President John Pombe Magufuli has asked Tanzanians to spare some time and join Kenyans in inter-faith prayer against the coronavirus.
Magufuli on Friday told Tanzanians that just as they had called on their God to intervene and take the virus away, the time has come for them to join hands with Kenyans with whom they share common interests.
Magufuli was speaking during his Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential campaign at the Benjamin Mkapa Grounds in Dar es Salaam.
“Some few months our country was among others struck with Coronavirus, we sat with religious leaders and we prayed to God to protect our nation. We thank God because in him nothing is impossible, he helped us we defeated the disease,” Magufuli said.
“Leo asubuhi kabla nije hapa nimesemezana na mwenzangu na rafikiki wetu raisi Uhuru Kenyatta wa Kenya. Ameamua naye pia katika kipindi cha siku tatu kuanzia leo hadi Jumapili kumuomba mungu ili ugonjwa wa korona uondoke Kenya. Nawaomba sana wa Tanzania wenzangu tushirikiane na wenzetu wa Kenya kwenye maombi hayo ili ugonjwa huo uwaondokee,” he added.
This loosely translates to (Today before I came here, I had a chat with my counterpart and friend Uhuru Kenyatta President of Kenya. He has decided to have a three-day national prayer starting today till Sunday to pray to God that he may deliver them from the disease. I ask all of us to join them in these prayers that their God may also protect them the way he did to us)
Magufuli said he is sure the same God who intervened in their situation, hears, answers prayers and will not fail Kenya.
“God is always good all the time and when one prays to him there is nothing that is impossible,” he said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that the country will hold three-day prayers for the nation this weekend from Friday to Sunday.
The communication from State House spokesperson Kanze Dena said Kenyans are encouraged to pray for the country in their usual places of worship in compliance with Covid-19 containment protocols.
On Saturday, the President will convene an inter-faith national prayer service at State House, Nairobi starting at 10 am.
“The interfaith prayer service will be broadcast live to the entire country on all leading television, radio, and digital media platforms,” Kanze said.
This will be the second national prayer in the country since the virus struck the nation on March 13, 2020.
On March 21, the Uhuru led the nation in the National Prayer Service against the coronavirus at State House.
During the service, the clerics picked 11 points as prayer items including  Prayer for those infected by Covid-19 in Kenya and their relatives, for those who lost their lives, strength and healing of fear due to the pandemic and other National calamities and challenges
So far Kenya has reported 40,620 cases of the disease after 442 more people tested positive.
The number of fatalities rose to 755 after another four patients succumbed to the virus.
President Magufuli last month said the devil wanted to rule the world through the disease.
Magufuli said it is not possible for world economies to shut down because of a disease.
Speaking during a political rally in Chato Geita, Magufuli said, fortunately, his government did not bow to pressure to lockdown.
“Many threatened us with dire consequences, they wanted us to shut down the economy so that we run away from the problem but in reality, leadership is about carrying the problems on those you lead on your shoulders that is why today we are here,” he said.
Since the beginning of May, Tanzania has not been releasing any official figures on the extent of the outbreak that has left over 29 million people infected globally with above 925, 000 deaths.
“That is satanic. The devil wanted to take over the world but we want to remind him that he has no chance in Tanzania,” he said.
He said if he locked down the country it would be hard for people to make a living.
“How would those depending on fishing make ends meet. How would those working earn a salary? Those that were calling on a lockdown had no wisdom,” he said.
“I can confirm that there has never been and there will be no lockdown and we shall continue to roll because we believe in our God who is bigger than any disease.”