Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on September 9, 2025
Procedural Disputes Mark Second Day of Treason Trial Against Tundu Lissu
Tanzania’s opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, reappeared in court on Tuesday for his ongoing treason trial, where he raised multiple procedural objections and challenged the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.
The proceedings, scheduled to continue on Wednesday when prosecutors will conclude their responses to Lissu’s objections, come ahead of the October 29, 2025, general election from which Lissu’s CHADEMA party has been barred.
Lissu, who is representing himself, spent much of the session questioning various aspects of the legal proceedings. He argued that the court lacked proper jurisdiction and alleged several procedural irregularities in the handling of the case since his arrest in April.
The opposition leader claimed that witness protection orders issued by the High Court had been violated, stating that personal information about prosecution witnesses had been included in court documents.
Read the full article here.
Tanzania Anti-Corruption Watchdog Calls for Transparency in Carbon Credit Trading, Questions Use of 30 Billion by Local Councils
Tanzania’s Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) has called for greater transparency in the country’s carbon credit business. The issue was raised during a workshop on September 9, 2025, where PCCB presented findings from its assessment of the sector.
“We know that there is a company called Tanzania Carbon Limited, which is responsible for managing the operation of this business here in our area. They are the ones who have been measuring to determine how much carbon dioxide there is, which they then buy,” said PCCB Director General, Mr. Crispin Chalamila.
“Now, we are saying that this is one area where we have identified a lack of sufficient transparency; it is not participatory. Because they are the only ones who know how many levels, how many metric tons of carbon dioxide they have obtained, which is what they then use to pay us—or to pay the owners of those forests,” Chalamila continued.
Read the full article here.
Police: Claim that ‘Abdul and His Squad Abducted a Journalist’ is a Fabrication
The Tanzanian Police Force has dismissed a claim circulating on social media that a body found floating at Jangwani, Dar es Salaam, on August 27, 2025, belonged to a government critic who had been strangled and dumped.
The rumor originated from a social media post, branded as coming from a publication called Kishindo, which ran the headline: “Abdul and his squad abducted a journalist, strangled him, and dumped him in the Jangwani River.” The article referred to Abdul Hafidh Ameir, son of the Tanzanian President.
In a statement released on September 9, 2025, police said a team of major crime experts was dispatched to investigate the incident.
“As the investigation continued, the relatives of the man were located and identified the body as that of Salehe Shukrani, a small-scale bread seller and resident of Magomeni Mikumi,” the police report stated. “They also confirmed that their relative suffered from epilepsy, a condition that had repeatedly caused him to collapse.”
Read the full article here.
Nearly 1.2 Million Tanzanian Pupils to Sit Primary Exams Wednesday
A total of 1,172,279 students are scheduled to sit for Tanzania’s national Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) this week. The exams will be administered across the country on Wednesday and Thursday.
According to Prof Said Ally Mohamed, Executive Secretary of the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA), the candidates include 535,138 boys and 637,141 girls from 19,441 primary schools across the Tanzanian Mainland.
The vast majority of students—93.35 per cent, or 1,094,321 candidates—will take the exam in Kiswahili. The remaining 6.65 per cent, or 77,958 students, will take an English-language version.
This year’s cohort includes 4,699 candidates with special needs. NECTA has made arrangements for students who are blind, have low vision, are deaf, have intellectual disabilities, or have physical disabilities.
The examination will cover six core subjects: Kiswahili, English, Science and Technology, Mathematics, Social Studies and Vocational Skills, and Civics and Moral Education.
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