President Uhuru Attends Magufuli’s State Funeral in Tanzania
President Kenyatta Monday traveled to Tanzania to attend the State funeral service of the late President John Joseph Pombe Magufuli.
Speaking during the ceremony held at Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma, Kenyatta described Magufuli as a close friend who showed the world that Africa can be independent.
"I mourn a close friend. His death is a blow to me personally. We spoke almost daily, and I consulted him frequently on East African Community matters. He showed the world that Africa can be independent," said Kenyatta.
The service was attended by several other African leaders including President Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Félix Tshisekedi (DR Congo), Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe), Filipe Nyusi (Mozambique), Lazarus Chakwera (Malawi), and Edgar Lungu (Zambia).
Magufuli died of Chronic Atrial Fibrillation at Mzena State Hospital in Dar es Salaam on March 18th and will be laid to rest on March 26th at his rural home in Chato District.
Kenya is marking his death by hoisting the national and the East African Community flags at half-staff and observing a seven-day national mourning period.
Magufuli was elected as the country's fifth president in 2015 and re-elected for a second term in October last year.
Vice President Samia Hassan Suluhu was last week sworn-in as the country’s first-ever female President and will serve for the remainder of Magufuli’s term.
Comments (7)
RIP, our President (our President ; Father; uncle; brother) our hero.
In honor of President Mangufuli, Kenya should make both our national and official language " Kiswahili".
Hakuna mtu au serikali waliokulazimisha usitumie Kiswahili hapa, mbona umetumia Uingereza? Uko na uhuru kutumia Kiswahili kwa mawasiliano yako kila siku, usingojee serikali. Wahenga walisema, "Chema chajiuza, kibaya chajitwmbesha."
Je, we u mwema au u mbaya?
Some of them are not wearing mask. 14 days quarantine once the get back.
@ Mwororo:
Ndugu yangu Mwororo: Umesema kweli kabisa. Yafaa Kiswahili kifanywe lugha rasmi (official) na pia lugha ya taifa ya nchi ya Kenya.
Ningependa kuona bunge jipya la 2022 likitumia Kiswahili kwenye shughuli zote za bunge. Na isitoshe, wanasiasa wote waliochaguliwe watumie Kiswahili kwenye mikutano yote ya kitaifa.
Itakuwaje sasa Kiswahili kinafundishwa katika shule za Afrika ya Kusini na Botswana na kuna viongozi wa Kenya ambao hawawezi kusema Kiswahili!
Ningependa kuwakumbusha ya kwamba Hayati Fidel Castro aliyekuwa rais wa nchi ya Cuba alijua na kusema Kiingereza barabara. Lakini, kwenye huduma zote za kitaifa, alitumia lugha ya nchi yake ya Kispania.
Ndugu Mwororo, nakubaliana nawe na yote uliyosema, nami, nitaanza kwa kukuhakikishia ya kwamba, kwenye maoni yangu yote hapa kwenye gazeti letu tukufu la Mwakilishi, nitaandika huku nikitumia lugha yetu ya Kiswahili.
Ngugu yangu @Imara ashanti sana kwa kuniunga mkono kwenye jabu hii la kuwamua lugha yetu ya kishwahili iwe lugha rasmi daima milele katika nchi yetu ya Kenya.
This people need to get real as regards Covid such a large gathering yet some pretend that the disease does not exist
They being lied what killed Magufuli and so no one is protecting himself until it is too late! Magufuli died of covid19! Africans have a big problem telling the truth!