Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
Tanzanian Government Suspends Jamii Forums, Africa’s Largest Homegrown Social Network, Over ‘Misleading and Insulting’ Content
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.
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Dar Press Club Condemns Assault of Journalist at Mbezi BRT Station
The Dar es Salaam Press Club (Dar-PC) has strongly condemned the assault of EATV journalist Marco Kilo, who was reportedly attacked while on duty at the Mbezi Luis Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station.
According to reports, Kilo had gone to the station on Friday, September 5, 2025, to seek clarification from officials of the UDA Rapid Transit Public Limited Company (UDART) regarding the ongoing passenger congestion caused by a shortage of buses. Instead of receiving cooperation, he was allegedly beaten by UDART officers, handcuffed, and taken to the Magufuli Bus Terminal Police Station. He was later released, but his phone was allegedly tampered with and work-related data deleted.
In a statement issued on Saturday, September 6, 2025, by the club’s Vice Chairperson, Mary Geofrey, Dar-PC called on the Tanzania Police Force to launch a thorough investigation and take swift action against those responsible.
“Dar-PC strongly condemns this criminal act, believing that an attack on one journalist is an attack on all journalists, the media industry, and press freedom,” the statement read.
EATV confirmed that Kilo has since been issued with Police Form Number 3 (PF3) and a case reference number RB/6316/2025, while police investigations are ongoing. However, the Tanzania Police Force has yet to release an official statement regarding the incident, despite inquiries from the media.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the police confirmed the arrest of two journalists in Arusha: Baraka Lucas of Jambo TV and Ezekiel Nicco Mollel of Manara TV. Both are said to have been detained on Saturday over allegations of operating personal online television channels in violation of Tanzanian law. Police stated that investigations into their cases are being finalized ahead of further legal action.
Can Tanzania’s Budgets Truly Serve People and Gender Needs? Lessons from Rwanda’s GRB Journey
A delegation of senior Tanzanian government officials has drawn lessons from Rwanda’s experience in implementing Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB), a system that has been integrated into national and local budgeting since the early 2000s.
Launched in 2001–2002, Rwanda’s GRB framework ensures that every project is designed with clear, gender-inclusive objectives. Each ministry appoints a focal person to coordinate gender budget statements, supported by a dedicated GRB technical team within the national budget department. The team provides guidance to agencies on embedding GRB principles into their planning and execution.
“Each ministry has a focal person who coordinates gender budget statements within their ministry. To strengthen this, we created a GRB technical team in the national budget department to direct and support agencies on how to integrate GRB into their budgets,” said Christine Mukankundiye, Gender Responsive Budget Analyst at Rwanda’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
The Tanzanian delegation, which spent a week in Rwanda starting September 1, 2025, met with Rwandan officials on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 as part of a South–South Knowledge Exchange Mission aimed at strengthening institutional capacities in gender-responsive budgeting.
What once seemed abstract and often misunderstood, sometimes reduced to simply counting the number of women in projects—has, in Rwanda, evolved into a transformative tool. It now shapes lives, rebuilds trust, and ensures no citizen is left behind.
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