Why is the health of African leaders a secret affair?
Prof Macharia Munene, a lecturer in international relations at United States International University in Kenya, says it is a measure of the insecurity of African leaders. “The leaders feel that they are superhumans who cannot admit that they are sick,” he says.
Last week, Zambians didn’t know whether President Michael Sata was in India or London for treatment.
In Angola, the country has been guessing at the whereabouts of President Eduardo dos Santos. And in Cameroon, veteran Paul Biya continues to play Houdini. So where are these African presidents?
Last month, the Zambian government released a few static pictures to prove that President Sata was alive, after the public had questioned his whereabouts. It is not the first time the Zambian head of state has gone missing.
In February, following the African Union summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, he disappeared for a week, leading to speculation of ill health. He had reportedly gone to the UK for treatment. When he returned to the country a week later, he avoided journalists.
The government later issued a statement that President Sata decided to take some rest after “working hard for Zambians.”
In Angola, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has been absent for five weeks. He went to the Spanish city of Barcelona, with his wife and three children. The MPLA-led government has remained tight-lipped on the trip, as the opposition demands a statement on the president’s whereabouts.
In Cameroon, President Paul Biya reportedly spends about 150 to 200 days outside the country every year. One of his favourite destinations is Geneva in Switzerland. Back home, the trips are described as private.
In Zimbabwe, the ageing leader Robert Mugabe has been making frequent trips to Singapore for what the government says are “normal eye check-ups,” even as his health remains an intense subject of speculation.
Why is the health of African leaders a secret affair?
Prof Macharia Munene, a lecturer in international relations at United States International University in Kenya, says it is a measure of the insecurity of African leaders. According to him, once the leaders announce they are sick, that will invite scheming from those who seek to wrestle power from them.
“The leaders feel that they are superhumans who cannot admit that they are sick,” he says.
Many a power transition in Africa has been messed up because of needless secrecy about a leader’s health. This creates a dangerous power vacuum when the leader dies without warning.
