Dar es Salaam. Nzega Rural MP (Chama cha Mapinduzi – CCM), Dr Hamis Kigwangalla has claimed that he and his close associates are receiving threats following his interview with The Chanzo, where he accuses several unnamed officials of embezzlement and corruption.
In an interview, aired on January 12, 2024, the host Jenerali Ulimwengu asked Mr Kigwangalla why there seems to be a huge gap between leaders and the people they represent.
Kigwangalla responded by saying this is something that needs a national reflection as the situation may become worse. It was at this moment when the outspoken lawmaker gave an example of un-named corrupt officials within the government and his party.
“Now you hear stories of leaders buying properties worth US$6,000,000 in Masaki [and] Oysterbay,” Mr Kigwangalla said during the interview. “I have been a minister for five years, and I ask myself, a leader who is not a businessperson, how does he or she afford a property worth US$6,000,000 in Masaki?”
“I have also been reliably informed that somebody has bought a property in [Dubai’s] Palm Jumeirah worth US$10 million,” the MP added. “So now you remain with questions about where this leader got this amount of money?”
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The interview circulated widely on social media platforms, driving conversations around ethical leadership and integrity and the government’s commitment to combatting corruption in the country.
But now Mr Kigwangalla has come forward claiming that the remarks are causing him some trouble, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that some people have tipped him on surveillance carried out against him.
“I have been told that I am being followed, I don’t know for what purpose, but I believe I am safe,” Mr Kigwangalla wrote on Friday.
“For those who are asking, don’t be worried. If I am called in by the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), the Ethics Committee, or the Police it’s not strange, those are safe places.
“My close associates have been receiving threats from people who they cannot disclose, indicating that I’m being followed. I am just surprised and also shocked, I have no enmity with anyone, and I haven’t mentioned anyone.
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“Trying to silence me won’t help because if you think I know something that I haven’t said, know that there are other people who know too,” explained Kigwangalla, who once served as the Minister of Tourism and Natural Resources.
Accountability
In the interview with The Chanzo, Kigwangalla emphasised that there is a need to build institutions to ensure accountability in the country, identifying freedom of speech as an important part of such a process.
On Friday, the lawmaker reiterated this call, writing on X: “When I spoke about the need to strengthen accountability systems and oversight of public resources, I had no intention of mentioning anyone. I just wanted to express my opinion on the importance of strengthening accountability systems and institutions as a nation; including financial systems or institutions and political systems or institutions.”
In a series of posts on X, Kigwangalla explained that while legal apparatus can compel him to disclose the name of the culprits, he insinuated that he would not be ready to disclose the names, saying he’s ready to face the consequences for that decision.“For instance, if someone decides to mention names [of corrupt officials], will they be safe?” he questioned. “Will our accountability institutions find evidence? Something is not right, and it certainly not me, it is our institutional system, and it does not provide an easy opportunity for wrongdoers to be held accountable. We need reforms.”
