Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
Tanzania Inaugurates East Africa’s Largest CNG Station in Dar es Salaam, Marking a Shift Towards the Era of Gas-Fueled Vehicles
Tanzania has inaugurated its main Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station in Dar es Salaam, capable of refueling up to 1,200 vehicles per day and operating 24 hours a day. The launch comes amid a growing number of vehicles in the country switching to CNG as a cleaner, more cost-effective alternative to petrol and diesel.
Built by the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) at a cost of TSh 18.9 billion, the station is strategically located along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes near the University of Dar es Salaam. It will serve public and private transport vehicles, industries, and institutions. The facility also includes a garage for converting vehicles from petrol or diesel systems to CNG.
Speaking during the launch event on May 9, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Deputy Minister for Energy Judith Kapinga representing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy Dr. Doto Biteko—urged TPDC to maintain the station well and make it a model for quality CNG service delivery.
Kapinga expressed gratitude to President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan for her vision and leadership in guiding the Ministry of Energy, saying the results are now visible, with the CNG station being a prime example. Read the full article here.
Mdude Nyagali Abduction: 10 Million Offered for Information on Activist’s Whereabouts, Lawyer Reports Death Threats; Police Warn of Threats Against Accused Officer
Ten days have passed since activist Mpaluka Said Nyangali, popularly known as Mdude, was abducted from his home on May 2, 2025. The incident, which occurred in front of his wife and infant child, left behind a pool of blood. Since then, members of his party, CHADEMA, have launched a search across various areas of Mbeya and have camped at the party’s local offices, organizing prayer vigils and seeking information from police, whom they suspect to be involved in the incident.
The CHADEMA leadership in the Mbeya zone has announced a 10 million TZS reward for any information that leads to the discovery of Mdude’s whereabouts. Those with information are urged to contact +255759005971 or +255789291190.
One of Mdude’s close friends and his lawyer, Boniface Mwabukusi, who also serves as president of the Tanganyika Law Society, was in Mbeya on Friday, May 9, 2025, to follow up on his client’s case.
“No ordinary citizen can abduct Mdude. Whether they investigate or not, it is none of our business. Those who have been taking him all these years are well known, we want them to return Mdude,” Mwabukusi told reporters. Mwabukusi reported over the weekend that he had received death threats via text message, following his remarks to the reporters. Read the full article here.
Counterfeit Goods in Tanzania: A Crisis Eating Away at the Economy, Public Health
The decline of local production, reduced investment, and shrinking government revenue are among the adverse effects caused by the influx of counterfeit goods into the country.
According to business and economic stakeholders, counterfeit products pose a significant threat not only to the national economy but also to the health and safety of individual citizens.
A 2023 report by the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) in the Western Zone revealed the seizure of counterfeit human medicines valued at US$20,000 in the regions of Katavi, Tabora, and Kigoma.
The Zone Manager, Kiboko Magigi, went further to highlight that counterfeit medicines account for approximately 30 per cent of all medicines available on the market.
In addition to TMDA, the Fair Competition Commission (FCC) reported in its 2022/2023 financial year report that counterfeit goods worth around Sh15 billion were confiscated. Read the full article here.
Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t: Misreading Silence as Complicity in Tanzanian Politics
Reading The Chanzo’s May 6, 2025, article, ACT Wazalendo’s Presidential Candidate Ahead of Tanzania’s 2025 Elections: A Silent Deal With CCM’s Samia?, reminded me of a compelling piece I once read on Medium by Chaba Ruhwanya, titled Doomed If You Do and Doomed If You Don’t.
It’s a sharp meditation on the impossible expectations placed on women leaders mostly in a patriarchal society like ours where the feminine calmness is mistaken for weakness, and confidence without aggression is treated as betrayal.
But what The Chanzo’s piece focuses on is not just the gendered lens of leadership, it’s a wider, troubling pattern which slowly is becoming our political culture: a refusal to acknowledge that opposition can take many forms.
Today in Tanzania, so long as you identify yourself as opposition you are expected to perform rage, talk in loud voices, have relentless confrontation, and public dramatics, and the most unfortunate part is that alone is what defines legitimacy.
There’s now an unspoken formula: if you’re not protesting daily, throwing punches on podiums, or trending on social media for verbal attacks, then you’re not a “real” opposition leader. Too bad that’s not just a misunderstanding of politics; it’s a distortion of it. Read the full article here.
This is it for today, and we hope you enjoyed our briefing. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter (see left), following us on X (Twitter) (here), or you can support us (here). And if you have any questions or comments, please drop a word to our editors at editor@thechanzo.com
