Roots party presidential candidate Prof George Wajackoyah on Sunday, June 19, disclosed that he was a priest of a multinational religion.
Speaking during an interview with Tanzanian journalist Millard Ayo, Wajackoyah revealed that he was a High Priest in the Hare Krishna faith- adding that he was the top most ranking African in the religion.
"I am a High Priest at the Hare Krishna - where I am referred to as a devotee. I have visited several temples across the world and I am highly revered, being the first African to hold such a position," he revealed.
To ascertain his claims, he took Ayo to his office where he showed him the Bhagavad-gita, which he explained was an equivalent of the Bible. He further disclosed that his exposure to the religion and living with Indians contributed to his school of thought.
"We have our holy book - the Bhagavad-gita which we use during punjar, our morning prayer. We apply some tilak on our foreheads and wear beads on our neck.
"I am like a black Indian because their school of thought is what shaped by ideologies on many issues in the world. That is why I am a teetotaler, I do not eat meat or fish, I am a pure vegetarian," he added.
Wajackoyah explained that he was introduced to the religion by its faithful who picked him up from the streets where he was a street urchin who fed from dumpsters. He stated that he was forced to run from home aged just 10 years.
The Roots Party candidate blamed himself for his parents' separation, noting that some of his relatives considered him a bad child even before he was born.
"My parents separated because everyone thought I was an odd child. My mother carried me in her womb for 10 and a half months, and every one thought I was a giant.
"Nobody wanted me and so I left Western for Nairobi, where I ended up as a street urchin, feeding from garbage bins. I then met Indians from Hare Krishna who took me in and introduced me to the religion," he added.
Wajackoyah made sensational claims that global leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Samora Machel, Steve Jobs and the Beetles - a popular American band, were all converts of his religion.
The presidential candidate, whose popularity has been on the rise locally, caught the attention of Tanzanians, who were impressed by his ideologies including his approach of bringing ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and opposition Chadema to working terms.
