Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
Humphrey Polepole Resigns as Ambassador to Cuba: ‘I Have Lost Peace of Heart and Faith in the Current Administration’
Former Tanzanian Ambassador to Cuba, Humphrey Polepole, has written a letter to President Samia Suluhu Hassan explaining his decision to resign from the position, citing what the diplomat described as “losing peace of heart and faith in the current administration.”
In the letter dated July 13, 2025, which circulated on social media, Polepole, who also served as Head of the Representative Office of the United Republic of Tanzania in Havana, Cuba, with additional responsibilities for the Caribbean region, Central America, and friendly nations Colombia, Venezuela, and Guyana, outlined the following reasons for his decision:
“Throughout my time serving both domestically and internationally, I have closely observed and sadly witnessed leadership trends that are not properly aligned with safeguarding human rights, peace, and respect for people, genuine commitment and accountability in addressing their grievances and challenges, and the erosion of leadership ethics at various levels.
“The weakening in the execution of the government’s fundamental duties for the welfare of citizens; these issues threaten the broader interests of the United Republic of Tanzania. All this has further led me to lose peace of heart and faith in the current administration I am part of.
“Recent blatant violations of the principles, culture, and traditions of Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM)—particularly in the process of selecting party leaders, which at every stage has been the foundation of the party’s vitality and an opportunity for Reforms that collectively give the party a clean image before the public ahead of elections; this tradition of internal party reforms has been a crucial pillar of CCM’s legitimacy and electoral success. There is a famous CCM slogan that says, ‘Party first, individual later.’ At the beginning of this year, when I saw this slogan being implemented differently, I repeatedly asked myself: Whose interests are being fought for at this time—an individual, a group, or the Party Institution?
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CHADEMA’s Senior Officials Arrested at Border Points Amid Travel Plans for Party Duties
Two senior officials of Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, were arrested on July 12, 2025, as they were leaving the country on official party business.
CHADEMA spokesperson Brenda Rupia was arrested at the Namanga border while en route to Nairobi. Leonard Joseph Magere, the party’s Resource Mobilization and Investment Specialist, was also arrested at Julius Nyerere International Airport. Magere was reportedly traveling to the United Kingdom for a training session scheduled between July 13 and 17, 2025.
Magere’s whereabouts remained unknown for nearly 12 hours until the police released a statement confirming that he was being held on unspecified criminal charges.
Meanwhile, CHADEMA reported that police had searched Rupia’s home. She was later questioned in connection with a party statement issued on July 2, 2025, which alleged a plot to poison party leader Tundu Lissu while in prison.
“Despite the fact that the alleged offenses are bailable under the law, the police have continued to detain her and have denied her bail, claiming they are still consulting with senior leadership,” the party said in its statement regarding Rupia’s arrest.
The incident adds to a growing list of CHADEMA officials who have been blocked from leaving the country for both official and personal reasons.
Amani Golugwa, the party’s Deputy Secretary General, was arrested at Julius Nyerere International Airport on May 13, 2025, while preparing to travel to Brussels via Turkish Airlines to attend the International Democrat Union (IDU) Forum. Police later said they were interrogating him but did not specify any charges.
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No Disqualifications Yet in CCM Primaries, Says Makalla
The ruling party, Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has announced that it is continuing with the process of candidate nominations for various positions ahead of the general election scheduled for October 2025.
Speaking to journalists at the party’s national headquarters, CCM’s Secretary for Ideology, Publicity and Training, Amos Makalla, said it is important for party members and aspirants at all levels to remain calm while the process continues until the Central Committee makes the final decision.
“According to our procedures and internal party process, so far no one has been disqualified or eliminated as reported by some media outlets,” said Makalla.
Makalla stated that more than 30,000 members have expressed interest in contesting for various leadership positions, including parliamentary seats, membership in the House of Representatives, and local government councilor positions.
According to CCM’s new nomination procedures, the names of three aspirants for each constituency-level parliamentary and councilor position will be returned to the delegates to vote in a preliminary opinion poll. This will help the party determine who will officially carry the party’s flag.
During the same press briefing, Makalla also addressed the resignation of Ambassador Humphrey Polepole. He noted that if it is indeed true—as he, too, read the letter online—then the contents reflect Ambassador Polepole’s personal decision.
“The contents of the letter reflect his personal will, but what I was pleased to see is that he concluded by stating he will remain a loyal CCM member. So, he is still a member of CCM,” said Makalla.
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