Reported by
Faridah N Kulumba
Tanzanian officials refuted speculations about president John Pombe Magufuli being in a critical condition, after contracting Covid-19, saying that he was so alive and healthy but busy with his presidential duties.
This followed rumors circulating on different media for the whole of last week, that president Magufuli who declared Tanzania coronavirus-free was rushed to Kenya in Nairobi Hospital and later flown to India after suffering a cardiac arrest due to Covid-19.
But according to The East African News, Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa dismissed the rumors saying that the president is healthy and busy with his duties and that he spoke to him on phone, but he did not explain why Magufuli 61 years old has not appeared in public for more than 2 weeks since the end of February 2021.
“He directed me to tell you that he loves you very much and thanks for the many votes you cast for him.” said Majaliwa.
Mr Majaliwa called the speculations online detractors who intend to cause panic about the health of the president, and asked Tanzanians to ignore them.
“Let me rest your minds, your president is well and doing his usual office work.” he added.
The Prime Minister was the first Tanzanian government official to come out and dismiss the speculations, which have been circulating on different media for a week.
The beginning of Magufuli’s Covid-19 speculations
The speculations were generated after the opposition leader Tindu Lissu started asking questions online over the whereabouts of Tanzanian President John Magufuli, who has not been seen in public for weeks, yet his known for frequent public speeches and appearances on state television several times a day.
Lissu also told BBC that it will not be a surprise to Tanzanians that Mr Magufuli had contracted coronavirus as he had been reckless in the face of the virus.
Lissu is not the only one who demanded to know the whereabouts of Magufuli but also other people like Ado Shabibu, who asked Tanzania Authorities to be open about Magufuli’ current health situation.
Also Maria Sarungi a prominent human rights activist said that the president is a public servant and he is accountable to the public and all the information about his health should be made public.
Magufuli last appeared in public at the end of February when he was on working tour of Dar es Salaam city, also when he presided over the opening of the new bus terminal which was named after him, and on 27 February at state house in Dar es Salaam when he swore in his new Chief Secretary Dr Bashiru Ally, replacing John Kijazi who died last month.
He also attended a virtual East African Head of State Summit which he did not complete, and left Samia Suluhu his Vice President to represent him during the rest of the discussions.
Magufuli is a believer who is known for attending church services every Sunday, but for the last 2 weeks he has not been sighted in church.
So President Magufuli’s absence in the public sparked the speculations, and it was fueled by the Kenyan’s Nation newspaper which wrote that an African leader had been admitted to a Nairobi Hospital. And other related reports suggested that a top Tanzania official could have been flown to India.
Why Magufuli’s Covid-19 illness astonishing?
President Magufuli declared Tanzania government virus-free in April 2020 a month after Tanzania Ministry of Health had confirmed its first Coronavirus case on 16 March 2020.
He claimed that Covid-19 can be cured by praying and using herbal infused steaming, and ordered his government not to release any figures on Coronavirus, but according to media reports from Tanzania shows that the number of people who contract Covid-19 viruses everyday rises and many have succumbed to death.
Magufuli unlike other East African countries, refused to follow Covid-19 World Health Organisation scientific guidelines and remained sceptical about the disease.
His position has been questioned after the death of some dignitaries in his country who were said to have succumbed to Covid-19.
News reports or officials?
One David Kisinza who works at Institute of Rural Development planning in Dodoma while on telephone interview with African Press(AFP) revealed that Magufuli’s illness topic has not been discussed on Tanzanian media and even some government officials have stayed away from it.
He confirmed that Magufuli has not made any public appearance in two weeks, but that they also received the rumors of his illness on social media.
“These speculations are so worrying that our president has been absent from public, neither his spokesman nor government spokesman has said anything,” said Kisinza.
Tanzania’s Information Minister Innocent Bashungwa sent a message on his twitter handle urging the media and citizens to stick to obtaining information through official sources.
He also wormed them to avoid disseminating unconfirmed reports.
