Paul Makonda

Paul Christian Makonda is the Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.[1]

He gained popularity during a constitutional amendment referendum, where he was among a few members of a special parliamentary session, commissioned with preparing a draft for a new Constitution. He would later gain popularity in Tanzanian politics, first acting as the District commissioner for Kinondoni before being appointed regional commissioner by the current President of the United Republic of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Makonda has been a controversial politician in the city's politics often criticizing the opposition and in recent days staging a war against homosexuality and prostitution acts in Dar es salaam. [8] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania, Makonda announced a public celebration, as the disease had been defeated by national prayer according to Makonda and President John Magufuli.[9]

Public Designation

In a press statement issued by Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on January 31st, 2020, Makonda was assigned a public designation and barred from entering the United States due to "his involvement in gross violations of human rights, which include the flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons"[10]. The statement also stated that the US had credible information that Makonda was "implicated in oppression of the political opposition, crackdowns on freedom of expression and association, and the targeting of marginalized individuals". The designation also applied to this wife, Mary Felix Massenge.

References
  1. "Makonda: Hakuna tishio Dar es Salaam". 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  2. AfricaNews (23 February 2017). "Tanzania: Top names listed in drug trafficking racket".
  3. "Tanzania to publish 'list of gay people' - The Herald".
  4. Kenya, Coastweek. "Coastweek - The most from the coast".
  5. "Polisi Tanzania wazuiwa kumkamata Mbowe". 21 February 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
  6. "Mahakama Kuu Tanzania yatoa amri ya muda Mbowe asikamatwe".
  7. Tremblay, Sophie (8 August 2016). "'Seeds of hate' sown as Tanzania starts LGBT crackdown" – via The Guardian.
  8. "U.S. bans Tanzanian official who launched anti-gay crackdown". 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  9. "Tanzania Says COVID-19 Defeated With Prayer Despite Fears". Time Magazine. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. flood the streets this weekend to celebrate. “Make all kinds of noise as a sign of thanksgiving to show our God has won against disease and worries of death that were making us suffer”
  10. "Public Designation, Due to Gross Violations of Human Rights, of Paul Christian Makonda of Tanzania". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
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