Why are African leaders hiding the truth about their health?

The two leaders, Chakwera and Biya have used different methods to dispel the rumors of their illness, but they have the same goal, which is to hide and conceal the strength of the treatment that is bothering them.

But perhaps the main reason is to prevent the opposition and their critics from knowing the true situation of Suek.

Prof. Tendi said politics is “a matter of courage” that is needed to stay in power.

He added that the nature of politics that requires resistance makes it difficult for women to succeed in it.

At the moment, there is only one female president in Africa, Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, and she took over as vice president after the death of the president who was a man.

Political leaders, in Africa and other regions, are seen as heroes of resistance.

Therefore, especially when the president is old, their health becomes a very important issue for the country, as we saw in the US election this year.

Professor Adekeye Adebajo of the University of Johannesburg said that leaders in the continent “have the idea that their health is linked to the health of their countries”, so what is bothering the president is considered a national secret.

If something happens to them, it can affect the economy, markets and change the political situation, as a security expert in Zimbabwe told the BBC, and that is why caution is being taken.

In countries with weak political systems, the mechanisms for changing leaders are less effective, leading to fears that any leadership gap could lead to a power struggle.

More than 20 years ago, a bodyguard of the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, killed him.

But then the country’s authorities refused to accept his murder, saying that he was taken to a Zimbabwean hospital to check his health, while they were trying what to do.

In the end, his son Yusuf who was not skilled was chosen as the president of the country.

Similarly, in Malawi, the government delayed announcing the death of President Binguwa Mutharika in 2012, which led to accusations of trying to prevent his successor Joyce Banda from succeeding him.

But in neighboring Zambia, where two presidents died on the throne, and in Ghana, where President John Atta Mills died in 2012, the country’s constitution was worked properly.

Over the years, various African leaders have faced questions about their health.

In 2010, former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe criticized the long-standing illness rumors as “a hoax created by the Western media.”

Three years ago, the announcement of the death of Tanzanian President John Magufuli came after weeks of denial of his illness. The country’s authorities have even arrested people for spreading false information about his health, just to confirm their claim that he is healthy.

One of the issues of concealing the ill health of a president faced in Africa is that of Nigeria, during the reign of the former president of the country, Umaru ‘Yar’aduwa who was not seen in public for about five months.

In January 2010, his office said he was receiving medical attention and was “getting better”, but there were reports that he was in a “critical condition”.

Yar’aduwa did not appear in public again, until the news of his death was announced in May this year.

“Some of these people want to stay in power until the end of their lives,” said Professor Tendi.

Many leaders, even in places other than Africa, do not think that the people they rule have the right to know their health, which they consider a top secret.

After an official seven-week illness in 2017, President Buhari of Nigeria told his nation that he had never been sick “like this” in his life, although he did not say what was wrong with him.

It has been confirmed that the former president of Cameroon, Ahmadou Ahidjo, is the only African president who resigned due to ill health, in 1982, after ruling for 22 years.

This kind of transparency and tolerance with the government is rarely found in Africa.

More than 20 African presidents have died in office, some without telling their countrymen about their illness.

But Ahidjo’s successor, Paul Biya, did not adopt Ahidjo’s style.

Leaders may fear that disclosing their health issues may embolden rivals or even foreign countries seeking to influence or destabilize the country.

Where in the past some leaders of the countries were overthrown after spreading the news of their illness.

In 1996, everyone learned that the president of Zaire, now known as DR Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko, was hospitalized due to cancer.

This is what made it easy for Laurent Kabila to lead a group of rebels who are supported by the Rwandan government in seizing the country.

During the coup, Mobutu was not strong enough to resist, so he went into exile in Morocco and left the country to Kabila.

“If you reveal your weaknesses, your opponents will use the opportunity to unseat you,” said Professor Tendi.

However, a farmer and school teacher in Nigeria, Abeku Adams, 41 years old, who witnessed the death of the two presidents of the country, said that the secret illness of the leaders has become a “culture in Africa”.

“Secretizing one’s illness is something that is seen as part of the healing process in many African cultures. This may be the reason why they hide or lie about their health,” he said.

While citizens have the right to keep their health information private, political leaders do not have this right, as their health can affect the entire country.

While most African countries have a leadership transition process, there are increasing calls for transparency about the health of their leaders, especially from the youth population in the continent.

“Citizens owe their governments that kind of information,” Mr. Adams said.

He added that because citizens pay taxes, they should know about the health of their leaders.

Perhaps Malawi’s tumultuous political system, as well as the country’s upcoming elections next year, has made Chakwera do his public exercise – to show that he is more qualified than his main rival, Peter Mutharika – and He is 15 years older than the president.

In contrast, Biya faces little threat in the elections, where he has won five, in the past, despite opposition complaints of rigging.

In a true democracy, it is good that the leader’s health is public, as a political analyst told the BBC.

However, the political situation in most African countries, where the ruling parties are suspected of cheating, and military coups are always a threat, and even the elected leaders, can return the throne to their families, not looking at transparency as something that the leaders are ready to use is not imminent.