On October 14, 1999, at the age of 77, the nation’s Founding Father died of natural causes in a London hospital.
He died after effectively spearheading the movement for freedom and political independence from the British government, not only for his mother country, Tanzania but also for several central and southern African countries.
They include South Africa, which, after decades of apartheid, has now emerged as Africa’s second-largest economy after Nigeria.
Looking at his legacy, Mwalimu leaves behind a large list of accolades, Tanzania's first President, Africa's most influential leader, A statesman among statesmen, a Liberator, a Pan-Africanist, a true Mwalimu.
President Samia, addressing a longstanding tradition of penning commemorative articles, expressed the sentiment captured by William Shakespeare: "Praising what is lost, makes the remembrance dearer."
One of the achievements of Nyerere was toning down ethnicity in Tanzania. Mwalimu used Kiswahili as a national language to unify the people of Tanzania and succeeded. Tanzania has 120 tribes –big tribes, let alone subtribes. So, to lead a country of that nature Mwalimu Nyerere needed a medium through which he could communicate his ideas of what Tanganyika (as it was known at independence) needed to become. So, the language was extremely important (for Nyerere), and he succeeded in that. Kiswahili united Tanzanians, and it brought us together as a people.
Mwalimu Nyerere is remembered by the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar which brought about the United Republic of Tanzania on 26th April 1964 under the decision between the Late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere and Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume of Zanzibar.
Also, Mwalimu introduced different efforts to fight, ignorance, diseases, and poverty like the UPE initiative, etc. This was reflected even in his famous speech in Swahili which Mwalimu said, paraphrasing; "tuna maadui watatu ambao ni Ujinga, Maradhi na Umasikini,....". Therefore his legacy of fighting the three enemies still lives on.
Central to Nyerere's leadership was his unwavering adherence to ethics. The President underscored the importance of ethical leadership, a value exemplified by the late leader. His commitment to ethical governance served as a guiding light for future generations.
As Tanzania readies itself to commemorate Mwalimu Nyerere's 24th memorial anniversary, the nation stands united, reflecting on his extraordinary legacy. Through continued dedication to his principles, Tanzania moves forward, inspired by the enduring spirit of its founding father.