The midday affair was characterized by people beaming from ear to ear and hugs seemed contagious as they were freely going around, an atmosphere that kept the photographers on their toes with each not wanting to miss a shot.
The swearing in ceremony began promptly at 11am after the national anthem was sung, and climaxed at 12:45 am after a photo shoot with both ministers and deputy ministers alongside President John Magufuli and other high ranking government officials.
The Minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo, who is featuring again in the cabinet said that the energy and mineral sector isn’t one of playing politics but rather one of action and that is what he intends to do.
Prof Muhongo said that if the country is to eradicate poverty and build its economy, it is paramount that there is reliable electricity supply adding that for all this to be possible, there was need for more action and less talk.
“The pace of how the country needs to go has already been set, I intend to go with it or surpass it,” he cited.
Responding to a question on the location of the Liquefied Natural Gas plant, he said that the investor is duty bound to choose the location but was quick to add that the talk shouldn’t be about the location but rather on what needs to be improved.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Augustine Mahiga, said he was very thankful to the president for the trust he had put in him taking into account that he was overseeing two ministries combined.
Dr Mahiga said that what was on his immediate plate as he starts work is the escalating situation in Burundi considering that they are part of the East African Community and the Great Lakes Region.
“Ten years after much dialogue, the world felt that it had come to the end of Burundi political woes, recent events are proving us wrong but we do work on it,” he said.
Mr Charles Kitwanga who has become the Home Affairs minister said that as he starts work, his area of concentration will be on drugs, the current containers scandal from the port and the importation of oil and petroleum products into the country.
He said that he intends to tighten the screws on the collection of taxes such that all avenues are sealed as well as uplifting the living standards of those in prisons and that of the police and armed forces.