Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed her own daughter to the Cabinet, as well as the daughter’s husband.
Samia named 27 ministers and 29 deputy ministers in a televised address on Monday from Chamwino State House, Dodoma, appointing the daughter Wanu Hafidh Ameir, as Deputy Minister of Education.
Wanu’s husband Mohamed Mchengerwa, was named as the new Minister for Health in the changes that saw seven senior officials, who served in the previous cabinet, lose their jobs.
Wanu, 43, is the Member of Parliament for Makunduchi Constituency in the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, while her husband, 46, is also the Member of Parliament for Rufiji Constituency in the country's Pwani Region.
Tanzania's former President Jakaya Kikwete's son, Ridhwani Kikwete, has also been appointed minister in charge of Public Service Management and Good Governance in the President’s office.
Ridhwani Kikwete, 46, is also a lawmaker of the CCM party, representing the coastal constituency of Chalinze located in Pwani Region. His father, Jakaya, the fourth president of Tanzania, is credited with pushing Samia to the helm of CCM and eventually the presidency.
Khamis Mussa Omar was appointed as the new minister for finance, succeeding Mwigulu Nchemba, who assumed the position of Prime Minister last week, while Hassan confirmed that Mahmoud Thabit Kombo will continue serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.
The new Cabinet will be sworn in on Tuesday morning.
Samia’s latest appointments reflect a similar trend in the continent where presidents chose to fill close family members and relatives of key backers in their cabinet.
In neighbouring Uganda, Yoweri Museveni has had several family members and relatives in Cabinet, including the First Lady Janet Museveni as minister for education, and their daughter Natasha works in State House as Private Secretary.
The president’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugab,a is the country’s head of defence forces, while Museveni’s son-in-law Odrek Rwabogo serves as a presidential advisor. Rabwogo is married to Patience Museveni.
The head of state’s younger brother, General Caleb Akandwanaho, popularly known as Salim Saleh, serves as a presidential advisor, having previously served as minister, while their stepbrother Shedreck Nzaire, is also an advisor on defence matters.
General Muhoozi’s father-in-law Sam Kutesa once served in Museveni’s Cabinet as Foreign Affairs Minister for two decades until his retirement four years ago.
In neighbouring Rwanda, President Paul Kagame was forced to clarify that he is not grooming his daughter, Ange Ingabire Kagame, to succeed him.
Speaking at the 18th Unity Club meeting in Kigali last week, Kagame said neither he nor his children is entitled to special treatment, emphasising that all Rwandans should be free to chart their own paths.
He noted that his daughter’s appointment as Deputy Executive Director of the Strategy and Policy Council in the President’s Office should not be misconstrued as political grooming, adding, “The girl you said I want to make president might not even want to be one.”
Kagame’s two sons, Brian and Ian, serve in the Rwanda Defence Forces, with one of them serving as his dad’s bodyguard.
On the other side of town, South Sudan President Salva Kiir appointed his eldest daughter, Adut Salva Kiir, as the Senior Presidential Envoy for Special Programmes in August 2025.
Analysts say the move is part of Kiir’s broader efforts to consolidate power and create a political dynasty since Adut Kiir has never before held a government job but has been engaged in humanitarian work through her non-profit Adut Salva Kiir Foundation.
In Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, also known as "Teodorin", serves as Vice President. Deputising his father, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, since June 2016.
In the West, the US has joined the club of leaders who name family members to key positions.
During his first term (2017-2021), President Donald Trump appointed his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a senior advisor and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, as an unpaid advisor who worked within the West Wing.
Jared Kushner’s father, Charles, now serves as America’s ambassador to France, while Massad Boulos (Tiffany Trump's father-in-law) is a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Kimberly Guilfoyle (Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée) was named as U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
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