PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed Senior Commissioner of Prisons (SACP) Mzee Ramadhan Nyamka to a position of Commissioner General of Prisons Services (CGP).
The incoming CGP is covering a vacuum left by the Major General Suleiman Mzee who was appointed as Mara Regional Commissioner recently after serving the position from 2020 to July 2022.
Prior to his appointment, SACP Nyamka was serving in the same institution as the Acting Commissioner for Rehabilitation Services.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Presidential Communications Zuhura Yunus, the appointment of the new CGP took effect on Wednesday, August 24 this year.
The new CGP was born in 1964 in Tanga district, Tanga region and acquired his primary school education at Muhimbili Primary School in Dar es Salaam between 1973 and 1979.
In 1980 he joined secondary education at the Mzizima Secondary School where he graduated in 1983.
He has vast experience in finance, having attended a number of training in public accounting, financial administration system as well as forensic accounting.
He joined the Prisons Services in 1995 as a civilian officer from the Ministry of Finance. He attended level one leadership training course at the Ukonga Prisons Senior Staff College, in Dar es Salaam where he graduated in May 1996.
The CGP appointee has an Advanced Diploma in Accountancy and Post Graduate Diploma in Accountancy that he acquired from the Institute of Finance Management (IFM) in 1995 and 2005, respectively.
Throughout his service within the Prisons Services Mr Nyamka has been serving the institution on different ranks including the Assistant Inspector of Prisons between 1996 and 2001.
From 2001 to 2005, he was the Inspector of Prisons before being promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) between 2005 and 2009.
Later in 2009, he was promoted to a rank of Superintendent of Prisons (SP) until 2011 when he became a Senior Superintendent of Prisons (SSP) until 2013.
In 2013, he was again promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Prisons (ACP) and served the rank until 2017 when he was also promoted to a rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner of Prisons (SACP) that he was holding until this August this year.
A statement from the communications department of the Prisons Services had it that the new CGP had also worked as the trainer at the Tanzania Correctional Training Academy (TCTA) between 2001 and 2005.
“He was later transferred to Iringa region where he served as bursar of the Iringa Regional Prisons between 2005 and 2009,” read part of the statement.
In 2009, he was relocated to the TCTA as a trainer, a position he served until 2011 when he was transferred to the finance department until 2014.
Records have it that the incoming CGP also served the Prisons Service as Coast region’s staff officer (2014-2015) before being transferred to Morogoro region where he served in the same position between 2015 and 2017.
Between 2017 and 2018, he was the Morogoro Regional Prisons Services Commander before being promoted to the post of Chief of staff of the Prisons Services where he served the position from 2018 to 2021.
“In 2021, the CGP appointee was appointed to serve as an acting Commissioner of Prisons, Rehabilitation Services, a position he served until his latest appointment to the helm of the Prisons Services,” read the statement.
The new CGP becomes the 15th head of the Prisons Services from 1955 to present.
Others who served at the helm of Prisons services included Patric Manley (1955-1962) O.K. Rugimbana (1962–1967) and Ramadhan Nyamka who served the position between 1967 and 1978.
A list also has A.B Mwaijande (1978–1978), G.G.Geneya (1978 –1983), S.A. Mwanguku (1983–1992) J.H. Mangara (1992–1996) and O.E.Malisa (1996–2002).
Others are N.P. Banzi (2002–2007), A. N.Nanyaro (2007–2012) John Minja (2012–2017) Dr Juma Malewa (2017–2018) Phaustine Kasike (2018–2020) and Maj Gen Suleiman Mzee (2020-2022).
