Tanzania’s President H.E John Magufuli Dies

John Pombe Magufuli, the fifth President of the Republic of Tanzania has died aged 61. Once praised for his no-nonsense approach,  nicknamed as the Bulldozer for his aggressive leadership style, H.E Magufuli won early praise for tackling corruption, reducing wasteful government spending and improving the lives of peasant farmers by waiving dozens of taxes. He also spearheaded the development of new transport links, power plants and more than 1,700 health centers, investments that helped Tanzania’s economy become one of the world’s top performers. In East Africa, he was responsible for the #WhatwouldMagufulido Hashtag whenever East Africa’s felt their leaders were not working as hard as Hon. Magufuli.

His death follows an absence of two weeks which generated rumours and speculation in the country and beyond. The president  was elected for a second term in 2020 amid opposition accusations of fraud and intimidation.

Magufuli’s death was announced by the  country’s vice-president Samia Suluhu, who said the president died of heart failure, saying,

“We have lost our courageous leader, President John Magufuli, who has died from a heart illness,”