Fresh worries over Loliondo

Retired pastor,Rev Ambilikile Mwasapila By The Citizen Correspondent Arusha. One year after retired pastor, the Rev Ambilikile Mwasapila started dispensing his purported miracle cure, the mugariga, in Samunge village of Loliondo in Arusha Region, medical experts are worried the concoction, which is still administered to patients, albeit at a lesser extent now, might be fatal. In the recent past, Samunge village and Rev Mwasapila commonly referred to as Babu (Kiswahili for grandfather), have become a household name in Tanzania and beyond, thanks to enthusiastic media coverage, of both locally and internationally. However, it has been reported that over 100 people died in the process of going to Samunge to get the “wonder” cup provided by the Rev Mwasapila, 76, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). The tedious journey mostly involved critically ill patients determined to get a cupful of the herbal drink. Some of them were forced to trek long distances to Samunge as vehicles would at times be overfilled or were too expensive. Media reports indicate that about four million people have already taken the cup, made from “mugariga”, a tree which was identified in Samunge village by the Maasai as “engamuriaki” or “olmuriaki” and Sonjo (Batemi) as “engamuriaga”. Plant Taxonomists identified the plant as Carissa spinarum (formerly Carissa edulis) which belongs to the family Apocynaceae. Of serious concern to physicians in the country is the suspected large number of patients having abandoned conventional medication in favour of Babu’s mysterious cupful of concoction, believed to cure chronic diseases. This is feared to happen as patients are likely to subscribe to the spiritual aspect of the medicine that requires the patient to have “faith”. After some outcry by concerned observers, the Rev Mwasapila came out and urged his patients not to abandon their medicines prescribed by their doctors. “If someone is on medication for a chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, epilepsy, Aids and decides to go for traditional treatment, it is important to discuss with their respective doctor before withdrawing from their conventional medicines suddenly as this may be fatal,” said Dr Kaushik Ramaiya, Honorary Secretary of Tanzania Diabetic Association. Apparently, the Rev Mwasapila was neither the first nor would he be the last to claim a discovery of cure for chronic diseases. What made him stand out and grab headlines in newspaper’s front pages and prime time news in the electronic media is how he discovered his “cure”. Did it come after years of painstaking scientific research and product development? No, thank you; it was revelation from the heavens above, according to Rev Mwasapila who announced to the nation that God gave him the “mugariga” herb instructions through a dream in 1991: composition, dosage (the now-famous cup) and the amount to charge patients – a paltry Sh500! The pastor prays to God before boiling the herbs in clean water, leaving it cool after which it is decanted and then given to patients who flock to his simple homestead from all over the country, neighbouring countries and beyond. The controversy over Babu’s “miracle cure” is not only about the divine revelation aspect; it is also about the effectiveness of the cup that, according to him, could enable even barren women to conceive and bear children to fill the world.