East Africa Mourns the death of TZ President Magufuli

The Vice President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan announced Wednesday the death of Tanzanian President Dr John Pombe Magufuli. The passing of President Magufuli was mourned by East Africans after days of absence from public and speculations about his health.

The Vice President announced in a televised speech on the Tanzanian Broadcasting Service (TBC), that President Magufuli died of a heart condition on March 17, 2021, at about 6pm at Mzena Hospital in Dar es Salaam where he was admitted on March 14.

The Vice President said Magufuli was first briefly admitted to the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute on March 6, but was subsequently discharged.

But he was rushed to hospital again on March 14 after feeling unwell. She announced that the nation will observe a 14-day period of mourning.

Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who announced the passing of President Magufuli, will take over the Presidency.

The opposition politicians had claimed last week that President Magufuli had contracted Covid-19, but there was no confirmation by the government. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Tanzania has not published details of its coronavirus cases and the government said it would not vaccinate its people. Magufuli’s government downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic trusting prayers and herbal therapy to take away the disease and no measures were in place to stop the spread. The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern on lack of measure to stop the COVID-19 infections in the country.   

Magufuli is the second East African President to die during the corona pandemic crisis after Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza died unexpectedly on 8 June 2020.