Fact Check: Did 3 Presidents Die Mysteriously for Refusing Covid-19 Vaccines?

February 24, 2026 | 01:29 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An animated video on Instagram [archive] claims that three presidents died mysteriously after refusing the vaccine between 2020 and 2021. The leaders were from Haiti, Tanzania, and Burundi. The narrative suggests their deaths were suspicious because they occurred after they blocked the Covid-19 vaccine from entering their respective countries during the global pandemic.

However, is it true that the deaths of these three presidents were caused by their refusal of the Covid-19 vaccine?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the content using credible news reports. The results show that the deaths of the presidents in these three countries were not related to their refusal of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Claim 1: Death of Former Haitian President Jovenel Moise

Jovenel Moise, Haiti's president from 2017 to 2021, was killed after being shot 12 times by armed men at his residence on July 7, 2021. The New York Times reported that the assassination occurred during a period of national chaos driven by civil protests and the dominance of criminal gangs.

The latest legal proceedings, as of October 2025, stated that the perpetrators were mercenaries who claimed they were misled by those who issued the orders. The victim's wife, Martine Moise, has consistently used her X account to allege the involvement of oligarchic networks and corrupt politicians in the heinous incident.

The claim regarding Moise's vaccine refusal was proven false, as his government had actually requested vaccines compatible with Haiti's refrigeration infrastructure. The distribution delay occurred because producing countries prioritized domestic needs, and Haiti lacked the necessary low-temperature storage facilities.

The Pan American Health Organization noted that the country only administered its first vaccinations on July 16, 2021, a week after Moise's death, using 500,000 doses donated by the United States.

Claim 2: Death of Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli

Al Jazeera reported that Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli died on March 17, 2021, due to heart complications he had battled for a decade. Then-Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan confirmed that a heart condition was the primary cause of the president's death.

Although rumors circulated regarding a Covid-19 infection following Magufuli's two-week absence from public life, these claims were never substantiated.

Tanzanian authorities never issued a statement alleging that Magufuli's death was mysterious or related to his refusal to accept the vaccine. BBC Africa highlighted Magufuli's skepticism toward the virus, as he preferred herbal steam and prayer as protective measures.

While he was known to have opposed mandatory mask policies and lockdowns and refused to import vaccines, there is no medical evidence linking his death to vaccine conspiracies.

Claim 3: The Death of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza

As reported by The Guardian, Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza died in June 2020. Local authorities said he died of a heart attack, although rumors circulated that Nkurunziza had been infected with Covid-19.

Other rumors of assassination also circulated. However, the alleged assassination was not related to any refusal to be vaccinated. This allegation is baseless because the first Covid-19 vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19, was only granted emergency use authorization in December 2020, six months after Nkurunziza's death.

According to an article by the African Studies Centre Leiden, the assassination rumors were linked to political conflict. At the time, he was serving his third term as president after forcibly amending the constitution, which sparked widespread protests and an attempted coup.

Like Magufuli, Pierre Nkurunziza was one of the leaders who refused to acknowledge the Covid-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSION

Tempo's verification concluded that the narrative claiming the presidents of Haiti, Tanzania, and Burundi were assassinated for refusing to administer vaccinations in their countries is misleading.

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