There is something fishy and sinister about Tanzania that the outside world doesn’t know. Look at how the presidents of the East African Community ascended to power. Almost each of them has a tainted past except Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete. Two of the region’s presidents came to power by the barrel of the gun. The rest had election disputes that cost lives.
Although Tanzania is seen as an ideal example in the region, the truth says otherwise, the country has been good at exporting a very positive picture compared to what she actually is. Many people wrongly think that there are no classes in Tanzania as it is in Kenya.
While the outside sees “ndugu” [brother] in Tanzanians, it is oblivious of the fact that things have changed. Tanzanian is now a ‘man-eat-man’ society, a label that the founding father of Tanzania, the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere labeled Kenya. 
In 1995, Kikwete took a shot at presidency but Mwalimu Julius Nyerere shot him down saying he was but an apprentice who needed to mature and then aim at the position. After the death of Nyerere in 1999 came a golden chance for Kikwete. Supported by his tainted predecessor Benjamin Mkapa who was desperate after abusing the economy of the country, Kikwete clinched the presidency after allegedly  robbing the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) of more than $ 130,000,000 under the scheme that later was known as External Payment Arrears (EPA) account  or EPA scandal. In 2001 the general secretary of Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) the main opposition party, Dr Wilbrod Slaa openly accused Kikwete and Mkapa of robbing the public coffers. As it was for Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing scandals in Kenya, nobody has ever been prosecuted for this grand scam.
In 2008, once again, Kikwete was exposed after another multibillion scandal- Richmond under which a cabal of high and mighty ushered in a bogus company that ended up raking billions of Tanzania shillings for just doing nothing except to dine and wine with the mighty.The parliament of Tanzania expelled the Prime minister, Edward Lowassa after he was implicated in this scandal although he openly admitted pointed fingers at Kikwete. The parliamentary select committee found that Lowassa helped Richmond to secure a tender of supplying emergency power to the country while it had no capability and qualification. To make matters worse, the committee found that Lowassa broke the law to see to it that the company secured the tender.
This Month [May], the parliament subjected the government to pressure after finding that many ministries swindled billions of shillings. Six ministries committed sacrilege according the report by Controller Audit General (CAG). Kikwete did not bother to once again sacrifice his four ministers and two deputies to save his face and government.
Tanzania is endowed with vast land and natural resources that are being mismanaged by regime after regime. It came to light recently that over 130 live animals were illegally ferried out of the country through Kilimanjaro International Airpot (KIA). If such huge animals like giraffe can be hauled while authorities, as they said, were not aware, what of drugs? Is the region safe with such a neighbor or partner? To crown it all, recently, one brother of  a famous and influential businessman linked to almost all scams-Rostam Aziz, was arrested with tons of cocaine. The court hurriedly exonerated him even though his conspirators are still facing the charge. Thanks to mismanagement of resources such as gold and tanzanite, Tanzanians are foundering every time while their rulers are prospering even more.
When Kiwete came to power, Tanzania’s external debt was $6,103,822,000. The national debt has almost doubled just within six years that Kikwete has been in power. Again, under his rule, Tanzanians have a phobia of their neighbors in the East African Community. This is because they think that their rulers can’t defend their interests.
Tanzania’s rulers must urgently work at redeeming the country’s image and take proactive steps to make both its citizenry and regional neighbors proud of it. It makes little sense for a country endowed with tremendous physical and intellectual resources to wallow in socio-economic retrogression.
Source: The African Executive Magazine May 16, 2012.