Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on November 13, 2025.
Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba Appointed New Prime Minister of Tanzania
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed Dr. Mwigulu Lameck Nchemba, the Member of Parliament for Iramba West (CCM), as the new Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania.
The announcement was formally delivered to Parliament by Speaker Mussa Azzan Zungu, who presented the President’s nomination for legislative approval. Dr. Nchemba, 50, is set to become the country’s 12th Prime Minister, succeeding Kassim Majaliwa, who has held the post since 2015.
In accordance with the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania (1977), the President appoints a constituent Member of Parliament from the party holding a majority in the National Assembly. In this case, CCM holds the majority.
Dr. Nchemba has served as Minister of Finance since 2021, appointed shortly after President Samia assumed office following the death of President John Pombe Magufuli. He is widely regarded as one of CCM’s consistent and loyal political figures, maintaining his ministerial role through several cabinet reshuffles between 2021 and 2025.
During the fifth-phase administration under Magufuli, Dr. Nchemba held several key portfolios, including Home Affairs, Agriculture, and Constitution and Legal Affairs. In the fourth-phase government led by President Jakaya Kikwete, he served as Deputy Minister of Finance. In 2015, he sought CCM’s nomination for the presidency but did not advance to the final shortlist of five candidates.
A professional economist, Dr. Nchemba earned all his academic qualifications, from undergraduate to postgraduate, at the University of Dar es Salaam. Before entering politics, he worked at the Bank of Tanzania. He later rose through CCM’s internal ranks, serving as Deputy Secretary-General (Mainland) from 2012 to 2015.
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LHRC Reports Police Seizure of Staff Devices Following Hotel Incident in Dar es Salaam
The Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) has publicly condemned what it describes as the “harassment and intimidation” of its staff by Tanzanian police, following a security incident at a Dar es Salaam hotel.
In a public statement dated November 13, 2025, the prominent human rights organisation reported that on the evening of November 12, its team was subjected to a siege at the White Sands Hotel.
Police reportedly confiscated laptops, mobile phones, and identification cards from the staff, who were engaged in what the LHRC termed “routine work.”
The staff were instructed to report to the Dar es Salaam Zonal Crimes Office (ZCO) the following morning for interviews. The LHRC confirmed that its team complied with the order and that all devices were later returned without condition.
However, the centre expressed deep concern that it “cannot confirm the security and integrity of the laptops and phones,” implying that the equipment may have been tampered with while in police custody.
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Zanzibar President Unveils Expanded Cabinet, Reserves Key Ministerial Posts for ACT Wazalendo
Zanzibar President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi has announced a new 20-member Cabinet as he embarks on his second term in office. The freshly unveiled Cabinet marks an increase from the previous 18 ministries, an expansion that Dr. Mwinyi said it was necessary to address new priorities outlined in the CCM manifesto.
Speaking during a press briefing at State House in Zanzibar today, Dr. Mwinyi explained that the additional ministries were not entirely new creations but reorganized portfolios carved out of existing ones to allow for more efficiency and focus.
One of the major reasons for the restructuring, he said, was to strengthen the government’s ability to pursue a modern, digitally driven public administration. He reminded reporters that during his re-election campaign he had pledged to advance digital transformation across government sectors, a vision that required communication and technology functions to operate as a fully independent ministry.
Dr. Mwinyi went on to reveal the new Cabinet members, naming seasoned politicians and fresh faces to lead key ministries. Among those appointed were Dr. Haroun Ali Suleiman to the President’s Office responsible for constitutional affairs, legal matters, public service and good governance.
Dr. Saada Mkuya Salum was placed in the President’s Office at State House, while Dr. Juma Malik Akil was named Minister of Finance and Planning. Other appointments included Idrissa Kitwana Mustafa to oversee regional administration, local government and special departments; Shariff Ali Shariff to the Labour and Investment docket; and Hamza Hassan Juma to the Second Vice President’s Office. The President also announced Rahma Kassim Ali as Minister of Lands and Housing Development and Lela Muhamed Mussa as Minister of Education and Vocational Training.
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Op-Ed: Our Tiananmen Moment: Tanzania’s Cry for Justice Amid the October Massacres
When the Tiananmen massacres of June 4, 1989, were happening in China, I was in Standard Six at Kigoma Primary School. I didn’t see it on TV as others did because we didn’t have a TV at home. I read about it much later, and I have re-read materials about it in the last 10 days since the October 29 massacres in different regions of Tanzania.
Neither did I see the massacres which took place in Dar es Salaam and other regions like Mwanza and Arusha, as there was no internet. On October 30, I joined people in Kigoma demonstrating at the Kigoma Ujiji Municipal offices against the election results. I was later arrested and detained at Central Police Station.
There, some police officers came to brief me about the situation in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Mbeya. One officer told me he had lost his young brother. Still, I didn’t realise how big the problem was. I came to see the videos of the killings after the internet was allowed back. It was the October Massacres! It was our Tiananmen moment.
My heart weeps no, it bleeds as we confront the nightmare that has swallowed our nation whole since the bloody October 29 elections. The air reeks with the cries of the innocent, the ground drenched in the blood of our brothers and sisters, a vicious betrayal that rips apart the very soul of Tanzania.
How dare they! The barbaric massacres unleashed by our own security forces in Mwanza, Mbeya, Arusha, Dar es Salaam, and Songwe have shattered families, razed communities, and plunged our nation into unending grief. Mothers clutch empty arms where laughter once echoed; fathers scour the shadows for stolen loved ones; our vibrant youth, brimming with dreams, now rot in unmarked graves.
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Op-Ed: Lessons from the 2025 Tanzania Election: Strengthening Our Unique Democracy
Tanzania has entered a new chapter. For the first time in our nation’s political history, a woman, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has been elected President through a general election. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), her victory in 2025 was decisive, securing 97.66 per cent of the vote against 16 other candidates.
This election will be remembered as both a milestone and a profound test of our democracy, our unity, and our collective commitment to peace. For decades, Tanzania has stood as a beacon of stability in a turbulent region, even amidst intense political competition.
Yet, the distressing violence that unfolded this year in Mwanza, Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mbeya, and Songwe compels us to pause and reflect: What kind of democracy are we building, and what critical lessons must we now learn?
It is vital to state from the outset that Tanzania’s democracy has never been a copy-and-paste version of Western liberalism. Ours is a homegrown system, shaped by our unique history, culture, and nation-building journey.
The American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington argues that democracy cannot be transplanted wholesale; its success depends on political institutions adapting to a country’s own traditions and level of development. We have long understood this.
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