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Adeladius Makwega – MBAGALA
Remember that day when Mwanakwetu walked past that white CCM building in Dodoma.
He walked slowly.
His eyes rested on the building.
A white house.
A building with a long and significant history in Tanzania’s politics.
Mwanakwetu remembered two things.
He had already written about the first one in his previous article.
The second one began to occupy his mind.
He asked himself:
“It is a white house. Does that mean the things discussed inside it are also white, simply because of the colour of the building?”
Mwanakwetu smiled slightly.
Then he said to himself:
There are moments in the life of a nation when a small matter can give birth to a very big question.
And today, Tanzania has one question that deserves a clear answer:
Where is Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi?
Since Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi announced his resignation as Vice President and stated that he was retiring from politics and public service, he has not appeared publicly in the way Tanzanians had become accustomed to seeing a leader of such a senior position.
The situation has been reported by various media outlets.
Former Tanzanian Prime Minister Joseph Warioba also said that he had tried to contact Nchimbi without success after his resignation.
But Mwanakwetu does not want to begin with rumours.
He does not want to say what happened to Dr. Nchimbi.
He does not want to claim to know where he is.
He does not want to say that someone has prevented him from appearing in public.
He does not want to claim that anything has been done to him.
These are serious matters.
They require evidence.
But wanting to know where Dr. Nchimbi is is also a legitimate concern.
He is one of us.
He is our fellow citizen.
Mwanakwetu therefore wants to ask just one question:
Why has the nation not been given a clear public explanation concerning a man who served as Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania?
This is not gossip.
It is an issue concerning transparency, leadership, institutions and the confidence of citizens in their Government.
Mwanakwetu asks:
Is it normal for a former Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania to leave office and then disappear completely from public view without a clear explanation concerning his situation?
Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi announced on 25 August 2026 that he had resigned from the position of Vice President. In his statement, he said that he had decided to retire from politics and public service.
After that, the constitutional process for appointing another Vice President was completed, and the new Vice President began official duties at the Office of the Vice President.
The office continued with its normal activities.
But this is where Mwanakwetu puts his pen down for a moment.
He asks:
When, exactly, did Dr. Nchimbi officially hand over the Office of the Vice President?
This is a question that can be answered very easily.
If the handover took place, then we can be told when it happened and according to what procedure.
If it took place without a public ceremony, that too can be explained.
Because a public office does not belong to an individual.
The office of the Vice President does not belong to Dr. Nchimbi.
Nor does it belong to any other individual.
It belongs to the Office of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Mwanakwetu does not want to mix up the issues.
No one is arguing that Government must stop functioning.
No one is arguing that the office of Vice President must remain vacant.
That is not how a government operates.
Mwanakwetu's question is simple:
Are changes in leadership being carried out with the level of transparency that such a high office deserves?
Why should citizens not see the normal process of handing over responsibilities?
Why should we not see an official statement saying:
“Former Vice President Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi has officially handed over the Office of the Vice President.”
If the handover was conducted through another administrative procedure, then that procedure can be explained publicly to remove the questions.
That would remove rumours.
It would reduce uncertainty.
It would answer the questions.
It would help maintain public confidence in the current leadership.
And it would leave this episode in history as an ordinary transition of leadership.
Mwanakwetu believes there is one thing Tanzanians need to understand.
Leaders come and go.
The President leaves.
The Vice President leaves.
The Minister leaves.
The Chief Secretary leaves.
The Regional Commissioner leaves.
The District Commissioner leaves.
Even a village chairman eventually leaves.
But:
The institution remains.
That is why changes in leadership should be carried out in a manner that protects the dignity of the institution.
Dr. Nchimbi entered the position of Vice President through a formal constitutional process.
He succeeded his predecessor through an official handover process.
Therefore, today's question carries even greater weight:
If an office can be formally handed over when one leader takes over, why should citizens not see or receive a clear explanation of how the chapter is closed when that leader leaves?
Mwanakwetu is not talking about an individual here.
He is talking about the institution.
He is talking about procedure.
He is talking about transparency.
He is talking about public confidence.
Because there can be serious consequences when a senior national leader disappears from public view following a major political event.
First, it creates rumours.
Second, it creates anxiety.
Third, it creates room for unverified information to spread.
Fourth, it reduces the transparency citizens expect from their Government.
And fifth, it can affect how citizens interpret the political situation in the country.
Sixth, the ruling party may face questions of public trust when citizens are not given information about an issue that appears important to the functioning of public institutions.
Because official handovers in public offices are not something new.
Even lower-level leaders, when they leave office or are transferred, normally have procedures for handing over responsibilities.
Mwanakwetu therefore asks:
If village leaders, local government officials and leaders of other public institutions can hand over their offices, why should citizens not know what procedure was followed in the Office of the Vice President?
This does not necessarily mean that anyone has bad intentions.
Silence itself can become the source of questions.
And in politics:
Unanswered questions can sometimes have greater consequences than the answer itself.
Mwanakwetu does not want to claim that he knows Dr. Nchimbi's situation, because there is not enough evidence to say so.
He does not want to say that someone has prevented him from appearing in public.
He does not want to claim that anything has been done to him.
These are serious matters.
They require evidence.
But Mwanakwetu has every right to ask:
Is Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi safe?
Where is he?
Why has he not appeared publicly since his resignation?
And why has there been no clear public statement about the handover of the Office of the Vice President?
And if an administrative procedure was followed, why should citizens not be told what that procedure was?
If our children see leaders leaving their positions and then disappearing from public view without sufficient explanation, what will they learn?
That when someone leaves office, the chapter simply closes without explanation?
Or will they learn that:
Power is temporary, but institutions are permanent?
That is the lesson we should leave for them.
Mwanakwetu looks once again at that white building.
He asks himself:
Can that white building be a symbol of transparency in the affairs conducted within it?
Because the colour of a building may be white.
But institutional transparency cannot be measured by the colour of a building.
It is measured by the way an institution responds to its citizens.
Today, the office continues to function.
The officials continue to work.
Government authority continues.
But how was the chapter of the former Vice President closed?
That is the question.
And that question does not require angry answers.
It requires an answer from the Government.
Mwanakwetu does not want to judge Dr. Nchimbi.
He does not want to judge the President.
He does not want to judge the security and defence organs.
He does not want to judge anyone.
He wants to see the institution speak.
He wants to see the procedure explained.
He wants to see citizens respected by being given information.
Because:
A person can leave.
Power can change hands.
Leaders can exchange positions.
But:
The institution must remain.
And the dignity of an institution is built through transparency.
Mwanakwetu turned around and continued on his journey.
But the question remained behind him.
It remained at that white building.
It remained in Dodoma.
It remained with the Government.
It remained with the people.
Where is Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi?
And according to what procedure was the office he left handed over?
Mwanakwetu, are you there?
Remember:
“THE SHADOW OF A STICK CANNOT HIDE A PERSON.”
Have a good day.
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