Tanzania leader names Mustafa Mkulo as finance minister

By Wangui Kanina
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) -
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Tuesday named Mustafa Mkulo as finance minister in his new cabinet.
The appointment, broadcast live on Tanzanian state radio, came after the previous cabinet was dissolved last Thursday following the resignation of Edward Lowassa.
He quit as prime minister over a probe into a contract, and parliament endorsed his successor, Mizengo Pinda, on Friday.
Until his appointment, Mkulo was a deputy minister in the Finance Ministry. He replaces Zakia Meghji, who lost her place in the cabinet.
Bernard Membe has kept the foreign affairs and international cooperation portfolio.
The new cabinet will have 26 ministries, down from a previous 29. It will also have 21 deputy ministers, as opposed to 31 previously.
"After two years we did an evaluation and saw that we could improve on our current system to help us become more efficient and to reduce costs," Kikwete said.
Tanzania State House said the new cabinet would be sworn in on Wednesday