AfricaPress-Tanzania: CHIEF Secretary Engineer John Kijazi has died aged 64.
President John Magufuli announced the sad news last night, saying Ambassador Eng Kijazi passed on at 21:10hrs on Wednesday.
“The President of the United Republic of Tanzania is saddened to announce the death of Chief Secretary Ambassador John William Kijazi that occurred today, 17th February, 2021,” read a brief statement issued by Director of Presidential Communications, Mr Gerson Msigwa.
Ambassador Eng Kijazi breathed his last while receiving treatment at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) in the capital city of Dodoma, added the statement.
“Burial procedures for the late Ambassador John William Kijazi will be communicated later,” said Mr Msigwa.
Ambassador Eng Kijazi was appointed Chief Secretary to the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania on March 6th, 2016.
Being Chief Secretary, Ambassador Eng Kijazi also served as Permanent Secretary to the President, Secretary to the Cabinet and Secretary to the National Security Council.
Prior to his appointment, as Chief Secretary, Eng Kijazi was the Tanzania High Commissioner to India.
He previously served as Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Works, when President Magufuli was a minister in the docket.
Born on November 18th, 1956, Eng Kijazi has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and Master degree in Highway Engineering from Birmingham University in the United Kingdom.
Between 1982 and 1986, he was Assistant Engineer in the Ministry of Public Works, becoming Regional Engineer in the same ministry between 1986 and 1996.
Eng Kijazi worked as a Senior Road Maintenance Engineer between 1996 and 1999 from where, he was promoted to Director of Regional Roads in the Ministry of Works between the year 1999 and 2002.
The civil servant continued to climb through the leadership ladder, to become Permanent Secretary in the same ministry, the post he held between 2002 and 2005.
When President Jakaya Kikwete assumed office in 2005, he changed the ministry’s name to the Ministry of Infrastructure Development to which Eng Kijazi continued serving as PS from January to December 2006.
From the ministry where he started his career, Eng Kijazi was transferred to the then Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where he was assigned special duties before being appointed High Commissioner to India in 2007.
He succeeded Ambassador Ombeni Sefue as Chief Secretary.
