The influx of patients into Samunge village in Loliondo has plunged the little village into a crisis as the area has been overwhelmed by large crowds of people and cannot cope with the estimated  more than six thousand people that flock the village on a daily basis from all over Tanzania and the neighbouring  countries. To forestall possible outbreak of communicable diseases due to the lack of sanitary facilities in the village, the government of Tanzania has been compelled to suspend the treatment and cure of chronic diseases by the retired pastor of the evangelical Lutheran church, who claims to have divine powers to heal.

Ambilikile  Masapila, the retired clergy shot to fame with his claim of curing Aids and other chronic diseases that has fired up the imagination of the long suffering patients. The news of the retired pastor cum herbalist have been spreading like wildfire in dry season, before the suspension he was expecting to receive patients from Middle East, India and China. Trying to justify the suspension, Tanzania’s minister of health Dr. Haji Mponda said something to the effect that the government  is trying  to put up sanitary facilities in the village and enhance security in the area.

The intention of the provision of sanitary facilities in the village and boost security is a welcome move  by the government  and it should be lauded for that , however the minister also mentioned the herb will also have to undergo laboratory tests to make sure it is  safe for human consumption before the herbalist resumes dispensing the miraculous herbal medicine. I find this part quite absurd  and utter balderash, why laboratory tests now ? When top Government fat cats   bureaucrats have already taken the concoction, it is on record that no one has experienced negative side effects after taking the herbal medicine. The government should know that if it wants to test the potency of the  herb in a laboratory, the herb is a miracle and miracles are never tested in laboratory, its effectiveness can be only be tested by personal faith. The retired cleric has all along been emphasizing that the herb is a miracle that was exposed to him by God through a  dream.

It has emerged that the government is concerned with the high number of patients deserting their hospital beds and heading to Loliondo to take the miraculous herb ,some of the patients have left hospitals in critical condition. It is very  unfortunate that some have not made it to the village and have passed away before meeting the herbalist due to the large number of people struggling to get the medicine.

A word of advise to the government of Tanzania!It should speed up whatever it’s doing regarding the herbal medicine and let the retired priest resume his work of dispensing the herbal medicine, otherwise it should brace for a fight with desperate patients who are dying to have the medicine, after learning about its potency from fellow citizens.

The emergence of the herbalist has sent a shivers down spine of some of the tele- evangelists like Bishop Kakobe who have tried so hard to brush aside the retired pastor.The famous bishop had the audacity to paint the herbalistin bad light as a false prophet. Bishop Kakobe  is used to attracting huge crowds to his church on Sundays and he is worried that he may lose most of his followers. At the moment, the talk in social places in Tanzania and beyond is about the  miraculous cure and that’s a cause for worry to him and his ilk.

According to Bishop Kakobe the herbalist should not collect the Tanzanian shillings 500 ( 40 US cents ) he has been colleting from his patients if he is indeed been sent by God to offer the herbal medicine, the herbalist has clarified that he only keep 100 shilling for his upkeep out of the 500 he collects and the balance is shared equally between his assistants and the Lutheran church. It is very ironical for Bishop Kakobe to make such allegations against the humble herbalist as Kakobe’s church  is a cash cow as its weekly and monthly yields are astonishing  .In his church there is a minimum amount you can contribute and coins are not accepted. The attractiveness of the church is its progressive and precocious nature and its inductable biblical doctrines. The well-decked choir of the church with the state-of-the art musical equipments that turn the church into a metaphysical ‘nightclub’ every Sunday morning, also adds to the attraction.

The arrogant bishop with his designers suits and top of the range fuel guzzlers vehicles, looks more of a CEO of a blue chip company rather than a priest. Sometimes I marvel at the opulence and lush that had become his lot. Bishop Kakobe should stop misleading people about the herbalist and let the people make their own choices.

It has not been established   how many people have so far been to Loliondo for the miracle cure by the former pastor who has to attend every patient in person. The concoction is made from herbs  from an  indigenous tree called ‘mugariga’ is all that patients are given by the retired pastor .The effectiveness of the concoction in treating chronic diseases is not known although many of those who have taken it claimed they now feel better and are on the path of full recovery.

Alpha Mantai is travel writer and a leading tours & travel consultant based in Arusha. To connect with him, drop him a line at sales@smartafricantravel.com