Looking back at a year without Magufuli

Dar/Geita. President Samia Suluhu Hassan is today expected to lead Tanzanians in commemorating the first anniversary of the death of her predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli.

The Head of State is expected to attend the commemoration at the Magufuli ground in Chato District, Geita Region, along with senior government officials.

Geita Regional Commissioner Rosemary Senyamule said yesterday that preparations for the event had been completed, and the region was receiving guests from different parts of the country.

Other prominent individuals expected to be in attendance include Vice President Philip Mpango, Parliament Speaker Tulia Ackson, Chief Justice Ibrahim Juma and Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi.

Ministers, Members of Parliament, regional and district commissioners and other leaders will also attend.

“Mr Ghalib Bilali, former vice president in the fourth phase government, has already arrived, and we are also waiting to receive three former prime ministers. Other leaders will arrive in the evening and tomorrow (today),” said Ms Senyamule.

She said religious leaders, including the Chief Mufti of Tanzania, Abubakar Zubeir, and bishops from various Christian denominations will also be in attendance.

According to the RC, members of the public will start to enter the ground at 6am, and government activities are scheduled to commence at 8am.

The situation is in Chato

Guest houses were full yesterday, and those arriving late were being directed to Katoro Town in Geita District.

The commemoration came as a blessing for bodaboda and Bajaj operators, who registered booming business compared to other days.

The owner of Glory Annex Restaurant in Chato Town, Mr Kwezi Mpangalimi, said in the past two days he had served many more customers daily than in recent months, adding that the amount of being cooked was four times the daily average.

On the evening of March 17, 2021 Tanzania was plunged into mourning following the announcement that Magufuli had died.

Magufuli, who is remembered for his record in overseeing government programmes, left a no-nonsense legacy when it came to investment in infrastructure.

Until his death, there were some projects which had been completed, while some were still in progress.

Projects that were implemented under his leadership include Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Nyerere hydropower project (NHPP), Free Education, Revival of Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), Review of Mining Laws, Petty traders Identification Cards, and Industrialisation drives.

SGR

In April, 2017, Magufuli officially launched the construction of the first phase of the country’s 2,561km SGR project which will eventually link the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam with Mwanza on Lake Victoria and Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika, as well as neighboring Rwanda and Burundi.

Last month, TRC director general Masanja Kadogosa said the first phase, which covers 300km from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro, had been completed by 95.03 percent.

The second phase, which runs from Morogoro to Makutupora in Singida Region, is complete by 79 percent, while the construction of the 341-kilometre Mwanza-Isaka section was at four percent.

NHPP

The late Magufuli laid a foundation stone for the project in July 2019.

Previously known as the Stigler Gorge Project, the NHPP has been designed to produce 2,115MW of electricity.

Upon its completion, Tanzania which is currently producing 1,450MW of electricity, will increase its production significantly.

Restoring the ATCL’s lost glory

Though Magufuli is no more, his memory will live forever in the hearts and minds of aviation stakeholders due to his unmatched support for the industry.

Revival of the national carrier – Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) – gained considerable momentum after Magufuli was sworn into office in November 2015.

Revamping of aviation from the past decades of struggling is attributable to great investment in ATCL which opened up national and regional schedules.

He is remembered for removing ATCL a comatose state by purchasing nine aircraft, and bringing the total number to ten

Free education

In a major policy shift, primary and secondary schooling was announced by Magufuli’s government to be free for all Tanzanian children as the government joined its East African neighbour Uganda in offering universal education free of charge.

Revolution in mining

The government made several changes in the mining business from mining operations to mineral buying and selling.

Some of the changes covered legal reforms; streamlining the minerals’ market system; review of taxes and levies.