Tanzania has not reported a single Covid19 case, a week after President John Magufuli rant

Tanzania has not reported a single Covid19 case, a week after Magufuli rant

Tony Mukere

May 8, 2020 11:06 AM

The burial of a popular preacher was attended by thousands of Tanzanians

Tanzania has not reported a single Covid19 case, a week after President Magufuli rant

Tanzania has not reported any new coronavirus cases since President John Magufuli accused the country's scientists of falsifying results to create the impression that there are many positive cases.

The last update on the deadly disease was given nine days ago in a press conference addressed by the country's Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.

At the time, the numbers stood at 480 confirmed cases and 16 deaths.

A day later President Magufuli publicly told his ministers that he did not want to see any new positive cases and sensationally claimed that he had personally sent fake samples including a pawpaw and a goat - which were tested positive.

The country's lead scientists in charge of the National Lab, Nyambura Moremi, has since been suspended.

Media reports indicate that the Ministry of Health resolved to give test results to individuals without announcing comprehensive country numbers in line with the World Health Organization's (WHO) reporting guidelines.

President Magufuli's handling of the disease has given Tanzanians a false sense of safety with thousands recently attending a crowded burial for a popular Muslim preacher Sheikh Sulaiman Amran Kilemile who was buried on Wednesday at the Kinondoni Cemetery.

Despite the failure to record numbers, civil society groups and independent journalists have reported of night burials believed to be those of coronavirus victims.

Tony Mukere