Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on October 15, 2025.
A Bridge Across Borders: Tanzanian Leaders Mourn Raila Odinga, a Steadfast Ally
The sudden death of Kenya’s veteran opposition leader, Raila Amolo Odinga, at the age of 80 has been met with profound sorrow in Tanzania, where leaders from both the ruling party and the opposition have united in mourning a figure they describe as a “towering Pan-African statesman” and a “steadfast voice for progress.”
Odinga passed away on October 15, 2025, after suffering a cardiac arrest in Kochi, India, where he was receiving medical treatment.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan led the nation in expressing grief, posting a heartfelt message on the social media platform X. She described Odinga as a “skilled leader, a Pan-Africanist, a peace lover, and a solution seeker,” whose influence extended far beyond Kenya’s borders.
“This loss is not Kenya’s alone, but all of ours,” President Samia wrote, extending her condolences to Odinga’s family and the Kenyan people. “We have lost a brilliant leader, a true Pan-Africanist, a peace lover, and a seeker of solutions whose influence and compassion extended beyond Kenya to the entire East African region and the African continent as a whole.”
The sentiment was echoed by the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, based in Arusha, Tanzania. In a statement, EAC Secretary General Veronica M. Nduva called Odinga a “towering Pan-African statesman” who “championed the cause of integration, infrastructure and collective development.”
The statement highlighted his conviction that “Africa’s strength lies in its unity,” a belief that resonated deeply with the EAC’s vision.
Friendship and political kinship
Odinga’s connections to Tanzania were not merely political but deeply personal and historical. For many Tanzanians, he was more than just a neighbouring politician; he was a symbol of resilience and a friend who shared their nation’s values.
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Lissu Accuses State of Being ‘Worse than Colonialism’ as Tanzania Deports German, US Observers
The treason trial of CHADEMA national chairperson Tundu Lissu was adjourned on Wednesday after the accused delivered a blistering condemnation of the government, accusing it of suppressing court access with tactics “worse than the colonialists.”
On October 14, 2025, the Tanzania Immigration Services Department reported the deportations of two individuals, Dr Brinkel Stefanie, a German passport holder, and Ms Catherine Janel Almquist Kinokfu, a United States passport holder, citing the violations of their visa conditions.
While the notice did not specify the exact nature of the violations, the timing and context strongly suggested their activities were linked to the high-profile political trial. Dr Stefanie, for example, is known to work for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), a German political foundation supporting various civic and political space-related discourse in the country, including the provision of technical support to Lissu’s CHADEMA party.
In an unexpected and powerful opening statement, Mr Lissu seized on the issue, framing it as a continuation of blocked access to the courtroom. He framed the deportations as part of a systematic pattern to isolate his trial from international scrutiny.
“In 1958, there was a major case in this very country: Regina vs Julius Nyerere. The British colonists did not dare to prevent people from attending the trial of their leader. Even during the Mau Mau war, the British did not dare to prevent people from going to listen to the trial of Jomo Kenyatta,” Lissu said.
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Luhaga Mpina: Tanzania’s Opposition Dreams Dies in Court
The last flicker of competitive politics in Tanzania was extinguished on Wednesday when the High Court delivered its final rejection of Luhaga Mpina’s constitutional challenge, ending a two-month legal odyssey that had offered the country’s only realistic hope of a meaningfully contested presidential election.
The ruling in Constitutional Case No. 24027 of 2025 not only terminates Mpina’s own political ambitions but completes the systematic dismantling of meaningful opposition that has characterised the run-up to the October 29 election.
With the former government minister’s legal options exhausted and his ACT Wazalendo party haemorrhaging candidates to defection, President Samia Suluhu Hassan now faces the most uncompetitive presidential field in Tanzania’s multi-party era.
The court’s decision represents far more than one politician’s electoral defeat—it marks the symbolic demise of experiment in competitive democracy that began with Tanzania’s transition to multi-party politics in the 1990s.
What unfolded over the past two months reads like a masterclass in institutional coordination designed to eliminate political threats whilst maintaining democratic appearances.
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Mwanza: Family in Agony as Fate of Two Abducted Brothers Remains Unknown Since September 20
The families of Madiba Sengerema (25) and Maduka Kashinje (33) have been in agony since the two brothers were abducted from their home on September 20, 2025 in Mwanza region.
The brothers, residents of Temeke Street in Nyamagana, were taken by a group of about eight armed men. The abductors first seized Maduka from his home, forced him into a white, unmarked Land Cruiser, and later returned to take Madiba.
“When they arrived here they found Maduka. They grabbed his hands and tied him up with a shirt. After they tied him, we saw them lift him up. When they lifted him, since I am a local leader, I thought maybe they were police officers, so I asked them, ‘Please listen to me, I am the area’s representative (balozi). What’s the problem? Maybe you can cooperate with me? What’s the issue?’ They didn’t answer me at all, instead, they started pacing away,” said Sapta Ali, the local area representative.
“When I said that, they even quickened their pace. A short while later, six more people appeared from the front, so in total, they were eight people who carried him away,” she continued.
The family believes the brothers, both local construction workers, were abducted due to a land transaction dispute. They claimed to have identified a woman connected to the abduction, but she was later released by police.
“Since my husband was taken away, we have been living in very difficult conditions. Up to this moment, we don’t know where we are heading or how this will end,” said Hadija Sadiki, Maduka’s wife.
“We rushed to various police stations to try to find out what happened, but we couldn’t reach any resolution, nor were we able to find our people.”
The vehicle used in the abduction was reportedly seen parked near Isamila Secondary School, the same location where CCM cadre Daniel Chonchorio was abducted in March 2025 — also involving a white Land Cruiser.
Speaking about the case, Mwanza Regional Police Commander Wilbroad Mutafungwa told reporters on October 14, 2025, that investigations were underway.
“We received that information, and an investigation has already begun. A case file was opened on the very day the incident was reported, and the investigation is ongoing. We are asking anyone who has any information related to those young men to bring it to the Police Force to help us with our work,” he said.
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