Coat of arms ‘creator’ is dead, leaves no kin and kith behind
Ms Fatma Saidi, a Buguruni landlady, displays to MCL journalists clothes and domestic items, properties of the late Francis Kanyasu ‘Ngosha’. Ngosha, who claims he created the original coat of arms for Tanzania, died at the Muhimbili National Hospital yesterday. This is where he lived and Ms Fatma was his landlady. PHOTO | ERICKY BONIPHACE
What you need to know:
- Ngosha died at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) on Monday at 8.30pm where he was receiving treatment. He had been referred to Muhimbili from Amana Hospital where he had been taken on Tuesday last week by neighbours.
Dar es Salaam. The man who claims to have designed the national coat-of-arms, Francis Maige (86) alias Ngosha, has died leaving behind no known kin and kith to bury him.
Ngosha died at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) on Monday at 8.30pm where he was receiving treatment. He had been referred to Muhimbili from Amana Hospital where he had been taken on Tuesday last week by neighbours.
The deputy minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Hamisi Kigwangala had visited him at Amana and ordered his transfer to Muhimbili. And on Sunday, President John Magufuli and the First Lady Janeth Magufuli paid Ngosha a visit at Muhimbili. The President and and the First Lady paid Ngosha a visit at 7pm after attending Sunday service.
The Citizen yesterday visited Ngosha’s residence at Buguruni Malapa in Dar es Salaam and found the house, essentially a shack built of iron sheets, locked. There were no mourners.
A neighbour, Mr Hamisi Seif, 53, told The Citizen that the old man was living alone. “We are the ones who took Ngosha to hospital. We have been taking care of him and we expected the hospital to contact us in case of anything. We left behind our telephone numbers,” Mr Seif said.
He added: “Burial arrangements have not started. We do not know whether he had any relatives because have never seen anyone visiting him in the more than 10 years that he had lived here. And it is difficult to say where or when he would be buried,” Mr Seif noted.
The MNH director of Communications and Public Relations Mr Aminiel Aligaesha said Muhimbili could not initiate any funeral arrangements of Ngosha until it received directives from the ministry of Health.
“We are waiting for the ministry before we start the process leading to is burial,” he said, adding that the hospital would give a statement before close of business today.
Ngosha claimed, before, he died, that he created Tanzania’s coat of arms, which comprises a warrior’s shield btween a standing man and woman. His claim caused a controversy over who really created the national symbol because other names with the same claim were brough forth.
