BY SUKHDEV CHHATBAR
Tanzania’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Mirisho Sam Hagai Sarakikya, marked his 92nd birthday on Wednesday, September 23, celebrating more than nine decades of a life deeply woven into Tanzania’s military history, diplomacy and the story of Arusha.
When The Arusha News contacted General Sarakikya on Wednesday, the veteran soldier was spending the milestone quietly at home with his wife.
“I am at home with my wife … I am enjoying a quiet life,” he said.
Despite his age, his voice remained strong and his recollection clear a glimpse of the discipline and resilience that have characterised much of his remarkable life.
Born in Meru, Arusha, in 1934, Sarakikya attended Tabora Government Secondary School before joining the King’s African Rifles in 1958. He later underwent officer training at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Britain before returning to East Africa and receiving his commission in December 1961.
Following the military upheaval of 1964, Sarakikya rose to command Tanzania’s newly reorganised armed forces. He led the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) from 1964 to 1974, becoming the country’s first CDF and playing a significant role in shaping the military during the formative years of the young nation.
His service to Tanzania did not end with the military.
General Sarakikya later entered diplomatic service, serving as Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Nigeria from 1977 to 1984 and subsequently as Ambassador to Ethiopia from 1984 to 1993.
Away from military barracks and diplomatic assignments, Sarakikya developed a strong association with sport, athletics and mountaineering.
His remarkable physical fitness was demonstrated in 2004 when, at the age of 70, he climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro alongside the then Deputy Foreign Minister Dr Abdul Sharif Sharrif.
More than six decades after he first assumed command of Tanzania’s armed forces, General Sarakikya remains one of the notable figures of the country’s post-independence generation.
For Arusha, however, his story carries an even deeper meaning.
It is here, in Meru, where his journey began a journey that would take him from the slopes of Mount Meru to Sandhurst, to the highest command of Tanzania’s military and eventually to diplomatic missions abroad.
At 92, General Sarakikya’s life stands as a remarkable chapter in Tanzania’s history one that began in Arusha and went on to serve a nation.
