John Magufuli

His Excellency
John Magufuli
Magufuli in 2015
5th President of Tanzania
In office
5 November 2015 – 17 March 2021
Prime MinisterKassim Majaliwa
Vice PresidentSamia Suluhu
Preceded byJakaya Kikwete
Succeeded bySamia Suluhu
Chairman of Southern African Development Community
In office
17 August 2019 – 17 August 2020
Preceded byHage Geingob
Succeeded byFilipe Nyusi
Minister of Works, Transport and Communications
In office
28 November 2010 – 5 November 2015
Prime MinisterMizengo Pinda
Preceded byShukuru Kawambwa
Succeeded byMakame Mbarawa
In office
November 2000 – 21 December 2005
Prime MinisterFrederick Sumaye
Succeeded byBasil Mramba
Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Development
In office
13 February 2008 – 6 November 2010
Prime MinisterMizengo Pinda
Preceded byAnthony Diallo
Succeeded byDavid Mathayo David
Minister of Lands and Human Settlements
In office
6 January 2006 – 13 February 2008
Prime MinisterEdward Lowassa
Succeeded byJohn Chiligati
Member of Parliament for
Biharamulo East and Chato
In office
November 1995 – July 2015
Succeeded byMedard Kalemani
Personal details
Born
John Pombe Joseph Magufuli

(1959-10-29)29 October 1959
Chato, Tanganyika (now Tanzania)
Died17 March 2021(2021-03-17) (aged 61)
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Cause of deathOfficially atrial fibrillation,[1] for details see Death
Political partyChama Cha Mapinduzi
SpouseJaneth Magufuli
Children7
EducationUniversity of Dar es Salaam (BS, MS, PhD)
Military service
Allegiance Tanzania
Branch/serviceNational Service
Years of service1983–1984

John Pombe Joseph Magufuli[2] (29 October 1959 – 17 March 2021)[3] was the fifth president of Tanzania, serving from 2015 until his death in 2021. He served as Minister of Works, Transport and Communications from 2000 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015 and was chairman of the Southern African Development Community from 2019 to 2020.[4][5][6]

First elected as a Member of Parliament in 1995, he served in the Cabinet of Tanzania as Deputy Minister of Works from 1995 to 2000, Minister of Works from 2000 to 2005, Minister of Lands and Human Settlement from 2006 to 2008, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries from 2008 to 2010, and as Minister of Works for a second time from 2010 to 2015.[7]

Running as the candidate of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the country's dominant party, Magufuli won the October 2015 presidential election and was sworn in on 5 November 2015; he was re-elected in 2020. He ran on a platform of reducing government corruption and spending while also investing in Tanzania's industries, but his rule had autocratic tendencies, as seen in restrictions on freedom of speech, restrictions on LGBTQ rights, and a crackdown on members of the political opposition and civil society groups.[8][9] Despite all the accusations, a spokesman for the ruling party assured that Magufuli would not remain in power beyond the two limits allowed by the constitution.[10]

Under his presidency, Tanzania experienced one of the strongest economic growths on the continent (6% on average per year according to the IMF) and moved from the category of lower-low income countries to lower-middle income countries.[11]

Contrary to leaders elsewhere in the world, Magufuli ordered COVID-19 testing to stop and resisted calls to implement public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania.[12] He also expressed distrust of American- and European-developed vaccines,[13] preferring to rely on faith to protect his nation.[14] Magufuli's approach has been characterised as COVID-19 denialism.[15][16][17][18]

His death on 17 March 2021 was attributed by the government to a long-standing heart issue. He was succeeded by his vice-president, Samia Suluhu.

  1. ^ "Chronic atrial fibrillation a condition that killed President Magufuli". The Citizen. 17 March 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Profile Details : Former President". Government of Tanzania. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  3. ^ "John Magufuli: Tanzania's President John Magufuli dies aged 61". BBC News. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  4. ^ "President Magufuli assumes Sadc chairmanship, calls for the West to lift sanctions against Zimbabwe". The Citizen. Tanzania. 17 August 2019. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Southern Africa: Nyusi Takes Chair, Praises Magufuli". Daily News. Dar es Salaam. 18 August 2020 – via AllAfrica.
  6. ^ "John Magufuli: Tanzania's 'bulldozer' president". BBC News. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Member of Parliament CV". Parliament of Tanzania. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  8. ^ Cheeseman, Nic; Matfess, Hilary; Amani, Alitalali (2021). "Tanzania: The Roots of Repression" (PDF). Journal of Democracy. 32 (2): 77–89. doi:10.1353/jod.2021.0020. ISSN 1086-3214. S2CID 234901282.
  9. ^ "Tanzania opposition loses key seats in vote marred by fraud claim". Al Jazeera. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  10. ^ admin, N. P. (10 February 2021). "Tanzania's president 'will not be seeking third term'". Nile Post. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Tanzanie : John Magufuli, le président " bulldozer ", disparaît à l'âge de 61 ans". Le Monde.fr. 19 March 2021.
  12. ^ Bell, David (May 2021). "Magufuli saved thousands". NewsAfrica. 3 (21): 9. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  13. ^ Makoni, Munyaradzi (13 February 2021). "Tanzania refuses COVID-19 vaccines". The Lancet. 397 (10274): 566. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00362-7. PMC 7906632. PMID 33581810.
  14. ^ "Coronavirus in Africa - Not immune". The Economist. Vol. 9187. 28 March 2020. p. 42.
  15. ^ Buguzi, Syriacus (2021). "Covid-19: Counting the cost of denial in Tanzania". BMJ. 373: n1052. doi:10.1136/bmj.n1052. PMID 33906903.
  16. ^ Carlitz, Ruth; Yamanis, Thespina; Mollel, Henry (2021). "Coping with Denialism: How Street-Level Bureaucrats Adapted and Responded to COVID-19 in Tanzania". Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. 46 (6): 989–1017. doi:10.1215/03616878-9349128. PMID 34075413.
  17. ^ Oduor, Michael (18 February 2021). "Tanzania still in denial about Covid-19 existence despite surge in cases". Africanews. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  18. ^ Kwayu, Aikande Clement (18 March 2021). "Tanzania's John Magufuli: a brilliant start but an ignominious end". The Conversation. Retrieved 22 July 2021.