John Pombe Magufuli Dead: Tanzania has finally confirmed that President John Pombe Magufuli is dead. The confirmation was read out by the country’s vice president Samia Suluhu on Wednesday night.
Ms. Suluhu however said that Magufuli had died from a heart disease. He died at a hospital in Dar Es Salaam. She announced that Magufuli had been admitted at the at Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute on March 6.
She also announced that the country would get into a 14-day period of mourning as arrangements for the burial are made. The confirmation follows weeks of speculation over the whereabouts of Magufuli. The late president was last seen in public on February 27 this year.
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A week ago, it was rumoured that he had been admitted at the Nairobi Hospital. It was also alleged that he had been flown to India for more specialized treatment. However, Tanzania denied these reports, with the country’s prime minister claiming that Magufuli was busy with office work.
On Monday this week, though, convoys of official army trucks were spotted in the streets of Dar es Salaam in what appeared to be similar to a transition procedure.
More to follow…