The October 29th elections in Tanzania are being held against the backdrop of severe repression of the right to information online, owing to the zealous and unchecked enforcement of extralegal powers by the authorities, particularly the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and the police force.
Clubhouse, a leading online debate and discussion forum, remains censored and restricted in the country since early 2023. In February 2023, it was reported that Clubhouse had been banned in the country. TCRA’s Director General Jabir Bakari was quoted as saying that the site had not been banned but was only unavailable on account of technical glitches.
To date, the platform cannot be accessed in Tanzania without use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which itself has been criminalised. The Open Observatory on Network Interference (OONI) reported that the site started presenting anomalies from August 13, 2023, onwards. Over the last four years, the platform has become increasingly important for both public debate and mobilisation.
On October 13, TCRA released a public notice calling on Tanzanians to register their use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN). Following the internet shutdowns of 2020 and escalated by the banning of hundreds of websites and social media accounts, Tanzanians had grown accustomed to the use of VPN to evade the erstwhile restrictions on the internet.
The Authority invoked regulation 16(2) of the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations, 2020, which bars a person from rendering, possessing or distributing technology, programme, application or any other related thing that allows or helps users to have access to prohibited content.
It branded it as an offence punishable upon conviction, to a fine of not less than five million Tanzanian shillings or imprisonment for a term of not less than twelve months or both. It ultimately called on the general public, individuals, and companies who, by nature of their undertakings, the use of VPN is indispensable, to declare their VPN and all relevant information, including IP address, to the Authority by, or before October 30, 2023.
Notable ‘rooms’
While there are several “rooms” on Clubhouse, two have in recent years stood out in terms of their mobilisation and following. #Kumekucha has gradually built itself as a favourite morning talk show where Tanzania’s middle class streams live discussion of contemporary social, political and economic concerns. The forum has gradually featured key debates and hosted key opinion makers on topical issues.
READ MORE: Can Tanzania Deliver a Credible Election?
According to the founder and host of the forum, Jones Mrusha, the participation in the forum was affected by the move to restrict Clubhouse in February 2023, leading to an almost 75 per cent decline in participation. The move prompted human rights lawyer Paul Kisabo to file a petition at the High Court of Tanzania, suing the Minister for Information, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority and the Attorney General for violating Article 18 of the Tanzania constitution.
In the end, however, the petition was dismissed in what the court termed as “failure by the applicant to provide evidence of state repression.”
#SautiyaWatanzania is the more activist forum, which has grown significantly since around the time of the 2020 general election. The forum has served as an avenue for not just radical debates on state policy but also active citizen mobilisation. Notwithstanding its fluid nature, it has attracted membership and leadership from some of Tanzania’s more active and radical leaders, including former CHADEMA Secretary General Dr Wilbroad Slaa.
In July this year, the forum made a gradual transition from a mere online platform into a broad social movement after successfully organising a public rally in Dar es Salaam calling out the Dubai Port World deal between Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates. The forum featured firebrand lawyer Boniface Mwabukusi, who called out the Tanzanian parliament for failing to fulfil its constitutional mandate in protecting Tanzania’s natural resources.
His appearance was followed by a move at the High Court of Tanzania, where he attempted to invalidate the deal. Subsequently, #SautiyaWananchi, acting largely as a loose citizens’ coalition, organised a series of protests focused on protesting the port deal both through hashtags online, i.e. #OkoaBandarizetu, as well as in-person marches in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya. Both were met with significant repression from the Tanzania Police Force.
Through different “rooms” on Clubhouse, chats and “spaces” on X, Tanzanians have taken to the streets of social media to air some of their most pressing concerns.
READ MORE: Tanzania Directs Police to Patrol Internet As the General Election Nears
#Mariaspaces, averaging 2,400 participants per show, is in this case a standout forum where Tanzanians of all walks gather through a biweekly chat show featuring opinion makers, among them activists and victims of human rights violations. Tanzania’s leading newspaper, Mwananchi, also features a similar chat show on a weekly basis dubbed Mwananchi Space.
Media crackdown
In October 2024, the TCRA initiated proceedings against (YouTube-based) Jambo TV for allegedly violating the Online Content Regulations when it broadcast criticism of telecommunications companies then- MIC Tanzania Limited t/a Tigo Tanzania, now- YAS Tanzania and Vodacom.
The channel aired allegations that Tigo Tanzania shared opposition leader Mr Tundu Lissu’s location data with authorities prior to the 2017 assassination attempt against him. Journalist Erick Kabendera also alleged Vodacom had provided his data to security forces in 2019.
Jambo TV was summoned to defend itself, but reports indicate that many outlets face similar allegations. On the hearing date, it was disclosed that 12 online media houses were issued with a similar show cause letter, but it was only Jambo TV which made it public, and they were questioned for making it public.
On October 3, 2024, the government suspended the licenses of The Citizen, Mwananchi, and Mwanaspoti newspapers for 30 days after they featured a viral animated clip critical of the president’s handling of reported abductions. Following this, on October 16, 2024, Human Rights Watch called for an end to the crackdown, highlighting the banning of peaceful demonstrations, restriction of the social media platform X, and suspension of Mwananchi Communications Ltd.’s license.
There has also been a quiet censorship against the press, with content being taken down following government instructions. This includes a recent video that was posted via The Chanzo news outlet that depicted several citizens decrying abductions of their missing sons. Most editors in Tanzania report frequent instructions from the TCRA to take down content from their channels and websites.
Internet shutdown
On June 5, 2025, the government also announced a nationwide shutdown of X, citing “pornography,” and threatened to block YouTube content deemed contrary to Tanzanian law, culture, or tradition. This is particularly dangerous as Tanzanian law criminalises the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), a tool that advances protection for HRDs, journalists and people seeking to remain safe and access information online in the face of internet restrictions and digital surveillance.
READ MORE: Tanzania’s Govt Shutdown the Internet in 2020. Now, We’re Taking It to Court
The reasons advanced by the authorities to shut down X, Telegram and ClubHouse appear to be politically motivated, to censor online critics who use social media platforms.
On September 5, 2025, TCRA suspended the operations of NGO JamiiForums for allegedly publishing content that “violated the law, tarnished the country’s image, and threatened national unity.” JamiiForums, recognised as the largest social network and leading political commentary website in the country, was banned for 90 days following its report on connections between President Samia and Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo.
This brazen act of impunity, which denied JamiiForums their fundamental right to be heard, came merely weeks before the October 29 election. Mr Chivayo has a notorious reputation for various financial crimes in his home country, Zimbabwe, and across the continent, thereby raising concerns when his close ties to President Samia Suluhu Hassan became apparent.
Social media surveillance
It is an open secret that the Tanzanian state actively surveils social media platforms and forums. Prior to the reports of the more recent bans, the then Minister for Information, Nape Nnauye, spoke in parliament in response to a question from Kinondoni MP Abbas Tarimba.
He noted that the Tanzanian state now has “the capacity to trace online correspondence and warned those he accused of spreading inappropriate (pornographic) content”. In April 2023, Nnauye noted that the government had shut down 334 websites, 361 Facebook, 198 Instagram, 12 Twitter and 2,456 domains in efforts to curtail the spread of homosexuality.
It was not made clear whether such a move had any court sanctioning or independent oversight in line with international standards on privacy, information and expression.
READ MORE: Tanzania’s Internet Accessibility: Official Denies Shutdowns, Cites Only Glitches
At the current rate, it remains to be seen whether the TCRA will follow in its own established precedent to effectively censor mobile networks as was the case in 2020. On October 24, 2020, Access Now, a leading online freedom lobby group, noted how the authority ordered telco service providers to suspend access to bulk short messaging services (SMS) and bulk voice services.
It was also observed that individual text messages with election-related keywords were blocked in addition to more expansive internet blocking. Already on August 19, TCRA Director General Jabir Bakari issued a stern warning to digital content providers, short message aggregators and telecom operators that strict legal action would be taken against those distributing unlawful or unlicensed content ahead of the October elections.
Time will tell, or perhaps in this case, will be told.
Deus Valentine Rweyemamu is the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Strategic Litigation. He’s available at deus@strategiclawcentre.org and on X as @DeusValentine. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
