Days after being jailed for life for his part in killing hundreds of anti-government protestors in Egypt, there are reports now that the country's former President, Hosni Mubarak is at death's door and that a defibrillator was used twice on him while he was in prison hospital. Some are sceptical about the gossip about his declining health saying it's being spread by army generals so they can sneak him off to a luxury location.

The world watched the courtroom cage spectacle last week as 84-year-old Mubarak appeared in his sick bed, to mutter a denial of all the charges against him. He was given a life sentence but his two sons and six top security officials were freed in that same trial due to lack of evidence. In a show of intense anger, thousands protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square, worried that jailing the seriously-ill Mubarak and releasing the others was not only the easy option but also a clear sign that his 'old guard' would still be firmly at the helm. With that thought comes the fear that their 16-month uprising which toppled him was all for nothing.

These people in Cairo are sceptical about the news Mubarak might be close to death: "The main target of these rumours is to work like analgesic pills for people, because we receive the news of moving him to another place easily without being angry. I think they [the army generals] know that Egyptians are sympathetic and if they moved him we would say that he is a very old man and he was a father to us and so on."

"They want people to feel sympathy for him so they accept it when he is moved to a five-star palace. When people are quiet then it's over, the Egyptian people are kind and they will swiftly forget about him."

The rumour mill about Mubarak's failing health is leaving people divided: many wondering if it's all just cunning ruse to afford him special treatment in his final days and many figuring out if they have to prepare for his final goodbye.

Written & Presented by Marverine Cole