving treatment for lung cancer since November 2023.
Seven days of national mourning have been declared in Tanzania, with Mwinyi's burial planned for March 2nd in Zanzibar.
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