John Magufuli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Magufuli
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Magufuli in 2015
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| 5th President of Tanzania | |
| In office 5 November 2015 – 17 March 2021 |
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| Prime Minister | Kassim Majaliwa |
| Vice President | Samia Suluhu |
| Preceded by | Jakaya Kikwete |
| Succeeded by | Samia Suluhu |
| Minister of Works, Transport and Communications | |
| In office 28 November 2010 – 5 November 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | Mizengo Pinda |
| Preceded by | Shukuru Kawambwa |
| Succeeded by | Makame Mbarawa |
| In office November 2000 – 21 December 2005 |
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| Prime Minister | Frederick Sumaye |
| Succeeded by | Basil Mramba |
| Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Development | |
| In office 13 February 2008 – 6 November 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Mizengo Pinda |
| Preceded by | Anthony Diallo |
| Succeeded by | David Mathayo David |
| Minister of Lands and Human Settlements | |
| In office 6 January 2006 – 13 February 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Edward Lowassa |
| Succeeded by | John Chiligati |
| Member of Parliament for Biharamulo East and Chato |
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| In office November 1995 – July 2015 |
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| Succeeded by | Kalemani Medard |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Pombe Joseph Magufuli
29 October 1959 Chato, Tanganyika (now Tanzania) |
| Died | 17 March 2021 (aged 61) Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
| Cause of death | Officially atrial fibrillation, for details see Death |
| Political party | Chama Cha Mapinduzi |
| Spouse | Janeth Magufuli |
| Children | 7 |
| Education | University of Dar es Salaam (BS, MS, PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Tanzania |
| Branch/service | National Service |
| Years of service | 1983–1984 |
John Pombe Joseph Magufuli (born 29 October 1959 – died 17 March 2021) was the fifth president of Tanzania. He served as president from 2015 until his death in 2021.
Before becoming president, he was the Minister of Works, Transport and Communications from 2000 to 2005 and again from 2010 to 2015. He also led the Southern African Development Community from 2019 to 2020.
Magufuli was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1995. He held several important roles in the government, including Deputy Minister of Works, Minister of Lands and Human Settlement, and Minister of Livestock and Fisheries.
He became president after winning the October 2015 presidential election. He was sworn in on 5 November 2015. He was re-elected in 2020. Magufuli promised to reduce government corruption and spending. He also wanted to invest in Tanzania's industries.
During his time as president, Tanzania's economy grew strongly. It moved from being a lower-low income country to a lower-middle income country.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
John Magufuli was born in 1959 in northwestern Tanzania. This area was then called Tanganyika. He grew up near Lake Victoria in a family that was not wealthy. He lived in a small house with a thatched roof. As a child, he helped his family by looking after cattle and selling milk and fish.
He started school at Chato Primary School in 1967 and finished in 1974. For his secondary education, he went to Katoke Seminary from 1975 to 1977. Later, he moved to Lake Secondary School and finished there in 1978.
Magufuli then attended Mkwawa High School from 1979 to 1981. In 1981, he joined Mkwawa College of Education. There, he studied Chemistry, Mathematics, and Education to become a teacher.
He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science in education, from the University of Dar es Salaam in 1988. He continued his studies at the same university, earning his master's degree in chemistry in 1994 and his doctorate in chemistry in 2009. In 2019, the University of Dodoma gave him an honorary doctorate for helping improve the country's economy.
Political Journey
Magufuli started his career as a teacher. He taught chemistry and mathematics at Sengerema Secondary School from 1982 to 1983. After teaching, he worked as an industrial chemist for The Nyanza Cooperative Union Limited from 1989 to 1995.
In 1995, he entered politics and was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Chato district. In his first term, he became the Deputy Minister for Works. He kept his seat in the 2000 election and was promoted to a full Minister of Works.
Later, President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete appointed him Minister of Lands and Human Settlement in 2006. He also served as Minister of Livestock and Fisheries from 2008 to 2010. He returned to the role of Minister of Works from 2010 to 2015.
Becoming President in 2015
On 12 July 2015, Magufuli was chosen as the presidential candidate for the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party. This was for the 2015 Tanzanian general election. He won the party's primary election against two other strong candidates.
In the general election held on 25 October 2015, Magufuli faced a challenge from Edward Lowassa. However, Magufuli was declared the winner on 29 October, receiving 58% of the votes. His running mate, Samia Suluhu, became Vice-President. He officially became president on 5 November 2015.
Re-election in 2020
In July 2020, Magufuli was again nominated as the CCM's presidential candidate for the October 2020 elections. He was re-elected for a second term.
Leading the Country
After becoming president, Magufuli quickly started to reduce government spending. He made rules to stop unnecessary foreign travel by government officials. He also encouraged using cheaper transport and meeting rooms. For example, he reduced the number of people in a delegation for a Commonwealth tour from 50 to 4. He also cut the budget for a state dinner. Magufuli even lowered his own salary.
In 2015, he cancelled the country's Independence Day celebrations. Instead, he asked everyone to join a national cleanup campaign to fight cholera. He said it was "shameful that we are spending huge amounts of money to celebrate 54 years of independence when our people are dying of cholera." The money saved was used to improve hospitals and sanitation.
In December 2015, Magufuli announced his government team. He reduced the number of ministries from 30 to 19 to save money.
In March 2017, Tanzania stopped exporting unprocessed ores. This was to encourage local processing of minerals. In 2016, Magufuli also introduced free education for all government schools.
His government changed laws about mining contracts. This gave Tanzania the right to change or end contracts if there was fraud. The country also gained 16% of shares in mines held by a large company called Acacia Mining. This company later paid $100 million to the government to settle a dispute.
Building New Infrastructure
Magufuli's government worked on many projects to improve the country's infrastructure and economy. These projects included:
- Adding new planes to Air Tanzania to help the national airline.
- Expanding Terminal III of Julius Nyerere International Airport.
- Building the Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway.
- Constructing new bridges and interchanges, like the Mfugale Flyover and Ubungo Interchange.
- Developing the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station.
- Expanding the Port of Dar es Salaam.
- Building new bus terminals and health centers.
Magufuli was sometimes called "The Bulldozer." This nickname referred to his road-building projects and his efforts to reduce spending and corruption in the government. After he made initial cuts, people on social media used the hashtag "#WhatWouldMagufuliDo" to share their own ways of saving money, inspired by the president.
Health and COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania, Magufuli had a different approach compared to many other world leaders. He spoke against closing churches, saying they were places of "true healing."
By May 2020, Magufuli announced that the disease had been defeated in Tanzania through national prayer. He called for a public celebration. He also questioned the effectiveness of testing and face masks. He even said that some test kits gave positive results for things like goats and papaya.
In January 2021, he expressed doubts about vaccines. He suggested using steam inhalation and herbal medicine instead. However, the next month, he asked Tanzanians to wear face masks, but only those made in Tanzania.
His Passing
John Magufuli was not seen in public after 27 February 2021. On the night of 17 March 2021, Vice-President Samia Suluhu announced that President Magufuli had died at 6 p.m. EAT in Dar es Salaam. He was the only President of Tanzania to die while in office.
The Vice-President stated that he had suffered from a chronic heart condition called atrial fibrillation for over ten years. She announced 14 days of national mourning, and flags were flown at half-staff.
Many countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Burundi, declared periods of mourning for President Magufuli. He was buried in his hometown of Chato on 26 March 2021.
Family Life
John Magufuli was married to Janeth Magufuli, who was a primary school teacher. They had seven children together.
Awards and Recognition
Awards
- 2020: Top Tanzania Assemblies of God Award
Honorary Academic Awards
| Year | University | Country | Honour |
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| 2019 | University of Dodoma | Tanzania |
Honoris Causa |
Images for kids
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World map highlighting countries visited by Magufuli while president
See also
In Spanish: John Magufuli para niños
- List of presidential trips made by John Magufuli
