AfricaPress-Tanzania: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan is today scheduled to lead the nation in the burial of her predecessor John Magufuli who died in Dr es Salaam last week of heart complications.
Dr Magufuli will be buried at his home village of Mlimani in Chato district, Geita region after mass viewing of his body in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Zanzibar, Mwanza and finally here in Chato yesterday.
An event schedule released yesterday says that today’s ceremonies will be flagged off at around 7am, with the late president’s body arriving at the Chato Parish church for a brief service.
Rev. Fr. Sospeter Tibaijuka will lead the prayer service, followed by taking the body to the Magufuli grounds for last rites for the national burial committee to say final words on the week long proceedings..
At the Magufuli grounds, Bishop Gervas Nyaisonga, the President of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference Bishop (TEC) will lead a fulsome funeral service.
President Samia will address the public before proceeding to the burial grounds where the late leader will be laid to rest at around 3pm. The burial service will be led by Bishop Severine Niwemugizi of the Rulenge Roman Catholic Diocese, Ngara.
Various top leaders including former presidents Jakaya Kikwete and Ali Hassan Mwinyi, the Speaker of the National Assembly, leaders of political parties’ leaders, the private sector and some international agencies will attend the burial ceremony.
During burial, lowering of the late president’s body will be accompanied by a 21 gun salute from the military unit attached with the national funeral committee headed by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.
Dr Magufuli, who had a few days to mark 62 years on March 21, died from a heart complication at the Emilio Mzena Hospital in Dar es Salaam.
The first events were the swearing in of incoming President Samia on Friday, then on Saturday the late leader’s body was moved from the mortuary to Uhuru Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam for city residents to pay their last respects.
On Sunday the body was taken from Lugalo Military Hospital where it was brought back in the night, taken to St Peter’s Church in Oysterbay where the late president used to attend weekly prayers. The body was then returned to Uhuru Stadium to enable more city residents to pay their last respects.
On Monday, the body was moved to Dodoma for public viewing and then to Zanzibar on Tuesday, airlifted to Mwanza on Wednesday for more public walk past ceremonies, before the convoy drove to his hometown in Chato.
Yesterday was fully devoted to Chato residents and nearby towns who wished to pay their last respects, as the proper burial day is devoted to prayer services, parting words and military proceedings.
