Paul Makonda


Paul Christian Makonda born Daudi Albert Bashite, is the Former Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
He gained popularity during a constitutional amendment referendum, where he was among a few members of a special parliamentary session, commissioned with preparing a draft for a new Constitution.
He would later gain popularity in Tanzanian politics, first acting as the District commissioner for Kinondoni before being appointed regional commissioner by the current President of the United Republic of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli.
Makonda has been a controversial politician in the city's politics often criticizing the opposition and in recent days staging a war against homosexuality and prostitution acts in Dar es salaam. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania, Makonda announced a public celebration, as the disease had been defeated by national prayer according to Makonda and President John Magufuli.

Public Designation

In a press statement issued by Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on January 31st, 2020, Makonda was assigned a public designation and barred from entering the United States due to "his involvement in gross violations of human rights, which include the flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons". The statement also stated that the US had credible information that Makonda was "implicated in oppression of the political opposition, crackdowns on freedom of expression and association, and the targeting of marginalized individuals". The designation also applied to this wife, Mary Felix Massenge.