Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli is reportedly admitted at the Nairobi Hospital in Kenya after contracting Covid-19, even as his government remain mum on his whereabouts despite concerns from opposition leaders in the country.
The Tanzanian leader was last seen in public late last month and government officials have declined to officially confirm his admission at the Nairobi Hospital, citing diplomatic protocol.
Multiple sources however confirmed that the leader, who has been ailing since late last month, flew into Kenya on Monday when his situation deteriorated.
While addressing a public gathering in one of his last public appearances, the leader advised his citizens to take precautions against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Opposition leaders in the country said diplomatic sources had indicated that the leader has been on a ventilator.
They chided their government for holding onto information on his whereabouts.
On Tuesday, Tundu Lissu, who unsuccessfully ran against Magufuli in the October 2020 presidential election, was among the first leaders in Tanzania to raise questions on the President’s whereabouts.
“The president’s well-being is a matter of grave public concern,” Lissu said in a tweet Tuesday. He cited public announcements of previous Tanzanian leaders’ illnesses, before asking: “What’s it with Magufuli that we don’t deserve to know?”
There has been no official information on whether the leader is unwell or simply taking a break.
Criticism of Magufuli’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic dates back to last year, when he ordered a plane-load of Madagascar’s unproven herbal potion, refused to talk to regional leaders about the spread of the virus, and claimed that three days of national prayer would be sufficient to tackle the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
But the mindset has been changing at the top of the regime, as the virus has taken its toll of top ranking Tanzanian officials.
Those who have died include: chief secretary to State House John Kijazi, former deputy finance minister Gregory Teu, former governor of Bank of Tanzania Benno Ndulu and first vice-president of Zanzibar Maalim Seif Sharrif Hamad, whose party ACT Wazalendo confirmed he had tested positive for Covid-19 just before his death.
