Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend, 2025.
Prominent East African Lawyers and Human Rights Activists Set to Attend Tundu Lissu Hearing Denied Entry to Tanzania
Several prominent East African lawyers and human rights activists who were scheduled to attend Tundu Lissu’s hearing on Monday, May 19, 2025, were denied entry into Tanzania on Sunday.
Among those blocked were Martha Karua and two other lawyers, Lynn Ngugi and Gloria Kimani. Former Kenyan Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, along with Kenyan activists Hussein Khalid and Hanifa Adan, were also stopped at Julius Nyerere International Airport.
Activist Boniface Mwangi, who had also planned to attend the hearing, posted a distress message and video on his social media platforms:
“My life is in danger. I’m at Serena Hotel, Dar es Salaam, and they are armed men in civilian clothes outside my room. They claim they are police officers, but they have refused to identify themselves. They will have to break the door to remove me here. I’m not going to open it,” Mwangi said
IPTL Scandal Reignites as Zitto Kabwe Takes Stand in Defamation Case
Retired ACT-Wazalendo party leader, Zitto Kabwe, has confirmed that he is facing a civil defamation lawsuit filed by Mr. Harbinder Singh Sethi, of Pan Africa Power Solutions Ltd (PAP), following a post he made on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) regarding information from the Controller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report on IPTL’s compensation claims.
Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salaam on May 18, 2025, Zitto confidently announced that the case will serve as a good platform for him to reveal the full truth and bring final closure to the IPTL saga, which, according to him, was already settled by the Court of Appeal of Tanzania.
“I’ve been sued by Mr. Harbinder Singh Sethi for allegedly defaming him and damaging his reputation in public because I spoke about the IPTL saga,” said Zitto. “He has sued me and, among other things, is asking the court to order me to pay billions in compensation.”
Zitto acknowledged making the statements in question, explaining that they were based on interpretations of various court rulings and were intended to clarify the matter after it resurfaced in the 2023/24 CAG report released at the end of March this year.
The defamation case against Zitto has been filed in the High Court of Tanzania and is scheduled to be mentioned on June 12, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. under case number 8801.
The Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL) saga gained widespread attention in Tanzania and shook the political landscape following a parliamentary committee report led by Zitto Kabwe in 2014, during his tenure as Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
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CCM to Hold Another Congress on May 29–30 Ahead of October 2025 Election
The ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), is expected to hold a National Congress on May 29 and 30 this year in Dodoma, where some of the key agenda items to be discussed include minor amendments to the party’s constitution and the launch of a new Election Manifesto for the period 2025–2030.
This was announced at CCM’s sub-headquarters, Lumumba Street, in Dar es Salaam by the party’s Secretary for Ideology, Publicity, and Training, Amos Makalla, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a press briefing.
Makalla stated that other agenda items to be addressed during the congress include the presentation of a report on the implementation of the party’s election manifesto for the 2020–2025 period.
“This CCM National Congress will be preceded by a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) scheduled for May 28, which will itself be preceded by a Central Committee meeting on May 26, both to be held in Dodoma,” he said.
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CHADEMA G55 and Their Quest to Fulfill Personal Dreams
Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, is experiencing a wave of exit of members who supported the former Chairperson of the party, Freeman Mbowe. The members have been finding ways to make their exit as theatrical as possible, with analysts explaining this is to create a sense of influence and show the party is disintegrating. On its side, CHADEMA has responded here and there, but its massive rallies have been the biggest response without words.
The group has branded itself as ‘G55’, taking the name from the biggest dissenting movement led by parliamentarians inside the ruling party to demand a three-tier government in the Tanzanian union.
The ‘CHADEMA G55’, which emanated from a WhatsApp group discussion, uses the networks used during the CHADEMA internal election, specifically the Team Mbowe network, to entice people to join the bandwagon. After the release of their statement against no reform, no election on April 03, 2025, the group shifted to holding press conferences and convincing others to leave the party. Promises used to entice members are that there is already an agreement that will allow them, after joining a new party, to win about 30 parliamentary seats, special seats, and to receive financial resources to conduct the election.
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Doomsday Preacher Who Shared ‘Visions’ About Tanzania’s Leadership Abducted, Tortured, and Dumped in the Forest
Steven Jacob, a 35-year-old preacher and pastor of Huduma ya Kristo [Ministry of Christ] in Arusha, was abducted and later dumped by his captors on May 17, 2025, in the West Kilimanjaro Forest in Kilimanjaro.
Jacob was taken around noon on May 16, 2025, as he was returning from taking his children to the clinic for vaccine shots. Upon his return, a white Toyota Land Cruiser blocked his way, and men forcibly placed him inside the vehicle.
Speaking to reporters, Steven Jacob’s father, Jacob Gumbo, who is also a preacher at Huduma ya Kristo church, said that before the abduction, they had been informed about an inspection by officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs. These officials visited, took photos, and left, saying it was part of the church registration process.
“In the morning, he called and told me that some people from the Ministry of Home Affairs were coming to inspect the church premises, since we were registered but hadn’t received our certificate yet,” Gumbo said. He explained that one of the two visitors took pictures of their premises, seeming to just familiarize themselves with the location.
“About two or three hours after the inspection, a Land Cruiser arrived. That’s when I heard someone shouting, ‘I’m being kidnapped! I’m being kidnapped!’ I picked up a stone and smashed the car window,” Gumbo continued.
Steven Jacob, who was later dumped in the West Kilimanjaro forest about 200 kilometres from where he was abducted, said his captors demanded that he delete certain content from his YouTube channel, Huduma ya Kristo.
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In Memoriam: Pheroze Nowrojee
On Saturday, May 5, 2025, we learnt of the sad news of the passing of a dear friend, mentor, adviser and forerunner of the social justice movement in East Africa. For us at the Center for Strategic Litigation (CSL), this was the most untimely of deaths.
Pheroze Nowrojee was the ultimate Pan Africanist, global justice crusader and one of the most cheeky political operators many of us will ever come to know. His superpower must have been his rather unassuming demeanour and frame. Despite his gigantic persona as one of the foremost warriors against impunity in our region, it was easy to pass him by, only to discover later, he’s the guy you are looking for.
Pheroze’s strength was his eloquence, and with it, he made up for any lack of high pitch in his voice. My first encounter with Phil, as he was fondly called, was through his trailblazing daughter Binaifer, under whom I worked at the Open Society Foundation. Bold as ever but without disrespect towards anyone for any reason whatsoever.
I only met Pheroze after hearing so many powerful stories about all the risky troubles he had taken to help those with no voice have their voices heard. I, of course, watched him on the various occasions when he represented Raila Odinga on his election petitions and was always left humbled by his passion and commitment to truth and justice. How one could be so powerful without being so loud remains one of the hallmarks of a truly accomplished jurist, which no one was better placed to teach us than him.
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