Let us have a spate of resignations in Africa

Tanzania’s Prime Minister Edward Lowassa resigned last week following allegations that he was implicated in awarding an energy contract to a US-based company in an improper manner. Mr Lowassa claims that he is innocent, but has since stood down to let investigations take their course unimpeded. It is not for us to say whether he is innocent or not, but his action is a rarity in Africa, where leaders consider themselves infallible, and even when they are obviously causing loss of lives as in Kenya and elsewhere, it is anathema for them to even consider the idea of resigning so that proper procedures follow to establish the truth and absolve them or not.