Tanzania: Action Urged Against Political Kidnapping

A troubling pattern of political disappearances in Tanzania has raised fears that the country, once hailed as a beacon of stability in East Africa, may be spiraling into insecurity.

Critics warn that law enforcement agencies seem overwhelmed and incapable of addressing these incidents effectively.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, elected in March 2021 following the death of her autocratic predecessor John Magufuli, had promised to usher in an era of increased political openness. She announced an agenda of Reconciliation, Resilience, Reform, and Rebuild, with opposition parties allowed more freedom to rally and voice criticism of the government. However, this optimism was short-lived, as kidnappings and disappearances continued to plague the system.

With presidential elections due later this year, some experts fear a return to the political violence that was normalised during Magufuli’s tenure, not least following the high-profile kidnapping and murder of a senior figure in the country’s largest opposition party.

In September 2024 Ali Kibao of the Party for Democracy and Progress – also known as Chadema - was seized from a bus travelling from Dar es Salaam to the northeastern coastal city of Tanga, his hometown.

The body of the 69-year-old was discovered two days later on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, showing signs of severe beating and acid burns. No arrests have been made.

Amid widespread public outrage, Hassan condemned the murder, posting on X, formerly Twitter, that “I have ordered the investigation agencies to bring me detailed information about this terrible incident and others like this as soon as possible.

“Our country is a democracy, and every citizen has the right to live,” she added.

Kibao’s murder came amidst an apparent crackdown on opposition activity. The previous month, in August 2024, authorities banned a Chadema youth rally and police arrested some 500 activists.

Last year also saw a spate of abductions of Chadema activists. Party official Dioniz Kipanya went missing in July 2024; his whereabouts remain unknown.

The following month, August 18, 2024, three Chadema youth wing leaders - Deusdedith Soka, Jacob Godwin Mlay and Frank Mbise - were bundled into a car by unidentified men as they were walking to the Chang’ombe police Station in Dar es Salaam’s Temeke district, where they were responding to a summons. Their whereabouts are also still unknown.

Barely a month after Kibao was murdered, Aisha Machano – Chadema women's wing publicity secretary - was abducted in Kibiti town in the east of the country. She was later abandoned, badly beaten but alive, in a forest.

Members of other opposition groups also appear to have been targeted.

On December 1, 2024, Abdul Nondo, a youth leader in the Alliance for Change and Transparency - also known as ACT-Wazalendo - was abducted in broad daylight at the bustling Magufuli Bus Terminal in Dar es Salaam.

“When I was kidnapped, I screamed for help, but people around me didn’t intervene,” he told IWPR. “Tanzanians assume anyone being taken is being arrested by police. The way kidnappers operate mirrors police arrests, making it impossible for the public to react.”

He told IWPR that he initially thought he was being robbed, but when the abductors started forcing him into a Land Rover Hardtop, he realised it was far more serious.

“I started screaming, ‘Please help me! My name is Abdul Nondo from ACT Wazalendo!’ I was desperate to save myself and prevent them from getting me into the car, but they overpowered me. They told me to calm down as they forced me into the vehicle.”

Once inside the vehicle, Nondo was blindfolded and driven away. The kidnappers demanded his phone and took it out of his backpack before beating him severely.

Nondo was abandoned the following night in Coco Beach bay in Dar es Salaam’s upscale neighbourhood of Oysterbay.

His abductors warned him not to tell anyone about what had happened.

One said, “The problem with you is that you talk too much, as if you’re the only one with a big mouth. We know where you live, and we’ll come for you if you speak out.”

Although police issued a statement identifying the vehicle involved, no arrests have been made.

Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) executive director, Ole Ngurumwa, said that the purpose of such kidnappings was to “instil fear, discourage criticism, and create an unfavourable environment to prevent the opposition from fully participating in political and electoral activities”.

One of the factors hampering accountability is that there is no official data into the number of disappearances or kidnappings.

Mohamed Hamad, vice chairman of the government-affiliated Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRGG) said that his organisation had spent the last year documenting a decade of abductions.

“We have done a comprehensive investigation and are currently processing the information before we release a full report,” Hamad said.

Boniface Mwabukusi, the president of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), told IWPR that his organisation was planning to engage the government directly in the near future to push for the ratification of international agreements addressing abductions and enforced disappearances.

“TLS urges the government to recognise the importance of ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,” he continued. “This is a very critical area because it’s not just about us but also about future generations—our children and grandchildren. By creating a solid framework, we can ensure that our nation becomes safe for everyone.”

Mwabukusi argued that action by central government was also key.

“The government should consider establishing a national commission on enforced disappearances,” he said. “Without a proper system to address abductions and enforced disappearances, such issues will persist, giving criminals a loophole to commit these terrible acts.”

According to the executive director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), Anna Henga, the police were plagued by poor management and a lack of accountability.

She says the best way forward was to create an independent oversight body like Kenya’s Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA).

“An IPOA-like body in Tanzania would enhance accountability and ensure human rights violations by the police are addressed. The problem lies at the grassroots level of law enforcement, where accountability is weakest,” Henga concluded.

Victims are not limited to high-profile opposition leaders and activists.

“We often hear about politicians because they are well-known, and their cases attract public attention,” said former ACT-Wazalendo party leader Zitto Kabwe.

“However, countless ordinary citizens in towns and villages are abducted without their stories ever being reported. We don’t see hashtags trending on social media for them.”

He emphasised that these abductions were often linked to organized crime and corruption.

“The security and law enforcement agencies, constitutionally tasked with protecting the people, must bear the blame,” he said.

Most recently, concerns were raised that the kidnapping crisis may have crossed borders after outspoken government critic Maria Sarungi was abducted in Nairobi on January 12, 2025.

Sarungi, who directly accused Tanzanian authorities of being involved in the incident, was briefly detailed by four unknown assailants who threatened her and demanded access to her phone. She said that she had fled the country after receiving a tip-off about an imminent “arrest”.

“In Tanzania nowadays, being arrested is the same as being kidnapped,” she told journalists in Nairobi after her release. “If you are lucky, you are produced in court after arrest. If you are not lucky, you don’t.”

When contacted, the police were unavailable for comment. Police spokesperson David Misime neither returned calls nor replied to text messages.