Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on August 5, 2025.
Dozens of CCM Lawmakers and Deputy Ministers Fall in Party Primaries
Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has seen a dramatic turn of events in its internal primaries, with more than 40 sitting Members of Parliament and at least seven Deputy Ministers voted out by party delegates across the country.
The primaries, which took place on Monday, August 4, allowed delegates at the ward and constituency levels to vote in opinion polls aimed at selecting CCM candidates for parliamentary, representative, and local council positions ahead of the upcoming general election.
The results have sent shockwaves through the political establishment, unseating both veteran lawmakers and relatively new faces. Several Deputy Ministers — some of whom have held their positions for only a few years — found themselves out of favour with the grassroots.
Among the first to fall was Alexander Mnyeti, MP for Misungwi in Mwanza Region and Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, who lost by a wide margin to Salvatory Luboja Sylvester. Sylvester garnered 9,680 votes compared to Mnyeti’s 3,249.
In Kavuu constituency, Katavi Region, Deputy Minister for Lands Geophrey Pinda, also faced defeat. Laurent Luswetula emerged victorious with 1,564 votes. Pinda finished third with just 1,032 votes, behind Pudensia Kikwembe who came second with 1,065 votes.
Jumanne Sagini, MP for Butiama in Mara Region and Deputy Minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs, lost to Wilson Mahera, who secured 4,295 votes against Sagini’s 2,341. Mahera is a former Director of Elections at the National Electoral Commission and has served as Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
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CCM Dissident Luhaga Mpina Joins ACT-Wazalendo After Exclusion in Party Primaries
Former Kisesa MP (Chama cha Mapinduzi – CCM) Luhaga Mpina made a surprising political shift on Tuesday, defecting to the opposition ACT-Wazalendo just days after being excluded from CCM’s list of parliamentary candidates for the upcoming elections.
ACT-Wazalendo officially welcomed Mpina, a longtime critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, during a central committee meeting at its Magomeni headquarters in Dar es Salaam.
Mpina, who has represented Kisesa constituency since 2005, was formally welcomed by ACT-Wazalendo just ahead of the party’s extraordinary congress on Wednesday—a move that signals a major political shift before the elections.
Photos circulating on social media Tuesday showed the former Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, who served in the late John Magufuli’s administration, meeting with ACT-Wazalendo leadership, including national chair Othman Masoud Othman and party leader Dorothy Semu.
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Tanzania’s DCEA charges seven in drug import case
The Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) on Tuesday brought seven suspects, including two foreign nationals and five Tanzanians, before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court on charges of importing samples of a narcotic drug known as Mitragyna Speciosa, weighing 11,596 kilogrammes.
The accused were read their charges by the public prosecutor, Eric Davies, before Resident Magistrate Franco Kiswaga.
Davies alleged that the suspects committed the offense on July 1, 2025, at the Said Salim Bakhresa (SSB-ICD) dry port located in the Sokota area of Temeke district, Dar es Salaam. The suspects allegedly jointly imported samples related to the narcotic drug Mitragyna Speciosa.
However, Magistrate Kiswaga stated that the accused were not required to enter a plea, as the charges they face are not bailable.
The case has been adjourned until August 19, 2025, and the suspects have been remanded in custody due to the non-bailable nature of the charges.
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