Tanzania: Is Osama Bin Laden Really Dead? · Global Voices
J. Nambiza Tungaraza

This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.
The Tanzanian blogosphere has taken the news of death of the al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden with a pinch of salt.  While few voices welcomed  the news, a number of blog readers expressed doubts and came up with  a  number conspiracy theories.
Maggid Mjengwa lauded Obama’s timing, reflecting that Osama's death will boost President Obama domestically. He wrote [sw]:
… huu ni ushindi mkubwa kwa Barack Obama na bila shaka, akiutumia vema,  utamwongezea uhakika wa kushinda Urais kwenye Uchaguzi ujao na kuacha  historia nyuma yake. Maana, Barack Obama alipoingia madarakani, aliweka  bayana, kumtafuta na kumkmaata au kumwua Osama Bin Laden ni ajenda  nambari moja katika mapambano dhidi ya ugaidi wa kimataifa. Obama, chini  ya uongozi wake, amefanikisha kile ambacho kilidhaniwa hakiwezekani.
In the same post, an anonymous reader supported Maggid’s assertion:
Majid, There was always political capital to be gained  from the announcement, but you have to remember it is the intelligence  service and the military that have been doing this for years regardless  of the who is in the white house supported by the congress approving  their actions. Obama has continued to support the effort after Bush but  then any President would have done the same.
It's a bit cheesy Obama taking so much credit but I don't doubt a  Republican in the White House would have been doing the same. With  Obama's latest polls little wonder he is enjoying the moment. Bottom  line is Bin Laden is toast, so I am glad the people who lost their loved  ones to his actions can get some relief for the revenge but as many  pundits have already said it will not stop the Jihad … and another  leader will take his place.
Another reader believes that Osama died long ago:
Probably Osama Bin laden died sometime ago.They knew this  but they wanted to accomplish some dirty jobs before they announce  this.FAKE news my Friends!
Another one says:
10 years, 2 wars, 919,967 deaths, and $1,188,263,000,000 later; America has killed one man. lol﻿
Predicting that many will doubt the news of his death, Simon Kitururu left a message in Malkiory Matiya’s blog [sw]:
Huyu jamaa kwa watu wengine wengi tu hawawezi kukubali  kuwa kafa! Na siku hizi na tekinolojia hizi zifanyavyo kazi-hata uweke  video ya anavyouawa kuna watakao dai ni mambo ya holiwudi hayo.
Nasubiri tu kwa kuwa nahisi si muda mrefu unaweza kusikia Osama katoa  tena video au tu sauti kudai kitu na wafuasi wake wakaamini ni kweli  yuko hai!
Many people will not believe that this bloke is dead! The  technology works these days – even if you show a video of how he was  killed there are people who will claim that it is just some kind of  Hollywood stuff.I am just waiting because I feel before too long you may hear that  Osama has released a video or audio to say something and his followers  will believe that he is still alive!
Again over at Maggid Mjengwa’s blog a reader expressed skepticism [sw] over the “unanswered questions” about the killing, including the site of his burial:
Uzoefu wangu unaniambia kwamba chochote kinachosemwa na  wamarekani na wachumba zake ukiangalie na kukitafakari sana kabla ya  kukiamini.
1. Obama anasema kwamba askari wa marekani waliukamata mwili wa Osama, na mwili umezikwa baharini. Mh!…
Sasa masaa machache baada ya Osama kuuliwa, huo mwili wake wamekabidhiwa  ndugu zake? rafiki zake? au umezikwa baharini na wamarekani?
Nina mashaka na hili. Ninahisi kwamba Osama amekufa kifo cha kawaida,  na wamarekani wameshahakikisha kwamba amekufa sasa wanataka kujichotea  misifa kwamba wamemuua.
[…]
Amid deniers, a reader in Michuzi Jr's blog wrote [sw]:
Nyie alkaida mmechanganyikiwa kweli mnakataa na kubisha  kila jambo hata kama linawachoma machoni Kwa jinsi hii mtajikuta  mmetumbukia kuzimu – motoni, Sijui na hapo mtabisha kuwa hmko kuzimu?
Osama Bin Laden's deadliest strike in Africa was the 1998 bombing of  the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that together killed 224  people.
This post is part of our special coverage The Death of Osama Bin Laden.