Was Nyerere shedding crocodile tears?
In Tanzania Christians have dominated key government appointments for so long that they now seem to consider it anomalous to see a Muslim beyond the rank of an office cleaner, messenger or driver. Malekela (1993) for example claimed that under Mwinyis leadership the tendency was to favour Muslims to assume positions of high responsibility even when they were ill-qualified. He could not cite even a single example. In fairness to him however, he did acknowledge that he was quoting a rumour. In his pastoral letter Pengo (1993) also reported but discounted the claim that Christians were being discriminated in government appointments. Reverend Curthbert Omari (1994) went even further. He cautioned his fellow Christians to be on their guard against possible Muslim “infiltration” in “our” various government institutions! Far from remedying religious imbalances, Tanzania was becoming more and more exclusionary as far as religious affiliation was concerned. Baraza Kuu (1993) in their booklet Ma
