Anna Mghwira

Anna Elisha Mghwira (born 23 January 1959) is a Tanzanian politician, chair of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT), the youngest political party in Tanzania. She was educated in the United Kingdom at Essex University and the University of Dar es salaam as well as Tumaini University.

In 2015,she was the sole female candidate to contest for the presidential seat in Tanzania's general election in October 2015.

Anna Elisha Mghwira was born on 23 January 1959 at Singida Regional Hospital, Mungumaji Ward - Irao Suburb in Singida-Urban Municipality. She spent her early years as a child at home due to a health problem which delayed her ability to walk. She joined Nyerere Primary school from 1968- 1974. She then went to Ihanja Secondary school from 1975 to 1978 before joining the Lutheran Seminary for her advanced level from secondary education 1979 to 1981. She attained her bachelor's degree in Theology from Tumaini University before joining the University of Dar es Salaam, where she attained LLB in 1986. She went to Essex University in England, where she attained a master's degree in Law (LLM) in 2000. Mghwira has worked for international and local organisations dealing with women’s empowerment, community development and refugees.

Her father was a councillor through TANU. Mghwira was creative with her hands and used her skills in braiding hair and crochet work to contribute to her school fees for her two years of secondary education. Some of her products were sold in the United States by one of her teachers, earning her US$1,200. Shortly the hand work turned into serious profit after her clients learnt of her skills and decided to donate more (apart from purchasing her products) for her school fees up to “A” level.

Her political journey started during the TANU era, when she was a member of the party’s youth league. But she reduced her participation in politics in the late 1970s so that she could concentrate on her education career and family.

She returned to active politics in 2009, when she joined center-right political party, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo, CHADEMA, Swahili for Party for Democracy and Progress. Ms Mghwira held various positions like the party’s district secretary and later party’s district chairwoman.

In 2012, she lost to Mr Joshua Nassari in the Chadema nomination for the Arumeru East constituency by-election. She was unsuccessfully ran for the East Africa Legislative Assembly seat in the same year.

In March 2015, she left Chadema for the newly formed ACT-Wazalendo, where she was later nominated the party’s national chairwoman during the party’s first general congress.