President Samia Suluhu dismissed Marko Henry Ng’umbi from his role as Longido District Commissioner on Sunday, September 1, 2024, just hours after a video of Ng’umbi boasting about election rigging went viral on Tanzanian social media.
Ng’umbi, who had a relatively unknown background before his appointment on January 25, 2023, is seen in the controversial footage making bold claims about the 2020 elections.
In the video, Ng’umbi confidently asserts to local councilors, “I am very tough. If there is anyone who is fearless, it’s me. None of you Councilors campaigned in 2020. None of you went door-to-door for your campaign.”
He further claims, “The circumstances of 2020 didn’t just happen automatically or because you were excellent candidates; they were conditions created by the government. It was the government that ensured your unopposed victory.”
The video, which has faced widespread criticism, features Ng’umbi continuing, “Some of you know what happened in some bushland and other places. I was also involved in certain constituencies. As a ward councilor, you cannot win in your ward without the government. Don’t deceive yourself. That’s why for now we have already done a lot of work from the ward level, villages, and hamlets; we have all the information.”
The 2020 elections are widely regarded by stakeholders, including political parties and civil society, as unprecedentedly flawed, which has influenced ongoing debates about the upcoming elections.
Opposition politician and former MP John Heche responded to the video, saying, “This District Commissioner is telling the truth about what happened during the past election and what is being planned. What surprises me the most is how we have become a country where citizens are despised to this extent.”
Critics have also raised concerns that Ng’umbi’s admissions about actions taken in “some bushland” could indicate human rights violations. The Secretary of the ACT Wazalendo, Ado Shaibu noted, “He says serious things were done in some bushland in certain constituencies to ensure victory. Although he hasn’t specified what these actions were, we all know that many violations occur in such places, including the torture of people.”
Ng’umbi is the second official to be sacked after commenting about election rigging, Nape Nnauye was also sacked in July 2024 following his comment where he said rigging is also an option in ensuring election victory.
