Abdulrahman Omari Kinana (born 1951) is a Tanzanian politician of Somali descent and one of the most formidable political strategists in East African history. A retired Colonel of the Tanzanian People’s Defence Force (TPDF) and the first Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Kinana is revered within the ruling CCM party as the ultimate "Kingmaker" and institutional stabilizer. Kinana served as the Secretary-General of CCM (2012–2018), embarking on massive, grueling nationwide grassroots tours that successfully revived the party’s fading popularity and paved the way for John Magufuli’s 2015 victory. However, he fell out spectacularly with Magufuli in 2020 after an audio recording leaked of Kinana criticizing the President, resulting in his public humiliation and a reprimand from the party. In a dramatic reversal of fortune following Magufuli’s death, President Samia Suluhu Hassan appointed Kinana as the Vice Chairman of CCM (Mainland) in 2022, effectively putting him in charge of designing the party’s ruthless survival strategy for the 2025 general elections.