Former Secretary General of the East African Community, Ambassador Juma Volter Mwapachu has passed on aged 82.
He died at his Dar-es-salaam residency on Friday evening of March 28, 2025.
Mwapachu was then transported to homeland in Tanga region where he was laid to rest on Sunday, the 30th of March 2025.
Juma Mwapachu is the son of Hamza Mwapachu, who spearheaded the struggle for Tanganyika independence alongside the likes of Abdulwahid Sykes, Dossa Aziz Ally and Teddy Kaselabantu.
Juma’s brother, Bakari Mwapachu once served as a cabinet Minister in both the third and fourth phase governments.
Ambassador Mwapachu was the first Tanzanian to hold the EAC Secretary General Post, after being annointed by the Summit of the Heads of State, to take over from the Ugandan, Nuwe Amanya Mushega whose term ended in the April month of the year 2006.
The East African Business Council (EABC) mourned Mwapachu as the latter was among the founders of the reginal commerce council.
And Mwapachu is so far the only Tanzanian to serve as the Secretary General of the Arusha-based East African Community (EAC).
He was succeeded by Rwandan Richard Sezibera in 2011.
Prior to this appointment, Juma Mwapachu was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Tanzania’s permanent delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Previously also, Ambassador Mwapachu was also part of the team which compiled the Tanzania Vision 2025 back in the year 1998.
During the 2015 General Elections, Mwapachu supported the opposition which was by them fronted by the former Prime Minister, the later Edward Ngoyai Lowassa who had just defected from Tanzania’s ruling party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and joined the Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) to run for the presidency.
Mwapachu is a law graduate of the University of Dar es Salaam where he obtained his legal degree in 1969).
The merry, outspoken and charming Mwapachu also held a Postgraduate Diploma in International Law, International Institutions and Diplomacy from the Indian Academy of International Law and Diplomacy, New Delhi, India.
Mwapachu recently published his autobiography titled, ‘A Journey!’ in which the diplomat reveals that he was the last person to travel with former Tanzanian President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere in 1999 as the latter was flying to London for medical treatment but never returned alive.
He was an avid reader and boasted huge collection of books at his home library.