Tanzania’s ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi has endorsed Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi as its nominee for vice president, moving to fill the position that Emmanuel Nchimbi is due to leave after announcing his resignation from public office.
CCM Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro announced the decision on Wednesday night, August 26, after meetings of the party’s leadership in Dar es Salaam. She said Ndejembi’s nomination had been approved by the party and that his name would proceed to Parliament for the remaining constitutional steps.
Ndejembi does not assume the vice presidency through the CCM decision alone. Tanzania’s Constitution provides that when the office becomes vacant through resignation, the president appoints a replacement and the appointment must then be confirmed by a majority of members of the National Assembly. The Constitution also requires the process to begin as soon as possible and, in any event, within 14 days after the vacancy arises.
Nchimbi announced on Tuesday, August 25, that he would resign as vice president and retire from politics and public service, with his departure taking effect on September 4. President Samia Suluhu Hassan subsequently accepted his resignation. In explaining his decision, Nchimbi said he had previously promised the president that he would step aside if she wanted a different vice president and had become convinced that she wanted a change.
Ndejembi is currently Tanzania’s Minister for Energy and the CCM member of Parliament for Chamwino in Dodoma Region. His parliamentary record shows that he served as Kongwa district commissioner before entering Parliament and later held deputy ministerial posts in the President’s Office, including Public Service Management and Good Governance and Regional Administration and Local Government. He subsequently served in Cabinet, including as minister responsible for lands, housing and human settlements, before becoming energy minister in 2025.
He studied international relations at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2009 and later pursued an advanced diploma at the Institute of Administrative Management, according to his parliamentary profile.
The immediate next step is the formal constitutional process leading to parliamentary consideration of Ndejembi’s appointment. Nchimbi’s resignation is scheduled to take effect on September 4, and Ndejembi would take office only after the required appointment, parliamentary confirmation and oath of office are completed.
