Tanzania’s fifth national leader President John Magufuli was inaugurated on Thursday at the packed Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Magufuli, at the inauguration, made a brief thankful statement on the peaceful succession between himself and his predecessor Jakaya Kikwete.

In spite of the early morning shower which drenched the city and neighbouring regions, thousands of people flocked to the stadium to see the man popularly nicknamed “Hapa Kazi tu” – Kiswahili for “Here work only” – take his oath of office.

Magufuli coined the slogan for his presidential election campaign to indicate that he is a man who means business in order to bring about change in the people’s life and development in general.

Today’s downpour in Tanzania, according to many people, was a sign of good luck accompanying the new administration.

Several heads of state and government from neighbouring countries attended President Magufuli’s inauguration.

They included Presidents Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

Others were Joseph Kabila of DR Congo, Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique and Edgar Lungu of Zambia as well as Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia.

(PANA/NAN)