Paul Makonda
CCM Spokesperson
Assumed office
22 October 2023
Appointed byChama Cha Mapinduzi
Preceded bySophia Mjema
CCM Secretary for Ideology and Publicity
Assumed office
22 October 2023
Appointed byChama Cha Mapinduzi
Preceded bySophia Mjema
Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam
In office
14 March 2016 – 15 July 2020
Appointed byJohn Magufuli
Preceded byMecky Sadick
Succeeded byAbubakar Kunenge
Personal details
Born
Paul Christian Makonda

(1982-02-15) 15 February 1982
Mwanza Region, Tanzania
Political partyChama Cha Mapinduzi
Alma materMoshi Co-operative University
Mzumbe University

Paul Christian Makonda (born 15 February 1982)[1] is the Former Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.[2]

He gained popularity during a constitutional amendment referendum, where he was among a few members of a special parliamentary session, commissioned with the task of preparing a draft for a new Constitution. He would later gain popularity in Tanzania's politics, first acting as the District commissioner for Kinondoni before being appointed regional commissioner by the late President of the United Republic of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli, in March 2016.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Makonda was a controversial politician in the Dar es salaam's politics, often accused of oppressing the opposition through malicious means such as accusing them of involvement in the drug business and in later days staging a war against the LGBTQ community in Dar es Salaam.[9] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania, President John Magufuli and Makonda believed the disease had been defeated by national prayer without further investigation on the number of cases existing in Tanzania.[10]

Public designation

In a press statement issued by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 31 January 2020, Makonda was assigned a public designation and barred from entering the United States due to "his involvement in gross violations of human rights, which include the flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons".[11] The statement also stated that the US had credible information that Makonda was "implicated in oppression of the political opposition, crackdowns on freedom of expression and association, and the targeting of marginalized individuals". The designation also applied to his wife, Mary Felix Massenge.

References

  1. ↑ "Makonda: The self-made man many love to hate". 28 July 2020.
  2. ↑ "Makonda: Hakuna tishio Dar es Salaam". 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  3. ↑ AfricaNews (23 February 2017). "Tanzania: Top names listed in drug trafficking racket".
  4. ↑ "Tanzania to publish 'list of gay people' - The Herald".
  5. ↑ Kenya, Coastweek. "Coastweek - The most from the coast".
  6. ↑ "Polisi Tanzania wazuiwa kumkamata Mbowe". BBC News Swahili. 21 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "Mahakama Kuu Tanzania yatoa amri ya muda Mbowe asikamatwe".
  8. ↑ Tremblay, Sophie (8 August 2016). "'Seeds of hate' sown as Tanzania starts LGBT crackdown" – via The Guardian.
  9. ↑ "U.S. bans Tanzanian official who launched anti-gay crackdown". Reuters. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. ↑ "Tanzania Says COVID-19 Defeated With Prayer Despite Fears". Time Magazine. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. flood the streets this weekend to celebrate. "Make all kinds of noise as a sign of thanksgiving to show our God has won against disease and worries of death that were making us suffer"
  11. ↑ "Public Designation, Due to Gross Violations of Human Rights, of Paul Christian Makonda of Tanzania". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-02-02.


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