The body of the Industry and Trade minister Abdallah Kigoda is loaded into an ambulance at Julius Nyerere International Airport yesterday after arriving from India. PHOTO | SAID KHAMIS
What you need to know:
CCM presidential candidate John Magufuli, former Speaker of the National Assembly Anne Makinda, Minister for Foreign Affairs Bernard Membe, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadick and scores of former MPs were among those on hand at the event.
Dar es Salaam. Hundreds of mourners yesterday gathered at the Julius Nyerere International Airport to receive the body of the Minister for Industry and Trade, Dr Abdallah Kigoda, who died in India on Monday. The plane touched down at 3.30pm as a sombre mood engulfed the airport, where a crowd of about 400 people, including top government officials, assembled to receive the minister’s remains and comfort his family.
The crowd had to wait for over two hours before Dr Kigoda’s body arrived and later transported to Lugalo Military Hospital in the city. His widow, flanked by close relatives, led in the sorrowful event to receive the body in a coffin draped in the national flag.
CCM presidential candidate John Magufuli, former Speaker of the National Assembly Anne Makinda, Minister for Foreign Affairs Bernard Membe, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadick and scores of former MPs were among those on hand at the event. Chief Secretary Ombeni Sefue said the government was in grief over the death of the Cabinet minister. He said it was sad the death had occurred a few days into the General Election. “Dr Kigoda was a competent leader. He worked hard for the government and for his constituency. I want to call upon all Tanzanians to pray for his soul to rest in peace,” said Mr Sefue.
Dr Magufuli said the death of Dr Kigoda was a big loss to CCM, government and the nation at large. “When he heard I was visiting his Handeni Constituency, he suspended his medication and came back for a day to receive our party manifesto before returning to India to continue with treatment,” he said.
Today mourners will gather at Karimjee grounds from 8am to bid him farewell and later the body will be transported to Handeni District, Tanga Region, for burial.
Dr Kigoda, who was the immediate former Handeni MP, died on Monday evening at Apollo Hospital in India.
His death comes only 18 days after the death of the Minister of State in the President’s office and former Ulanga East MP Ms Celina Kombani who also died at the same hospital from cancer.
Dr Kigoda held several ministerial positions and had been MP since 1995.
