The envoy, who was expressing his views on Kikwete`s one-year term as
AU chairman in a recent interview, said his (Kikwete) contribution in
solving the post-election conflict in Kenya highlighted his landmark
achievements.
“During his term of office he dealt with delicate situations such as
conflict in Kenya, Zimbabwe and eastern DRC. In most of them we have
seen light at the end of the tunnel,“ the envoy said..
“In Kenya we were particularly happy about the role he played in
bringing both parties together after the post-election violence last
year. We have very high regard for him and the people of Tanzania and
wish him well,“ he said.
Stephen Kuol, counsellor at the Sudan embassy in Dar es Salaam, said in
a separate interview that Kikwete was a peacemaker who believed in
providing African solutions to African problems.
“He leaves a legacy of resolving conflicts in Africa like Kenya,
Zimbabwe and Sudan, where he supported the internal peace process in
Darfur and stood with us over the International Criminal Court
indictment of President Omar al-Bashir,“ he said.
However, few scholars and politicians blamed Kikwete for not using his
position as AU chairman to set an example for other African countries
by solving the political dispute in Zanzibar.
Civic United Front (CUF) national chairman Prof Ibrahim Lipumba said
the unsolved political impasse in Zanzibar had portrayed Kikwete`s
failure in leadership.
“As chairman of the AU, when most countries were engulfed in political
conflicts, Kikwete had to show by actions that he could change the
misunderstandings and create harmony among political parties, starting
with his own country,“ Lipumba said.
Prof. Mwesiga Baregu of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) also
said Kikwete`s failure to end the political dispute in Zanzibar had
weakened his leadership stature, saying he could have done more for
other countries if he had managed to settle the situation in Zanzibar.
“Solving the political dispute in Zanzibar could have proved his
abilities in good leadership, but since the situation is still
unsolved, this has degraded his leadership abilities,“ Prof. Baregu
commented.
Speaking about the East African Federation, Prof. Baregu claimed that
Tanzania was not showing enough enthusiasm comparing to other countries
in making the federation happen, something which showed failure in
leadership.
Despite the popular acclaim Kikwete got when he visited Nairobi early
last year for mediation, which seemed to be getting out of hand for
Kofi Annan and former president Benjamin Mkapa, Prof Baregu said
Kikwete got more credit than he deserved because he arrived at the
scene when the job was almost over.
Kikwete ended his tenure as head of the AU last week. He took on his
new role amidst various challenges and his plate was always full with
tasks.
As head of the AU Kikwete criss-crossed the continent in a series of
meetings, especially in conflict resolution in Kenya, Sudan, Zimbabwe,
Comoros, eastern D. R. Congo and Somalia.
He also represented Africa in various forums including the Doha world
trade talks and was opposed to the ICC indictment of sitting president
Omar al-Bashir of Sudan.