Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on May 14, 2025.
The Late Cleopa Msuya, Former First Vice President and Prime Minister, Laid to Rest at His Home in Usangi
President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, led mourners from within and outside the country in the burial of former First Vice President and Prime Minister, Cleopa David Msuya, held at his home in Usangi, Mwanga District, Kilimanjaro Region.
Speaking during the funeral mass, President Samia shared her memories of Cleopa Msuya, especially his role in leading economic reforms in the 1980s as the Minister responsible for finance and economic affairs during a difficult period for Tanzania’s economy.
President Samia explained that the period was marked by challenges including internal opposition and pressure from international donors, local and foreign businesspeople, and various interest groups—some of whom supported the reforms while others opposed them for different reasons.
“When there was a push to devalue our currency, we in CCM were mobilized to demonstrate. We marched from our offices in Zanzibar—my office was in Vuga—all the way to CCM Headquarters in Kisiwandui. That was the first time I chanted Msuya’s name,” said Samia. “We were chanting, ‘Msuya, don’t let our currency be devalued,’ as we marched to the CCM headquarters in Kisiwandui.”
Despite all these challenges, President Samia said Msuya made a significant contribution to the government’s efforts, ultimately enabling the implementation of reforms that transitioned Tanzania to a market-based economy—a transformation acknowledged by the late second President of Tanzania, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, in his biography.
“This is confirmed by the late Mzee Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who in his book acknowledged Msuya’s contribution to the economic reforms towards a market economy and thanked him greatly for his service as Minister of Finance, Economy, and Planning.”
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CHADEMA Deputy Secretary Amani Golugwa Arrested at Airport While Heading to IDU Forum in Brussels
Amani Golugwa, Deputy Secretary General of Tanzania’s main opposition party CHADEMA, was arrested at Julius Nyerere International Airport on May 13, 2025, as he was preparing to travel to Brussels via Turkish Airlines to attend the International Democrat Union (IDU) Forum.
In a statement released today morning, CHADEMA alerted the public that Golugwa had been arrested and that his phone was unreachable, with his whereabouts unknown.
“We have been informed that our Deputy Secretary General for the Mainland, Amani Golugwa, was arrested by the Police Force on the night of May 13, 2025, at Julius Nyerere International Airport,” the party said in a statement issued around 11:00 AM.
“Amani was scheduled to travel to Belgium today to represent CHADEMA at the International Democrat Union (IDU) forum. We contacted Turkish Airlines, the carrier he was meant to fly with, and they confirmed he did not board the flight. The person who informed us of his arrest also reported that Amani was brutally beaten by the police. He remains unreachable by phone,” the statement continued.
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Samia Data Sciences, AI and Allied Sciences Extended Scholarship: Is Tanzania on the Right Move or “Wasting” Taxpayers’ Money?
“Developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI),” commented the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, “pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.” This quote underscores the debates on the impact of AI on our society.
The use of AI is increasingly embedded in all sectors of individual and public life. As much as there are debates on the impact of AI in influencing humanity, it’s undeniable that humans can no longer avoid the penetrating force of AI as a crucial tool in addressing everyday issues of life. It is a reality in life that needs engagement.
Water is wet, and so is AI driven by science. AI has a lot to do with data. How data is generated, captured, analysed, interpreted and put into use contributes to the whole ecosystem of AI. Thus, AI is, largely, a function of data. This is where Data Sciences and allied sciences become crucial in our engagement with AI. The competence in AI depends on the competence in Data Sciences and related sciences.
In this light, Tanzania as a country, it is imperative to develop capacities in this area if we want to avoid being only the products and consumers of AI. To go beyond being the end users and to avoid being “victims” of AI, there is a need to develop our country’s capabilities in such areas of science. This is why the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda’s budget speech for 2025/26, calls for attention and critical assessment.
According to Mkenda, the government, through his ministry, plans to send high-performing science form six leavers to the best universities abroad — USA, Europe, South Africa, China and Asia – to pursue undergraduate studies in areas of Data Sciences, AI and Allied Sciences. This means a substantial amount of taxpayers’ money will be dedicated to this.
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Everything Must Fall: A Wake-Up Call for Tanzania’s Youth and Education System
I recently had the chance to watch a powerful and moving documentary titled Everything Must Fall, as part of our regular Friday Youth Political Programme organised by ACT Wazalendo. The film documents the rise and intensity of the Fees Must Fall movement in South Africa — a student-led protest that shook the foundations of the post-apartheid education system and exposed the deep contradictions of neoliberalism in African universities.
The historical context of Everything Must Fall is dated in 2015-2016, which began as protests against fee increases in universities, especially the Witwatersrand University, the University of Cape Town, Rhodes University and spread to others.
Then, the movement soon evolved into a national movement that challenged the entire neoliberal structure of higher education. Students raised deep political and structural demands: free, quality, decolonized education for all; end to outsourcing of university workers — who faced exploitation; transformation of university curricula to reflect African knowledge and dignity; black dignity, gender justice, and queer liberation on campuses and Accountability from university and state authorities.
Instead of listening, university managements and the state responded with repression. Police deployed on campuses with stun grenades, rubber bullets, and live ammunition; student leaders were arrested and criminalised, and media campaigns painted protesters as violent.
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An African Journey to Ukraine – 2
The train to Kyiv departed at 7.50 pm. This was a 16-hour journey eastward. Being a nervous passenger, I am usually not a fan of long trips, but the VIP carriage offered unexpected comfort, and I managed to catch some much-needed sleep. The sleeping bunks were plush, and Starlink internet ensured we were connected throughout. I had read news reports on how Elon Musk’s Starlink infrastructure gave Ukraine a breathing space in communication after the war, and I had a great opportunity to have a first-time experience using Starlink. It was superb: fast and reliable – that is all that I could ask for in such a long journey.
As dawn crept across the horizon, the vast Ukrainian landscape unfurled like a living canvas of history, its immense expanse a reminder of how big this country really is. In terms of size, Ukraine is second only to Russia in the whole of Europe. The sheer vastness became evident as we sped past fields stretching endlessly, their earthy browns and muted golds blending seamlessly into the horizon where autumn’s remnants lingered. This land has witnessed empires rise and fall, its vastness coveted by conquerors and defended fiercely by its people.
As the train pulled into Kyiv, the city revealed itself with a quiet yet striking dignity. Stepping out of the station onto Vokzalna Square, my gaze was immediately drawn to the photogenic gold-domed St. George the Victorious Church, standing like a watchful sentinel amid the hum of urban life. Nearby, a bustling McDonald’s added a contrasting touch of modernity. Opened during Ukraine’s early days of post-Communist independence, it became a symbol of the nation’s embrace of capitalism and Western ideals. Once the most visited McDonald’s in the world, it radiates a sense of ordinary life amidst extraordinary times.
Kyiv’s streets hummed with life, a testament to its people’s determination to endure. Yet, there was an undercurrent of tension, a sense that the war was never far away. It was in the sandbags piled at checkpoints, in the murals that celebrated resilience, and in the faces of those who passed by—a mix of defiance and weariness.
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