Police in Dar es Salaam are investigating the mysterious deaths of twin children that occurred last week. The incident happened in Tegeta, on the outskirts of the city, leaving the mother grappling with the unexplained loss of her children.
"We are still investigating to find out what exactly led to the deaths of the twins," Dar es Salaam Zonal Police Commander (ZPC) Mr Jumanne Murilo told this reporter on the telephone.
He added that more details on the cause of death will be shared with the public when the probe is concluded.
The investigation is being conducted by his office in collaboration with other institutions, including the Chief Government Chemist Laboratory Agency (CGCLA).
The ZPC was responding to clarification sought following a video widely shared on social media on October 5, 2024, depicting the mother of the deceased twin children, Ms Mwajuma Amani, recounting how her children seemed perfectly fine until, just moments after having porridge, they became unresponsive.
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"I woke them up well, fed them porridge, and then found them fainting, helplessly losing consciousness. I'm perplexed and don't know what exactly happened to my twins," she said in a video that went viral on YouTube.
Ms Amani lamented further for the loss of her innocent twins, calling for an investigation and demanding strict legal action if any foul play, such as poisoning, is detected.
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Incidents of killing twins, who are often regarded as bad luck in various regions of Tanzania, are not uncommon. However, the multicultural Dar es Salaam city is generally considered a safer haven, although mounting cases suggest otherwise.
Police in Mabwepande Chini police station, under Officer Commanding District (OCD), Kole Mshauri, have collected samples of the porridge and the flour used to make it, hoping to determine whether poison was involved. The investigation is ongoing as authorities seek to understand what could have caused such a sudden and mysterious death.
The sudden death of Mwajuma's twins has also prompted discussions about the potential role of negative beliefs common in Tanzania that twin children bring bad luck and can cause curses, another factor often linked to the deaths of children in African societies.
Mwajuma's heartbreaking ordeal highlights the fragile balance between tradition and modern life, as well as the urgent need for a deeper societal understanding of health and safety issues affecting twin children.
