Mu ijoro rishyira kuri uyu wa 24 Nyakanga 2020, ni bwo Perezida wa Tanzania Dr John Pombe Magufuli yatangaje inkuru y’akababaro ko Benjamin William Mkapa wabaye Perezida w’iki gihugu yapfuye. Urupfu rwe rwababaje abantu batandukanye bazi ibikorwa byamuranze ubwo yari Umukuru w’Igihugu ndetse no mu yindi mirimo itandukanye ya politiki yakoze.
Benjamin Mkapa wapfuye afite imyaka 82 y’amavuko, yapfiriye mu bitaro bikuru bya Muhimbili biherereye mu Mujyi wa Dar es Salaam. Benjamin Mkapa yavutse tariki 12 Ugushyingo 1938, aba Perezida wa 3 wa Tanzania muri manda ebyiri kuva 1995 kugeza 2005, ubwo yasimburwaga na Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete.
Urupfu rw’uyu musaza rwabaye igihombo kuri Tanzania bitewe n’ubunararibonye mu bya politike, dipolomasi no gukunda igihugu ndetse n’uruhare yagize mu bubanyi n’amahanga hagati ya Tanzania n’ibindi bihugu, bishingiye ku mirimo yose yagiye akora na mbere y’uko aba Perezida. Benjami Mkapa mbere yo kuba Perezida yabaye Minisitiri w’Ububanyi n’Amahanga (1977-1980, 1984-1990), aba Minisitiri ushinzwe itangazamakuru ndetse aba na Ambasaderi wa Tanzania mu bihugu nka Nigeria, Canada na Leta Zunze Ubumwe z’Amerika.
Benjamin Mkapa ni umuntu waranzwe no gukunda igihugu n’Afurika muri rusange nk’uko byanagarutsweho mu butumwa abakuru b’ibihugu nka John Magufuli wa Tanzania, Paul Kagame wa Repubulika y’u Rwanda na Museveni wa Uganda.
Perezida Magufuli mu butumwa bwe yagize Ati: “Mbabajwe n’Urupfu rwa Muzehe wacu Benjamin Mkapa. Nzamwibukira ku rukundo yakundaga igihugu cyacu, gukunda Imana, ishyaka no kuzamura ubukungu bw’igihugu.”
Naho Perezida wa Repubulika y’u Rwanda, Paul Kagame ati: “Ni umuntu waharaniye agaciro ka Afurika. Umusanzu we warenze Tanzania.”
Umuryango wa EAC uhombye umuntu w’ingenzi
Igihombo cy’urupfu rwa Benjamin William Mkapa si igihombo kuri Tanzania gusa, ahubwo Umuryango w’Afurika y’Iburasirazuba, EAC nawo uhombye umuntu w’ingirakamaro nk’umwe mu bari basanzwe ari inkingi za mwamba zawo nk’uko ubunyamabanga bwawo bwabigaragaje mu itangazo ryo kumwunamira.
Benjamin Mkapa ni umwe mu bashinze uyu muryango mu 1999, afatanyije na Yoweli Kaguta Museveni wa Uganda na Daniel Arap Moi wayoboraga Kenya. Nk’uko ubutumwa bwa bamwe mu bakuru b’ibihugu bya EAC bwabigaragaje, Mkapa yagize uruhare mu guteza imbere imibanire no kugarura ubwumvikane ahari amakimbirane.
Mkapa yagize uruhare mu kumvikanisha impande zabaga zihanganye mu bihugu bitandukanye byo muri EAC kandi bigatanga umusaruro nk’uko byagarutsweho na Perezida Kagame na Museveni wa Uganda, mu butumwa bwabo bwihanganisha Tanzania n’umuryango w’uyu musaza.
Yabaye umuhuza w’impande zari zihanganye muri Kenya, ubwo Perezida Mwai Kibaki yari ahanganye na Raila Odinga utaravugaga rumwe n’ubutegetsi, nyuma yo kutishimira ibyari byavuye mu matora y’Umukuru w’igihugu yabaye mu 2007. Icyo gihe yari mu itsinda ryari ryoherejwe n’Umuryango w’Afurika yunze Ubumwe ryarimo na Kofi Annan wigeze no kuyobora Umuryango w’Abibumbye.
Benjamin Mkapa yari umuhuza mu biganiro byasinyiwemo amasezerano yo kumvikanisha Mwai Kibaki na Raila Odinga mu 2008
Mu 2016 Benjamin Mkapa yayoboye itsinda ryari rishinzwe kumvikanisha ubutegetsi bw’u Burundi n’uruhande rutavugaga rumwe nabwo nyuma yo kwiyamamariza kuyobora manda ya gatatu kwa Pierre Nkurunziza, bigateza imvururu zatumye Abarundi bahungira mu bihugu bituranyi.
Ubwo yari Minisitiri w’Ububanyi n’Amahanga wa Tanzania mu 1979, Mkapa yayoboye itsinda ryongeye guhuriza hamwe impunzi z’abanya-Uganda zari zarahungiye mu bihugu bitandukanye zigaruka mu gihugu, harimo n’umutwe w’Inyeshyamba wa FRONASA, Mu kiswe ‘Moshi Conference.’
Benjamin Mkapa kandi yagiye aba mu matsinda yayoboye ibiganiro by’ubuhuza mu bya politiki bindi bihugu nka RDC, Sudani y’Epfo na Zimbabwe mu mvururu za politiki zagiye zirangwayo.
Kugeza ubu Umuryango wa EAC watangiye icyunamo cyo kumwunamira, aho ibendera ryawo ryururukijwe kuzageza igihe azashyingurirwa. Ibihugu kandi nka Tanzania, Kenya na Uganda byamushyiriyeho icyunamo cy’iminsi itatu.
