Tanzania’s conjoined celebrities die at age 21
NAIROBI: Two conjoined sisters, who became famous when they began their studies at a Tanzanian university, have died at the age of 21 following a long illness, the president announced.
Maria and Consolata Mwakikuti, who were joined at the abdomen, became minor celebrities in Tanzania where the media closely followed their path through high school.
At the time, the sisters, who enjoyed knitting and cooking together, thanked the teachers who helped them through high school, as well as the government who provided a vehicle to take them from their home to school each day.
Their admission to the Ruaha Catholic University in Iringa in September 2017 marked a first in a country where disabled people are often marginalised or abandoned.
They had begun a course in education with a view to becoming teachers when they became ill in January, notably suffering from cardiac problems.
“I am saddened by the death of twins, Maria and Consolata. When I last visited them at the hospital they prayed for the nation. Rest in peace my children,” President John Magufuli tweeted on Sunday.
After an apparent improvement in their health, the sisters continued their treatment at a hospital near their university, where they died on Saturday.
The twins were abandoned by their mother after the death of their father, and later taken in by a Catholic mission.
In an emotional statement on state television last July, Maria urged parents not to “hide or lock up their handicapped children”.
“They must know they as human beings, handicapped or not, are equal and have the same rights,” she said.