Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on June 23, 2025.
President Samia Announces Dozens of New Appointments at Regional and District Levels as Some Ousted Officials Prepare for General Election Primaries
President Samia Suluhu has announced dozens of new appointments and transfers at the regional and district levels, as well as within a state-owned enterprise—the Tanzania Railways Corporation on June 23, 2025. The reshuffle comes as several outgoing officials are expected to enter the ruling party’s primaries in hopes of securing nominations for the upcoming general election, which is expected to be highly contentious as the main opposition party, CHADEMA, is banned from participating in the election.
Speaking during the 39th gathering of the Association of Local Authorities of Tanzania (ALAT) on March 11, 2025, President Samia emphasized the importance of public servants declaring their political ambitions early to prevent disruptions in governance.
“I told the Chief Secretary to send an official circular to local government authorities. Anyone intending to run for office should inform us early so we can promote someone under them to take over that position. We don’t want a situation where nomination forms are already out and everyone is rushing to collect them, leaving local governments without leaders or supervisors. You end up filling those roles with people who lack experience. But if we know early, we can prepare people to fill those positions,” President Samia said.
She added: “Now, if you don’t declare your intentions early, and you go pick up the nomination forms and later fail, you’ll have lost everything—you’ll miss the nomination, you’ll lose your position, and you’ll have left your post behind. But if you inform us early, and you go try and fail, and you’re a good performer, we will consider reinstating you.”
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President Mwinyi Postpones Dissolution of Zanzibar House of Representatives to August 13
Contrary to earlier announcements and public expectations, the President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr. Hussein Mwinyi, has postponed the dissolution of the Tenth Zanzibar House of Representatives.
According to a previous announcement made on June 22, 2025, by the Office of the President of Zanzibar, it was expected that the House would be dissolved on June 23, 2025. However, in his speech before the House in Chukwani, Mjini Magharib, Dr. Mwinyi stated that the dissolution will now take place on August 13, 2025, to allow more time for election preparations.
“To allow time for preparations for the October 2025 general elections, and under the powers vested in me by Article 91, subsection 2(a) of the Zanzibar Constitution of 1984, I hereby announce that the Tenth House of Representatives will be officially dissolved on August 13, 2025,” said Dr. Mwinyi.
He further stated that both the Union Government and the Zanzibar Government, along with the electoral commissions, INEC and ZEC, are continuing with preparations to ensure that the upcoming elections are fair and conducted within the rule of law.
“It is our collective responsibility to maintain peace in our country before, during, and after the elections,” added Mwinyi.
This extension marks a rare occurrence since the Zanzibar constitutional amendments of 2010, with the previous two Houses of Representatives being dissolved in June during the years 2015 and 2020.
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Two Senior Tanzanian Police Officers Convicted of Murder, Face Death Penalty
The High Court of Tanzania, on June 23, 2025, found two police officers guilty and sentenced them to death by hanging for the murder of a mineral trader, Mussa Hamis (25), who was killed on January 5, 2022, in the Mtwara region.
The ruling was delivered by Judge Hamidu Mwanga of the High Court, Dar es Salaam Zone, who stated that the convicted individuals are SP Gilbert Kalanje, the former Head of Criminal Investigation for Mtwara District (OC-CID), and ASP Charles Onyango, the former Head of the Mtwara Police Station (OCS).
Five other co-accused in the case, ASP Nicholaus Kisinza, Head of the Regional Criminal Intelligence Unit in Mtwara Region; John Msuya Mganga, Incharge of Mtwara Police Dispensary; Marco Mbuta; Shirazi Mkupa; and Salimu Juma Mbalu were acquitted.
The murder of Hamis made national headlines in 2022 and led President Samia Suluhu Hassan to direct Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa to form a committee to investigate the incident.
President Samia explained that she took this step because she disagreed with the idea of the police force being implicated in the killing and then conducting an internal investigation into itself.
Prime Minister Majaliwa carried out the directive, and on February 26, 2022, the committee he formed submitted its report to him. However, by the time of this verdict, the findings of that committee had not yet been made public.
What Does the 2025/26 Budget Mean for Climate Action in Tanzania?
The 2024/25 fiscal year will conclude at the end of June. As is customary, on June 12, 2025, the Minister of Finance, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba, presented the draft budget for the 2025/26 financial year to Parliament. This draft outlines the government’s projected revenue and expenditure, detailing how funds will be raised and allocated.
According to the Minister, one of the key assumptions guiding the budget is the need to strengthen resilience to disasters such as droughts and floods. This positions climate change as a key priority, underscoring its significant impact on Tanzania’s economy. But why does climate change matter to the economy?
Well, climate change-induced disasters are now among the leading causes of death in Tanzania, alongside road accidents and diseases. This underscores the urgent need for coordinated efforts to both reduce the impacts of climate change and address its underlying drivers.
Many of the key economic sectors emphasised in the budget—such as agriculture, livestock and fisheries, energy, transport and logistics, and health—are highly climate-sensitive. This highlights the importance of a budget that not only protects these sectors from escalating climate risks but also outlines clear strategies for mobilising adequate financing for climate action.
Despite this, the draft budget identifies climate change as a potential risk to its successful implementation. In response, the budget speech reiterates the importance of continuing to address climate risks through the implementation of existing strategies, including the National Environmental Master Plan for Strategic Interventions (2022–2032) and the National Cooking Strategy (2024–2034).
However, the question remains: to what extent does the proposed budget commit to achieving these goals?
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