Tanzania’s president, John Magufuli, is critically ill in a hospital in Kenya after contracting coronavirus, the threat of which he has repeatedly trivialised, an opposition leader has said, citing sources with knowledge of the case.
The 61-year-old president suffered a cardiac arrest and flew to a hospital in Nairobi for urgent treatment, Tundu Lissu told the BBC. .
Lissu’s claims have not been independently verified, but Magufuli has not been seen for almost two weeks, sparking widespread speculation about his health and whereabouts. His absence is unusual as he is known for making frequent public speeches and appearing on state television several times a week.
Another politician told the Associated Press that he had spoken to people close to the president who said he was seriously ill and hospitalised. The politician asked to remain anonymous for fear of a backlash from Tanzania’s repressive regime.
Magufuli has repeatedly denied that Covid-19 is spreading in the east African country and claimed without evidence that vaccines are dangerous, suggesting instead that people pray and inhale herbal-infused steam.
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Despite numerous requests by the World Health Organization, Tanzania has not published any statistics on cases since May, when it registered 509 infections. It has no known testing programme in place and health officials have been forbidden from mentioning the virus.
