Ummy Ally Mwalimu (born 5 September 1973) is a Tanzanian politician belonging to the ruling

Chama Cha Mapinduzi The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM, ) is the dominant, ruling party in Tanzania and the second longest-ruling party in the history of Africa, only after the True Whig Party of Liberia. It was formed in 1977, following the merger of the Tanganyika A ...

(CCM) party. She is currently a Member of Parliament for Tanga Constituency and most recently served as the Minister of Health until August 2024, when she was succeeded by

Jenista Mhagama Jenista Joakim Mhagama (born 23 June 1967) is the Minister of Health in Tanzania. She succeeded Ummy Mwalimu whose tenure in the role lasted 14 years. Mhagama is a politician belonging to the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, and was previously a Memb ...

. She has held various cabinet positions since 2010. She is a third-term Member of Parliament, firstly appointed to a seat reserved for women in the parliament of Tanzania in 2010.

Background and education

Mwalimu was born on September 5, 1973, in Tanga. She completed her schooling from the Korogwe Girls Secondary School in 1993. in 1998, she received a Bachelor of Laws from the

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (Swahili: ''Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam'') is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. ...

. She received her Master of Laws degree from the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...

in 2001. Between 2000 and 2010, she worked in various governmental and NGO agencies in legal, research and governance roles.

Political career

Mwalimu first became involved with the CCM in 2007. She is a two-term Member of Parliament as a member of CCM. In 2010 and again in 2015, she was appointed to a seat reserved for women by the President. In President

Jakaya Kikwete Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (born 7 October 1950) is a Tanzanian politician who was the List of Presidents of Tanzania, fourth president of Tanzania, in office from 2005 to 2015. Prior to his election as president, he was the Ministry of Foreign Aff ...

's administration, she served in a succession of ministerial roles. Between 2010 and 2014, she was Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children. She also served as Deputy Minister in the Vice President's Office and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. In 2015, the newly elected President

John Magufuli John Pombe Joseph Magufuli (29 October 1959 – 17 March 2021) was a Tanzanian politician who served as the fifth president of Tanzania, serving from 2015 until his death in 2021. He served as Minister of Works, Transport and Communications from ...

appointed Mwalimu as Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children. As Health Minister, she banned the importation and sale of sexual lubricants into Tanzania stating this would curb homosexuality, which is criminalized in Tanzania. This stance has been condemned by NGOs and goes against

UNAIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS; , ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an ex ...

recommendation that providing water-based lubricants along with condoms can help curb the spread of HIV. Mwalimu has stated her support for ending underage marriage and assured activists she would table a bill in Parliament amending the laws that allow persons under the age of 18 to get married. Once the law is passed, this practice will be illegal. In December 2020 she was appointed by President Magufuli as the Minister of State in the Vice President's Office (Union and Environment). In March 2021, she was appointed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan to be the Minister of State in the President's Office Regional Administration and Local Government - OR - TAMISEMI. Following the second cabinet reshuffle in January 2022, she returned to her previous cabinet position as Minister of Health, Seniors and Children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mwalimu, Ummy 1973 births Living people Chama Cha Mapinduzi MPs Tanzanian MPs 2010–2015 Tanzanian MPs 2015–2020 Tanzanian MPs 2020–2025 Deputy government ministers of Tanzania Usagara Secondary School alumni Korogwe Girls Secondary School alumni University of Dar es Salaam alumni University of Pretoria alumni