THE CITIZEN
Mr Ambikile Mwasapile (left) serves out the the miracle drink. Thousands have thronged the herbalist’s home to be cured.
Photo/The Citizen/Daily Nation
Loliondo in Arusha Region, where thousands of people are pouring in every day, attracted by belief that a retired Lutheran pastor can cure all manner of illnesses with a cupful of his herbal medicine is perhaps one of the toughest challenges for the government in recent times.Had it been that easy, the government would by now have clamped down on the unverified dispensing of herbs to critically ill people by an ageing cleric.
But the faith in the Rev Ambikile Mwasapile “miracle cures’ appears to have grown so strong that not only Tanzanians, but people from the neighbouring countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of Congo are making the pilgrimage to the remote village.
The government has been rather cautious most probably because it would be foolhardy to try and block a people hoping there lies a remedy for their illnesses. However, the same government must also ensure that people are not taken for a ride.
Interestingly, the minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Haji Mponda, had to reverse his order suspending the Loliondo treatment until the samples of the herbal concoction could be scientifically tested.
His Cabinet colleague, Mr William Lukuvi, local administrators and security chiefs from various regions are grappling with how to deal with the humanitarian crisis arising from the continuing influx into the little village.
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