The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has suspended the license of Jamii Forums, a Tanzanian-grown social media platform, for 90 days starting September 6, 2025. During this period, access to the platform will also be blocked nationwide.
TCRA stated that the suspension was prompted by the publication of misleading content that disrespected the President and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania.
“On September 4, 2025, Jamii Forums, through its platform and social media accounts, published content that misled the public, insulted, and disrespected the Government and the President of the United Republic of Tanzania. This is contrary to the Online Content Regulations of 2020 and their amendments of 2022 and 2025,” TCRA said in its statement.
While the statement did not specify the exact content, TCRA noted that the posts violated Tanzanian values. Jamii Forums later disclosed that the flagged material involved content shared by Jamii Forums based on the comments made by former Tanzanian Ambassador to Cuba, Humphrey Polepole. The content was based on Polepole’s criticism of the photos circulated by the Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo on his social media accounts when he visited the Tanzanian State House.
The suspension was announced only hours after Jamii Africa’s Executive Director, Maxence Melo, shared on social media that the company’s offices had been raided.
“There was an unfriendly invasion at Jamii Forums’ offices in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, as they were looking for me,” Melo said in a statement on September 5, 2025. However, Government Spokesperson Gerson Msigwa denied the allegation, insisting that officials had only delivered a letter.
“There was no invasion at the Jamii Forums offices. What happened was a normal procedure of communication between the Government Authorities and their stakeholders. Government officials went to deliver a letter to Jamii Forums,” Msigwa explained.
Stakeholder Reactions
The suspension of Jamii Forums has sparked widespread debate in Tanzania. The Coalition on the Right to Information (CoRI) expressed deep concern and strongly condemned the decision.
According to CoRI, the TCRA letter issued on September 5, 2025, accused Jamii Forums of violating several provisions of the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations, 2020.
“The allegations included publishing misleading and one-sided information through its platform and social media accounts (Instagram and X) without seeking clarifications from the government, as well as failing to prevent contributors on its platform from publishing inappropriate content containing abusive and defamatory language against the President of the United Republic of Tanzania through its forum, as well as retaining such content on its platform,” CoRI statement reads.
“On the same day, JamiiForums was required to present its defense before TCRA, a demand which, in the view of CoRI, was inappropriate as it did not afford the platform a reasonable time to prepare an adequate defence,” the coalition statement continued.
Founded in 2006, Jamii Forums has grown to become one of Africa’s most successful homegrown social media platforms, widely known for fostering online debate and discussions in swahili language during the rise of social networking across the continent.
