President Uhuru Kenyatta travels to Tanzania for John Magufuli inauguration

{President Uhuru Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta Thursday morning travelled to Dar-es-Salaam to attend the inauguration ceremony of Tanzania’s President-elect John Pombe Magufuli.}

The President and the First Lady, whose flight took off shortly before 9am, were seen off at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Deputy President William Ruto and a delegation of government officials. Several African leaders are due Thursday in the economic capital Dar es Salaam for Magufuli’s swearing in, including the African
Union chairman, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, and regional heads of state.

Ruling party candidate John Magufuli won Tanzania’s hotly contested presidential elections with over 58 percent of votes, cementing the long-running Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party’s firm grip on power. Samia Suluhu Hassan, who comes from Zanzibar, will become Tanzania’s first ever female vice president. Outgoing Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has declared the day a holiday.

STANDARD MEDIA