The real test of Samia Suluhu Hassan’s leadership came three weeks ago when rumors started on social media that Tanzania's President John Magufuli was gravely ill.
As she tried to assure Tanzania and the whole world that all was well, every appearance she made on national television injected more suspicion on Magufuli’s health. It also, inadvertently, illuminated Ms Suluhu from the background she had operated from for the last five years as the country’s vice president.