The Tanzanian government has announced a team of former public servants to investigate the events surrounding the October 29 protest.
The team will be chaired by former Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman. Other members include former Chief Justice Prof. Ibrahim Hamis Juma and Ambassador Ombeni Sefue, the former Chief Secretary, who has previously served in several commissions and committees, including the committee tasked with developing strategies for reforming the criminal justice system.
Additional members are Ambassador Radhia Msuya, a career diplomat; Lieutenant General Paul Ignace Mella, a former army intelligence chief who once served as the Force Commander of the African Union–United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur; former Police Inspector General Said Ally Mwema; and Ambassador David Kapya.
The final appointee is former Minister of Defense Dr. Stegomena Lawrence Tax, who was still serving in government as the Minister of Defense at the time of the protest and subsequent events.
The terms of reference for the team, referred to by the government as an independent commission formed under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, have not yet been made public. In the announcement issued by Chief Secretary Moses Kusiluka, the government stated that the commission will investigate: “Incidents of breach of peace that occurred in the country during and after the general election held on October 29, 2025.”
Opposition party ACT Wazalendo has challenged the commission’s composition. “This commission, which consists entirely of members from Tanzania, including government officials and security personnel, some of whom should themselves be subjects of the investigation rather than investigators, is nothing but a mockery to those who lost their lives, the injured, and the families who were bereaved in these brutal incidents,” the party said in its statement.
“This is not a commission of justice but an attempt to cover up wrongdoing and protect those involved in the abuses,” ACT Wazalendo emphasized. The party has cautioned that it will not participate or offer any cooperation to the commission.
The party has called for the establishment of an independent commission involving international stakeholders, a demand echoed by several other groups in the country.
