Mtikila laid to rest
The Reverend Christopher Mtikila’s widow, Georgia, lays a wreath on her late husband’s grave during his burial in Ludewa District, Njombe Region, yesterday. PHOTO | SHABAN LUPIMO
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Hundreds of people attended the burial of the politician-cum-preacher, with mourners saying Tanzania has lost a person who put national interests above everything else
Ludewa. Democratic Party (DP) chairman Christopher Mtikila was laid to rest yesterday at his home village in Ludewa District.
Hundreds of people attended the burial in Milo Village, with friends and relatives saying the nation has lost a person who put national interests above everthing else.
The Reverend Mtikila died on Sunday when the car he was travelling in with three other people overturned near Chalinze Town in Coast Region. The other occupants survived the accident.
The Rev Mtikila was returning to Dar es Salaam from Njombe, where he attended DP election campaign rallies on Saturday.
Ms Veronica Mtikila, a sister of the late politician, said her brother would be remembered for fighting for the interests and rights of the poor and other vulnerable members of society.
“His death has shocked us as a family. We remember him for his contribution to the nation and his family…we now leave everything to God,” she said.
Mr Noel Haule and Mr Peter Msigwa, who went to school with the Rev Mtikila in Milo Village, said the late opposition politician was a person who was not afraid to speak out his mind right from an early age.
They said that they were not surprised when the man became an opposition politician in the early 1990s.
“Mtikila fought on behalf of those he thought were denied their rights when he was still in school. He was very sensitive when people were denied their rights,” said Mr Msigwa.
“The nation has lost a person who kept on reminding the government of its duty to selflessly serve the people,” he added.
Mr Haule said: “Mtikila was courageous and fearless…he liked to stand firm on what he believed was the truth. I was not surprised when he became a politician.”
Registrar of Political Parties Francis Mtungi said the Revverend Mtikila would be remembered for never wavering on what he believed was right and just.
“He was a person who never liked shortcuts to achieve his goals and usually turned to the courts to provide answers that were not easy to come by,” he said.
Mr Justice Mutungi said the the departed politician stood for the rights of the majority and defended peace in his country, something that should be emulated by every Tanzanian.
