VIDEO: Mengi to be buried today in home village

Dar es Salaam. Thousands of mourners turned up to receive the body of the former IPP Group of Companies executive chairman Reginald Mengi at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) yesterday morning.

The plane carrying the body arrived at the airport from Dar es Salaam at around 9.15am.

Mourners turned out in large numbers in the entire 40-kilometre distance from the airport to Mengi’s home village of Nkweseko in Machame, Hai District, Kilimanjaro Region with some running on the sides of the hearse.

Police had a difficult time to try and control the crowd, as almost each person present wanted to have a close look of the coffin carrying the body. At some point, the motorcade was forced to come to a standstill as mourners had blocked the way.

Some mourners even demanded the coffin carrying the body to be unloaded so that they would carry it with their bear hands as a respect to the fallen hero.

At Mkwarungo Village, just a few kilometres from Mengi’s home village, mourners had completely blocked the road, forcing the procession to stop for nearly an hour.

The procession only resumed after Njombe Regional Commissioner Christopher Ole-Sendeka intervened and pleaded with the mourners.

In the procession, which was covered live by several television stations, some mourners displayed placards bearing different messages, some revealing how Mengi’s life had touched theirs.

Mr Mengi, who died while receiving treatment in Dubai on May 2, will be laid to rest today in his home village on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro.

A burial service for the deceased will be held at the Evangelical Church of Tanzania in Moshi Fellowship.

“The body will spend the night in his home village (Nkweseko) before being taken to Moshi for the service. After the service the body will be brought back to the village for burial,” said Mr Wile Mushi, family spokesman.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa is scheduled to lead mourners in the burial ceremeny of the business tycoon, an event which is expected to attract thousands of mourners.

The body of Mengi was air-lifted to Dar es Salaam from Dubai on Monday.

On Tuesday President John Magufuli, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, other dignitaries, politicians and ordinary citizens were among those, who paid their last respects to Mengi at the Karimjee Grounds in Dar es Salaam.