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Nation marks Uhuru Day in style
2007-12-10 09:06:20
By Guardian Reporters
President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday led the nation in marking mainland Tanzania`s 46th Independence Day anniversary celebrations, held at national level in Dodoma.
Thousands of residents of Dodoma and neighbouring regions braved a morning downpour to join the President and scores of other local and foreign dignitaries in making the occasion a resounding success.
Cabinet ministers and their deputies and other senior government officials were among the VIPs at Jamhuri Stadium for the celebrations.
The stadium, which can accommodate at most 40,000 people, was so packed that the dignitaries had to park their vehicles outside.
The hundreds of people who could not get into the complex witnessed the colourful proceedings from rooftops or tall trees close by.
Guest of Honour President Kikwete entered the stadium at around 10:00 am, later inspected a special parade mounted by members of the armed forces.
Contingents from the Tanzania People`s Defence Forces, National Service, Police Force, Police Field Force Unit, and Prisons Department marched in style to add colour to the occasion, to deafening applause.
The fact that it has been raining heavily in Dodoma for the last two days running was reflected only in the state of the water-logged stadium but it had little impact on the elegance of the parade.
Although there was every indication that many people were eagerly waiting for an official address from the President, no such address was forthcoming.
Most of the municipality was awash with the National Flags, most spectacularly from the imposing National Assembly Hall to Jamhuri stadium.
Also in the stadium were 1,000 secondary school students in T-shirts with the four National Flag colours – black, yellow, blue and green. They too added colour to the event.
Mainland Tanzania, then known as Tanganyika, attained independence from Britain on December 9, 1961.
Mwalimu Julius Nyerere was elected President when Tanganyika became a republic within the Commonwealth exactly a year later.
In 1963 Zanzibar gained independence to become a constitutional monarchy under the Arab sultan. However, a popular January 12, 1964 revolt against the sultan led to the unification of Tanganyika and Zanzibar on April 26, 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
Nyerere was succeeded as President by Ali Hassan Mwinyi in 1985 but retained control of the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) as Chairman until 1990. He then handed over that responsibility too to Mwinyi.
CCM comfortably won the October 1995 multiparty general elections elections and its candidate, Benjamin Mkapa, was subsequently sworn in to succeed Mwinyi as President on 23 November 1995.
Following another landslide victory by CCM in the late 2005 general elections, Jakaya Kikwete assumed power that December as fourth-phase President.
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