Tanzania's president reveals his salary

Tanzania's President John Pombe Magufuli. AFP PHOTO | FILE 

By BBC
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President John Pombe Magufuli, Tanzania’s no-nonsense leader, has revealed that he has a monthly salary of Tsh9 million ($4,008).

This would work out at about a quarter of the amount his predecessor Jakaya Kikwete got, if figures collected by the Africa Review three years ago are correct.

READ: What African presidents are paid, and why it matters

President Magufuli made the revelation live on television on Tuesday morning in a speech to the Association of Local Authorities as he emphasised the importance of his anti-corruption drive.

"Some board members of public organisations used to travel all the way to Dubai to hold their meetings there just so that they could pay themselves a hefty amount of per diems. They certainly don't like what my government is doing now," he said.

Nicknamed "the bulldozer", Mr Magufuli, who took office in 2015, is known for making spot visits to state-run institutions in his efforts to root out absenteeism and corruption.

Last year, one opposition MP dared the president to declare his salary and argued the president should pay taxes.