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BIO

Colonel Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Kikwete was born October 7, 1950 in Msoga, Bagamoyo District, Tanganyika. 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. 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 nbsp;        Major
1991-Current    Lieutenant colonel
 

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
1995-2005t    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.

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