THE Speaker of Tanzania’s National Assembly Job Ndugai resigned from his position on Thursday days after a public fallout with President Samia Suluhu over the East African country’s debt burden.
Ndugai issued a statement saying his decision was a personal one and for the greater good of the country, the government and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
Ndugai had come under sharp criticism from the party for comments last month in which he said Tanzania was in danger of being auctioned off with its external debt burden continuing to increase.
Ndugai said Tanzania should stop accepting loans from external lenders and instead extend its domestic revenue streams to finance development projects.
In response, President Suluhu said Tanzania would not be put off from prio
ritising external loans over domestic taxes to complete major infrastructure projects.
Ndugai, who publicly apologised to the pre
sident, however, insisted his comments were misrepresented and aimed at critics of Parliament’s endorsement of an unpopular mobile money transfer tax.
