President of Tanzania
Colonel Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete President of the
United Republic of Tanzania.
Kikwete was born October 7, 1950 in Msoga, Bagamoyo District, Tanganyika.
Education
He received his primary education at Msoga Primary
School between 1958 and 1961; his middle school education
at Lugoba School from 1962 up to 1965. He then moved from
Lugoba School to Kibaha Secondary School for O-level
education between 1966 to 1969. The following year he
joined Tanga Secondary School for advanced level
education. Kikwete attended the University of Dar es
Salaam from 1972-1978 where he earned a degree in
Economics after which he joined the military.
Military career
In 1983 he attended a one-year Company Commander Course
at the Monduli Military Officers College in
Monduli,
Arusha. Subsqently, he held several posts within the
Tanzanian military as follows:
- 1972 - 1979 Lieutenant
- 1979 - 1984 Captain
- 1984 - 1986 Chief Political Instructor Tanzania
People's Defense Force
- 1984 - 1991 Major
- 1991 - Current - Lieutenant colonel
Political career
Kikwete served as the foreign minister of Tanzania from
1995 when the government of President Benjamin Mkapa took
office. Before that, he served in various posts as
minister before he was officially nominated to be the
ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party's presidential
candidate in the general elections, which were held on 14
December 2005. He won the election and was sworn in as
president.
- 1988 - 1990 Nominated Member of Parliament
- 1988 - 1990 Deputy Minster of Energy
- 1988 - 1990 Member of Parliament for Bagamoyo
District
- 1990 - 1994 Minister of Water, Energy and Minerals
- 1994 - 1995 Minister of Finance
- 1990 - 2005 Elected Member of Parliament for
Chalinze District
- 1995 - 2005 Minister of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation
- 2005 - Current - President of Tanzania (Sworn in on
December 21 2005)
He is the only member of constituency in Bagamoyo
district who represented a constituency for three
consecutive terms. He began as an MP for Bagamoyo and
later for Chalinze when the district was divided into two
constituencies in 1995. Kikwete has managed to distance
himself from allegations of corruption that have dogged
other members of the various cabinets in which he has
served. Kikwete won the Presidential Election by a
landslide, receiving 80.3% of the vote. | 
