Alumni of the Month

A career electrical engineer and Member of Parliament, Stella Martin Manyanya is a University of Dar es Salaam graduate selected for a ‘UDSM Alumna of the Month’ for October 2021. She has lots of experiences to be told, which have solidified her career and her perspectives to life. From these, the younger generation in Tanzania stands to benefit. Stella was born on 4 August 1962 in the Nyasa district of Ruvuma region, a district that shares borders with Ruvuma district in neighbouring Mozambique. ‘Ruvuma’ and ‘Rouvuma’, though physically contiguous, are two different locations in the two neighbouring countries boasting of different colonial heritages—the British and the Portuguese.

At age seven, in 1969, she was enrolled at Nambingi Primary School from which she transferred in the following year (1970) to Maguu Primary School. She completed her basic (primary) education in 1975. From 1976 to 1979, she undertook her ‘OrdinaryLevel’ secondary education at Songea Girls Secondary School, in Songea, where she qualified for the Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations (CSEE). She thereafter enrolled at the Dar es Salaam Technical College [now upgraded to Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology] for a three-year electrical training course (19801983), from where she was engaged by the Pugu Kaolin Mines Ltd (STAMICO) as an Electrical Technician. She worked with this company until 1987. After a good eight-year practical working experience with STAMICO, Stella obtained a two-year overseas scholarship to Norway for postgraduate training (1995-96), earning a Postgraduate EPDS diploma award from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norges teknisk-naturvitenskaplige universitet, NTNU) in Trondheim.

Since 1992, well until 2005, Stella Manyanya worked steadily with TANESCO, a sole electrical supply company in the country, serving in various capacities and positions as Electrical Engineer, head of operations in line construction tasks, in design as well as in planning. Wherever she was posted, especially at TANESCO Regional office, and at Ilala, Temeke and Kinondoni North area offices, Ms. Manyanya is remembered to have tried to provide strict and conscientious supervision of personnel and working tools. She was at the forefront in guarding against loss of revenues.

As from 2004 and having devoted much of her professional life to public service, Manyanya turned her attention to further personal professional development. She embarked on a post-graduate diploma (PGDEED) in the College of Engineering and Technology (CoET) at the University of Dar es Salaam, getting her award in Electronics and Electrical Drives in 2007 and proceeding therefrom to the pursuit of the master’s degree (MEED). She earned this in 2009.

It is worth noting as well that Ms. Manyanya has had fortunes of a political office. She first ran for parliamentary elections in the General Elections in 2005 for the Nyasa constituency seat and she earned it. Since then, she has run and been re-elected three times more: in 2010?2015, 2015?2020 and 2020?2025. Naturally, re-election is a clear indication of dedicated service to her people of Nyasa. While in Parliament, she has served on a number of parliamentary committees, including the Investment, Energy and Minerals Committee (2005-2010) and the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Richmond Scandal (2007-8), a bitter and ‘inglorious’ matter that shook the integrity of government. Other parliamentary committees to which Ms. Stella Manyanya was appointed include the Industries and Trade Committee (as Vice-Chair, 2010?2011); Constitutional, Good Governance and Local Government Committee (2011?2013); Defence and Security Committee (2013?2015); Social Development and Services Committee (2015-2018) and Energy and Minerals Committee (2020?2023). From 2011 until 2015, while an MP, Ms. Manyanya had served concurrently as MP for Nyasa and Regional Commissioner for Rukwa Region.

For the record on Government business, Hon. Ms. Manyanya will be reckoned for her appointment and service as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2015?2017) and subsequently as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Industries and Trade as Deputy Minister (2017?2020). When she was appointed to the Ministry of Industries and Trade, she had an opportunity of providing counsel and guidance on industry-oriented institutions of education and training including the College of Business Education (CBE).

It is within the records of the University of Dar es Salaam that Stella Manyanya—a UDSM alumna—has, in turn, served as a member on the University’s governing Council for a period of five years, from 2011 to 2015. With this long string of appointments, responsibilities and experiences, Stella Martin Manyanya offers a shining role-model for the youth of today and tomorrow. The University heartily congratulates her on her varied achievements on record.