John Pombe Magufuli, the President of Tanzania who was recently pronounced dead by the country’s Vice President, had a long yet bittersweet odyssey in the political sphere of Tanzania. The 61-year-old raised himself from the ashes of lack of influence after being born in a peasant farmer’s household in Chato, north-west Tanzania. He went on to become the President of Tanzania, being widely celebrated after getting elected, in 2015. 

Before involving himself in the country’s political structure, Magufuli was an academic and graduated University of Dar es Salaam after pursuing a qualification in Chemistry and Mathematics. He went on to continue in the field and became a teacher who taught his area of expertise, reported BBC. 

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Magufuli rose through the political ranks of Tanzania within two decades to become the President in 2015 after stepping in as a Member of Parliament in 1995. The teacher-turned-politician became a Cabinet Minister just five years later in 2000, when he started gaining popularity in the country. 

Magufuli’s leadership, in his initial days in the country’s highest office, gained substantial praise from the people and even reached beyond international borders to spread through other parts of Africa. He showed a proactive side of his power and noted that ensure an active and efficient duty of the country’s civil servants by visiting Tanzania’s Finance ministry offices on his first day as President. He was seen as an incorporable leader, according to BBC. 

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However, his leadership came under a critical spotlight after he was elected for a second Presidential term in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he underplayed the urgency and severity of the deadly virus and suppressed a national response. 

Magufuli, a dedicated Christian, was against the belief of a social distancing mandate and instead vouched for people to be present in religious institutions to pray. He said, “Coronavirus, which is a devil, cannot survive in the body of Christ… It will burn instantly”, reported BBC. 

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He went on to declare Tanzania “COVID free” in June last year and went on to publically denounce the benefits of wearing a mask, raised doubts over the efficiency of COVID-19 tests and often mocked other African countries for instating health-related safety protocols to mitigate the spread of the virus, reported BBC.

After prolonged uncertainty about the President’s health and whereabouts, the Tanzanian Vice President announced his demise, on Wednesday, due to a heart condition.