NATIONAL Assembly yesterday resolved to temporarily invoke House Standing Orders to allow the body of former Speaker Samuel Sitta into the debating chamber for last respects today.
The former speaker and cabinet member
died on the wee hours of Monday at the Technical University Hospital in
Munich, Germany, where he had been flown for medical treatment.
In reminiscence of his unparallelled
contributions and outstanding leadership, the Speaker of the National
Assembly, Mr Job Ndugai, said the House is set to give the fallen
speaker a befitting goodbye.
He said the last respects paying session
will be beamed live in honour of Sitta, the brainchild behind the
introduction of live coverage of parliamentary sessions.
"The late Sitta did a lot to this
country. He did exemplary work for this Parliament during his
leadership. We are going to give him the respect he deserves," Mr Ndugai
told parliamentarians, adding that the body is expected at Dodoma
Airport from Dar es Salaam at around 2pm and thereafter driven straight
to the Parliament premises.
The Parliament Office will pick ten
Members of Parliament (MPs), led by the speaker, to represent the House
at the burial ceremony scheduled for tomorrow at his birthplace - Urambo
District in Tabora Region.
The late Sitta was first elected MP for
Urambo Constituency in 1975 and went on to serve in different political
and leadership positions until he voluntarily quit active politics last
year.
Known for his 'Speed and Standard'
catchphrase, he will be mostly remembered for his five years of steering
the ninth Parliament between 2005 and 2010 and his leadership when he
chaired the Constituent Assembly that came up with the proposed draft
constitution that awaits the referendum.
He also served the nation as Minister for Transport and Minister for East African Cooperation, before quitting politics.
The Minister of State in the Prime
Minister's Office -Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and
People with Disability, Ms Jenista Mhagama, announced the temporal
invoking of the House Orders to allow the body and 12 relatives to enter
into the National Assembly.
Sitta's body arrived at Julius Nyerere
International Airport (JNIA) at around 3pm yesterday ahead of its burial
tomorrow. Vice-President, Ms Samia Suluhu Hassan, was among government
officials, political party leaders and mourners who received the casket
bearing the body of the Speaker of the Ninth Parliament and Chairman of
Constituent Assembly.
Other government officials present were
Chief Secretary (CS), Ambassador John Kijazi, Minister for Health,
Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ummy Mwalimu,
Minister of State in the President's Office, Public Service Management
and Good Governance, Angela Kairuki and Minister for Foreign Affairs and
East African Cooperation, Dr Augustine Mahiga.
Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Spokesperson
Christopher Ole Sendeka and Civic United Front (CUF) leader Professor
Ibrahim Lipumba were among political leaders at the airport.
Ms Suluhu, who assisted Sitta as the
Vice-Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly, described her former boss
as an exemplary leader who did not give up easily in pursuit of
fairness.
Prof Lipumba termed the late Sitta as a
democratic champion who stood for fair grounds despite coming from the
ruling party, adding the former speaker spearheaded the war against
corruption.
Meanwhile, President John Magufuli
yesterday led hundreds of mourners in Dar es Salaam to pay last respects
to former cabinet member and long serving Mufindi MP Joseph Mungai.
The late Mungai died suddenly on Tuesday
evening at 73 after abruptly falling ill and will be laid to rest
tomorrow afternoon at his home village in Iringa region's Mufindi
District. Mungai's son, Jimmy, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that his
father had complained about stomachache before he started vomiting
continuously.
He was rushed to Lancaster Hospital at
Oysterbay where he was referred to Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) but
died on the way. Other government officials who paid last respects to
Mungai at Karimjee grounds in Dar es Salaam were retired President
Benjamin Mkapa, former Vice-President Mohamed Gharib Bilal, former First
Lady Salma Kikwete and Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM)’s Vice -Chairman
Philip Mangula, among others.
Foreign Affairs and East African
Cooperation Minister, Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, said Mungai will be
remembered for his immense contributions to community development
activities.
“Together with her wife, they have built
various schools in Mafinga that are benefiting community members in the
region,” he said. Dr Mahiga said the late Mungai taught other leaders a
true meaning of being a leader, saying leadership skills should not be
taken for granted, but should be well interpreted to benefit those
around.
Born in 1943, Mungai who is survived by a
widow and seven children, served as MP for Mufindi for 35 years and
held various cabinet positions in both four government phases. He was
agriculture minister (1972-75 and 1980-82) under former President Julius
Nyerere. In November 2000, he was appointed minister for Education and
Culture by former President Benjamin Mkapa.
In October 2006 to February 2008 he
served as Minister for Home Affairs under Jakaya Kikwete. The late
Mungai was a graduate of Colorado University and Harvard University with
a Master of Public Administration. Speaking on behalf of the family,
George Mungai said it was a pride to have many people who consoled and
helped them to arrange the burial ceremony.
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