Magufuli- three months later
By Tebby Otieno
It has been three months since the world got the announcement of the death of Tanzanian President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli was made at night. Tanzanians were shocked even as they had to accept the reality while grieving. Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was then his vice president gained courage and made a televised announcement that informed the world about the departure of one of the East African leaders.
In her tribute during the state funeral, President Suluhu who had just been sworn in told mourners that the announcement to her felt like a mistake.
Magufuli died on 17 March 2021 at the age of 61 from heart complications at a hospital in Dar es Salaam. Before his death rumors had circulated online after he had not made a public appearance for a fortnight. He was buried in his ancestral hometown, Chato, Northwest of Tanzania on 26 March 2021 leaving his widow Janet Magufuli and two children: Jessica and Joseph Magufuli.
There were fourteen days of national mourning and flags flew at half-mast. Tanzanians showed their love to their brave leader by attending in huge numbers to pay their last respect as the hearse containing the coffin made its way into the grounds accompanied by military vehicles. Others including Kenyans followed the proceedings on televisions that were showing the live show from Tanzania.
His legacy
East Africa director at Human Rights Watch, Otsieno Namwaya said the late Magufuli oversaw abusive laws and policies that seriously undermined human rights in Tanzania. He challenged the current leadership to start fresh by ending the problematic past practice.
Some of the human rights violations the late Magufuli was accused of while alive included his utterance on 22 June 2017. While in a rally in Chalinze town he said that any teenage girl who gets pregnant in the country should not be allowed back in school. He, however, softened his stand after an outcry by the civil society and the World Bank who threatened to pull out funding from different projects in the country.
In 2020 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders ranked Tanzania at position 124 out of 180 countries. Before that Tanzanian media regulatory body, TCRA had demanded that all media outlets in Tanzania apply for separate licenses if they still wanted to air content provided by foreign media channels. One of the media affected was Deutsche Welle. During this time the late Magufuli was accused of creating laws that denied press freedom in Tanzania, with subsequent arrest and detention of journalist, most notably Eric Kabendera, who was detained for seven months on triumphed up charged of money laundering, tax evasion, and leading organized crime. Kabendera’s release came after he entered into a plea-bargain agreement with the prosecution.
The late Magufuli has been described as an ardent coronavirus skeptic. This follows his dismissal of coronavirus test kits used in his country as faulty on 3 May 2020 even though he held Bachelor of Science and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Chemistry. Despite his knowledge in science, he chose to carry out coronavirus tests on samples taken from a goat, sheep, and pawpaw fruit which were then given human names and ages before taken to the laboratory for coronavirus test without revealing the secret to the lab technician. He later demanded that the coronavirus test kits be investigated.
Tanzania’s “bulldozer” president also ordered a traditional cure from Madagascar country which he alleged to have received coronavirus medicine. This was after The President of Madagascar, Andry Rajovelina officially launched the “Covid organics” herbal drink which was developed at the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research. There was, however, was no scientific evidence to show the effectiveness of the herbal drink as a remedy for COVID-19.
While in the church at Dodoma, the late Magufuli also termed coronavirus as “Devil” and cannot survive in the body of Christ. He then asked Tanzanians to pray over the COVID-19 pandemic. Even during the mourning of his death, very few mourners were putting on their facemasks. Facemasks, handwashing, and social/physical distancing are some of the COVID-19 protocols advised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a containment measure.
Patriotism
Tanzanian artists expressed their unity and love for their leader through songs. These songs were played in various media outlets in Tanzania and neighboring countries to mourn the late Magufuli. Artists were also given chance to sing live during mourning ceremonies. A Kenyan artist, Bahati, composed a song for the late Magufuli. The song also mentioned some of the Kenyan leaders both alive and dead.
While in Dodoma during the late Magufuli’s requiem mass, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta mourned him as a leader who proved that African countries can do without foreign aids.
Tanzanians second vice president Suleiman Abdalla also praised him for demonstrating his leadership in different ministries including finance and education.
The state funeral of Dr. Magufuli was also attended by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Malawi’s Lazarus Chakwera, Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi, Zambia’s Edgar Lungu, Mozambique’s Filipe Nyusi, Namibia’s Hage Geingob, Comoros President Azali Assoumani and Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in and took her oath of office on 19 March 2021 becoming the first Tanzanian female President. She will serve the remainder of Magufuli’s term which he began in 2020.
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