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Ambassador Kairuki: Mwinyi’s advice before traveling to China

TANZANIA: “When I was appointed as Tanzania’s ambassador to China in 2017, before I went to report to my work station, I paid a courtesy call on former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi to say goodbye. In his advice to me, he shared a few words that became a catalyst in implementing my duties as a representative of our country.

“This is what he said: ‘You are going to China, to our traditional friends. Those who were there before you have strengthened our relations with the Chinese for many years. Go and do the same. In case you find that you can’t strengthen them, just leave them where you found them, but ensure you don’t drag them backward,’” says Mr. Mbelwa Kairuki, Tanzania’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK).

According to the diplomat’s post on X (formerly Twitter) platform on Friday morning, Mwinyi’s words motivated him to work harder and ensure that the relationship between the two countries grows stronger each day.

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“I didn’t want to let Mzee Mwinyi down,” he writes. Though he was later transferred to London to represent the country, he continues to apply Mwinyi’s wisdom.

“In November last year, when he was here in London for treatment, I reminded him of the advice he gave me in 2017… he was very happy that I followed his advice. Then he told me to continue doing the same here in England,” he says.

Tanzania’s Second President, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, aged 98, passed away on Thursday evening at Mzena Hospital in Dar es Salaam, where he was undergoing treatment.