The transcript below is an excerpt from President Samia’s speech delivered on December 2, 2025, during her conversation with a group of ‘Elders of Dar es Salaam’. The speech provides insight into the government’s position and the President’s perspective on the October 29 protest, as well as its aftermath, including the security crackdown that followed.

Elders of Dar es Salaam, before the 29th of October this year, the day which was our national election day, if you mentioned the phrase ‘island of peace’ in many countries or regions of the world, people would immediately say Tanzania is one of the nations that are islands of peace. This reputation is what identifies our country worldwide, along with our nature of gentleness and hospitality. That is what makes Tanzania.

Peace, gentleness, and hospitality, these have been our greatest qualities as Tanzanians. Our peace, unity, and humanity have always defined us, even when we are abroad. When students are studying outside the country, even when we were students studying abroad, if you simply said you were a Tanzanian, someone else in the hall who is Tanzanian would come to you, without caring where you come from, what your religion is, or what your tribe is. They would come to you, you would start speaking your Kiswahili, and from there brotherhood would begin. That is our identity. [Applause].

But as the days go by, our reputation is declining. Many who do not wish our country well are irritated by our pride in the fact that we Tanzanians are united, that we love one another, and that wherever we meet, brotherhood comes before everything else. They are bothered by these qualities of ours, and the fact that Tanzania is a peaceful nation annoys them greatly. I remember once, in this very hall, I forget what event it was, but while standing at this very podium, I said that there are people who come to disrupt our peace. They have already ruined the places they come from, and now they want to bring disorder here. Even that statement upset them.

It upset them greatly, and perhaps this is their way of trying to show us that even we, are not completely clean. Let me say briefly that the riots which happened on the 29th and continued on the 30th is not the habit nor the culture of Tanzanians. It is neither the tradition of our country nor of our people. Everyone who was harmed or lost their life is our fellow Tanzanian, with equal rights to everyone else. No one is above another. The right to life and the right to freedom are values shared by all Tanzanians. Therefore, there is no reason for Tanzanians to harm one another or deny each other freedom.

It is painful to see that a few individuals coordinated those acts of violence, wanting their fellow Tanzanians to become sacrifices for their selfish political ambitions. Ambitions that have nothing to do with prevalent politics. Their goals are completely different from the existing politics of our country, and for whatever reason, we should never have disrupted the peace of our country nor caused the deaths of our people. To those who have lost their relatives, their children, and their loved ones, I extend my condolences once again to all of us. It is not only their loss, it is a loss for all of us, because the blood of Tanzanians is our collective blood. When one Tanzanian suffers, we all suffer; when we lose one Tanzanian, we have all lost. Therefore, let us all be comforted.

As my elder brother Salum Matimbwa said here, during this period in which you have entrusted me to lead the country, I have already spoken with elders twice. The first time, I spoke with the elders of Dar es Salaam , I think it was late 2021 or early 2022. The second time, I spoke with all the elders of Tanzania, their representatives in Dodoma, shortly before the election. Today is my third time, and the first in the second phase of the sixth term [government].

I felt it necessary to speak with you because of what has happened in our country. I thought it best to continue the tradition set by our leaders who came before us, that when major events occur in the nation, they go and speak with the elders. So I, too, want to continue that tradition. Through the elders of Dar es Salaam, I wish to speak to the entire nation. This is also due to the uniqueness of the city of Dar es Salaam; as the main gateway connecting Tanzania with the countries we border, and even Central and Southern Africa, it is easy to reach those regions through Dar es Salaam.

But I have also come to speak with you as the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and at the same time as your younger sibling, for some, your sister, in whatever titles I hold. I felt I should come and speak with you. And for some of you, I am your student; among the elders here are my teachers. Our teachers in government, those who showed us how to lead, and we followed in their steps; our teachers in various areas and through what you have done, we have followed your path. My aim is to hear your advice, but also for you to listen to me.

My fellow elders of Dar es Salaam, after being sworn in, I have spoken to the citizens four times. I spoke through my inauguration speech. I spoke through my address to Parliament. I spoke during the swearing-in of the ministers of this government, and I also spoke during the launch of the commission I established to investigate what happened. But none of those speeches can remove or replace the importance of speaking with you, the elders of Dar es Salaam. That is why I am here today. [Applause]
Our Dar es Salaam is the center of commerce and the heart of our culture.

This Dar es Salaam, because of the violence that occurred, went through a very difficult period, and all of us here are witnesses. Many people earn their livelihood with their own hands, they must wake up in the morning, go out to work, and find something to take back home for their families to eat. Those riots brought Dar es Salaam to a halt. Small traders stopped working. Vendors stopped. Kariakoo stopped. All our activities came to a standstill, and we were forced to remain indoors. And from the reports we have received, the prices of goods rose sharply.

So the pain of those few days was strongly felt here in Dar es Salaam, more than in other parts of the country. In other areas, once the violence subsided, activities resumed, people went out, they worked, they ate. But here in Dar es Salaam, we tasted, even if just for a moment, what the youth would call the ‘heat of the stone’. That is why I said we must talk. In this context, I felt obliged to speak with you because I recognize that nearly 10% of all Tanzanians live here in Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam is a city of roughly six million people, and that is a very large number to live in one city. This alone shows the importance of this city to our country, Tanzania.

Dar es Salaam contributes significantly to the national income, and a large percentage of our commerce is conducted within this city. Moreover, Dar es Salaam is our commercial capital and the face of our nation to the outside world. Therefore, it holds a unique importance. If Dar es Salaam burns, the whole of Tanzania has burned, because Dar es Salaam is Tanzania. There is no tribe that is not represented here in Dar es Salaam.

People from every region of this country live here in Dar es Salaam. People of all religions are here in Dar es Salaam. This is why Dar es Salaam is Tanzania. If it is harmed or damaged in any way, this entire Tanzania carries that image. Anything negative reported about Dar es Salaam is taken as a reflection of Tanzania as a whole. Therefore, there is every reason to speak with you, the elders of Dar es Salaam.

My brothers and sisters, what happened was an orchestrated event, and those who orchestrated it had serious intentions. They intended to topple the government of this country, our country. If you look at some previous clips, you will see that our youth were turned into parrots and made to chant. They were told that what happened in Madagascar should also happen here. But if you pull aside one of these youths and ask him, ‘Tell me, what exactly happened in Madagascar?’he does not know. You ask him, ‘What do you want to happen here?’, he does not know. Yet they were made to sing that song. This shows that it was something planned, and the violence was driven by big intentions.

This unrest was a very broad project with a central purpose of evil, a project with sponsors, backers and executors. In that riots, both those who belonged to the plan and those who did not were swept into it.

Some joined without understanding, others followed the crowd, others were lured with promises of a better life, and others simply because they were paid. We are told that there were youths who were given money, you take the money, then go into the streets, so they entered without any clear purpose or understanding of what they were going to do. It is very painful to see the destruction that resulted. I believe the statistics are now being released. Several government buildings have been burned. Several projects built for the benefit of citizens have been burned. Private businesses, including fuel stations, have been burned. Government vehicles have been burned. Many police stations have been burned.

Now I want us to be honest: should we call these events demonstrations or riots? The demonstrations we are familiar with, and the ones we accept under our Constitution, are those where people are upset about something. They request permission to demonstrate, they express themselves, they start from one point and march peacefully to another point, maybe to Mnazi Mmoja or elsewhere, carrying placards explaining their grievances. The police escort them safely. When they reach their destination, they present their demands, then disperse peacefully and go home.

But acts such as burning government projects, burning police stations, and what is the purpose of going to a police station? It is to break in and obtain weapons. And what is the intention behind having weapons in hand? Then you burn private businesses, what is the aim of that? So these were not demonstrations. These were acts of violence that were organized for specific purposes.

In such a situation, we must ask ourselves another question: Why did this happen on election day? In this context, the government has a responsibility, we take an oath to protect this country and its borders, to safeguard the security of citizens and their property. And in such circumstances, the level of force used is proportionate to the event taking place.

Now, when we are told that we used excessive force on that day, then what would less force have looked like? Should we have simply watched protesters who were prepared to carry out an overthrow [of the government] until they succeeded? Would there still have been a functioning state? That is not how a state operates, and this is not unique to Tanzania. We have already seen in other countries that when protesters take to the streets, and the government sees that the demonstration is headed in a wrong direction, they deploy strong force.

They apply strong force, this has happened in nations across the world and we have witnessed it. So when they come back to blame us [saying] we used excessive force, what exactly did they want? We must ask ourselves: are those the same people who sponsored what happened? [Applause] Did they want us to stand by and watch the mob succeed in carrying out what they had funded and instructed? No. We took an oath to protect this country and its borders, to safeguard the safety of its citizens and their property. Therefore, in fulfilling that duty, just as others do, we too will do what is necessary to defend this nation.

Why on election day? On election day because they already knew there was going to be a big victory for Chama cha Mapinduzi. A huge victory for Chama cha Mapinduzi. Look at the campaigns we conducted. Look at how people responded to us. Look at the work we accomplished in the past five years. They knew, even our opponents knew, which is why they refused to participate. No one stopped them; they refused on their own because they knew they would not succeed. They knew they would be embarrassed by the work that had been done and by the massive support the citizens had shown Chama cha Mapinduzi. They would have been embarrassed, and that is why they chose not to enter the election. But now they twist the story and claim the government stopped them from participating. When did we stop them?

I am explaining this, my fellow elders of Dar es Salaam, so that you may understand the real situation. It is possible that in your discussions, you mention things for which you do not have complete information. We did not stop them. And from the reports given by those who were there initially, they told us they had a meeting and decided not to participate, they felt they will be embarrassed. But to hide the embarrassment they would have faced, they sparked what happened.

Why on election day? What right is being claimed on election day? If there is any right to be demanded, is there no other day, no other method of demanding that right, other than doing what was done? These are questions we must ask ourselves.

In all of this, we are told that there are coordinators who live outside the country. Some we know; others we do not. We continue to learn and to search so that we may know exactly who they are.
Now, let everyone here under the age of 50 stand. Everyone under 50, please stand.[They stand]. So I see that many standing here are my ministers, many of them under the age of 50. Alright, please sit. There are also a few religious leaders, some youths of Dar es Salaam, and a few government workers.

Now, this matter has coordinators from outside the country. But why coordinators from outside? As for the Tanzanian coordinators we know, those ones are affected by the struggles of life. It is hardship. When they push demonstrations, rumors, and information about Tanzania, the same young Tanzanians who complain about hardships are the ones using their own money to buy data bundles to follow and read what these coordinators post. When you read from them, they get revenues.

So one thing that pushes them is the hardship of life. Where they are, they are not doing well. They are struggling [Applause]. Then there are those who are not struggling at all, they are comfortable, they are being paid by those who want these things to happen, but they simply lack patriotism. They have no patriotism at all. And when you look at them closely, they are not truly Tanzanians in full.So it doesn’t matter to them. It doesn’t matter whether Tanzania burns or does not burn, they have a place to stay abroad. They are not fully Tanzanian, and they do not face challenges.

So this matter was planned with careful coordination. But now let us look at those who planned it and who claim to have grievances in this issue. Let me begin with our colleagues in the opposition parties. As I said earlier, these people had run out of strength, as the youth say, they had ‘lost power.’ They clearly saw that the road ahead was not in their favor.

They have their own frustrations in their households, but they want to hide and push that issue onto others. Where they are, they are not okay. They are fighting among themselves; they have split among themselves. Politicians have gone to other parties, activists remained behind. So internally, they are not okay, they should not blame us. Their issue is within themselves. And now they want to push the problems they have there onto us.

No one stopped them from participating in anything. These are the same people with whom I worked extensively from 2020 to 2023, speaking with them. I extended a hand of mercy: ‘Come, you who are Tanzanians, let us sit together, let us talk, let us move forward in the direction we desire.’ I extended that hand sincerely, believing that I was reaching out to Tanzanians and thought they would accept that hand of compassion, so that we could sit well together.

These are the same people I found abroad, suffering, without even a single shilling in their pockets. They begged persistently to meet me, and I received them. We talked. They had nothing, not even a shilling. I took the allowance I had been given for my travels and gave it to them so they could continue with life while abroad. These are the same people who told me, ‘Alright, we will return, but we have cases.’ And I told them, ‘I will have the cases withdrawn. Come, let us sit together, let us talk, let us build the nation.’ And some of them did come. They arrived empty-handed, with nothing, and we provided our own money to help them start their lives afresh here in Tanzania.

Now, I want you to tell me: should such a person be given a position of leadership, someone to whom such a generous hand of mercy and reconciliation was extended? He comes back, and the first thing he does is insult, slander the one who have extended hand of mercy and twist matters, tarnishing the country. What do you call such a person? What do you call such a person? This is not the character of Tanzanians.

At that time, when I did all this, I believed I was speaking to mature Tanzanians with sound minds. I believed they would return, we would sit together, talk, and move forward. And I gave them every opportunity, you are all witnesses. I opened the space for them. When they wanted to demonstrate, they demonstrated. We escorted them all the way to their destination, they expressed their concerns, and then they dispersed peacefully. That is the type of demonstration permitted under the Constitution. And if you request permission, the police will tell you, ‘Go ahead and demonstrate.
Tell us the route, and we will protect you all the way until you reach your destination. That is what a demonstration is. What happened was not a demonstration. These are the same people to whom I gave the opportunity to conduct their political activities. But politics is not about insulting others, belittling others, or destroying the country. That is not politics. Our elders used to say, if someone behaves like that, that person does not understand politics. It means politics is about safety. Politics is about civility. That is the true meaning of politics.

So when someone is given permission to conduct political activities, and instead they go and practice the kind of politics they know, politics of disrupting the country, that is not politics. That is not politics.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, let me say this: Whatever grievances this political party or these political parties may have had, they were not supposed to use that method claiming that ‘now we must sit and talk under certain conditions so that they can return on their own terms.’ No. That can not be.

But let us look at the second group, the youth. Our young people were led into the streets and made to sing a song they don’t understand. They claim they were demanding their rights. Which rights? Pull aside just one young person and ask, ‘You went out to demand rights, what rights exactly?’ They cannot explain. And why could these rights not be demanded in any other way except by going into the streets and causing violence? Being paid to burn stations, being paid to commit the acts they committed,what kind of right is that?

Another thing they were made to carry is this idea that they went into the streets because of hardship. Astaghfirullah. Let us return to God *Tushairifu. If I had the power, I would take the youth of Tanzania and place them in different countries, even right here in Africa, among our neighbors, so they could see the real hardships that exist. [Applause] Then they would say that Tanzania is a good place. They have no reason. [They are speaking of] ‘hardship’ while living comfortably.

Someone truly suffering from hardship, genuinely struggling, would not have the luxury of going into the streets to sing ‘oyoyooo’ about hardship. A person in hardship is struggling to find today’s meal. And many of those who truly face hardship were at their jobs that day. Those others, they were not suffering hardship; they had their own motives

For those who are researchers, let them conduct studies across East Africa and perhaps even in Southern Africa to examine Tanzania’s position in terms of hardship. Let them go and see. So our young people should not simply swallow whatever they are told, and they themselves should not accept everything blindly. But why is all this happening? We have learned that we have left our youth to grow up on their own, without direction, without proper guidance, and because of that, they lack patriotic education. That is what we have learned. Patriotic youth, even those from opposition parties, did not agree with what happened.

They came to tell us, ‘Please be alert; something is being planned.’ Those were patriotic young people within opposition parties. But many of our Tanzanian youths lack patriotism. And this, as a government, we have learned and we will work to address it. That is why I said we must establish an entire ministry dedicated to youth affairs, to handle youth issues in a broad and comprehensive way instead of having just a small unit inside a larger ministry. So, from the youth’s side, they had no genuine reason to go into the streets, except that they were sent and made to chant things that had nothing to do with them.

Let us look at our religious institutions, which in one way or another also became part of this wave. You know, when you are a leader, you must accept that at times you will lose popularity. You must accept that. And if losing popularity happens during the campaign period, during the election, or after the election, you will go out, so you are going out so that we can correct things. Let us tell the truth, our religious institutions, we say Tanzania has no state religion, isn’t that so? But our people in Tanzania do have religions, and they belong to various faiths and denominations. We have, perhaps, four or five major religions.

We have Christians, we have Muslims, we have Hindus, we have Buddhists, and others practiced here. But mainly those four or five. And each of these has its own denominations. Among Muslims, there are Sunni, Ibadhi, Bohora, and others. There are many groups. And Christians as well have their different denominations. But constitutionally and legally, not a single denomination of any religion has been given the authority to issue statement that override all the other religious denominations. None. None at all.

People should not impose such authority upon themselves. I always say: Tanzania does not belong to one individual. It belongs to all of us. There is no one with a certificate claiming, ‘Tanzania is mine, and I will lead it however I want.’ No. We have our laws, we have our Constitution, and we have chosen to be a democratic country. We will run our democracy in the ways we have agreed upon. So, religious leaders, do not put on robes and declare yourselves capable of overrun things in this country. No. No. We shall govern according to the Constitution and the laws of this nation. We will not be governed by any religious denomination.

Religious denominations and their followers, the value of religion lies in our hearts. Those who believe know the greatness of their own faith. There is no ‘overriding’ here, no one can claim that their religion will override Tanzania, or that whatever statement they issue must stand as final for the whole country. Even among themselves, they disagree. Since I have been in office, eight statements have been issued by TEC [Catholic Bishop Conference], eight. But when you look deeper, even within their own ranks, they disagree among themselves. Those statements are not applied uniformly because within the same group, there are those who stand on the side of justice and see that what is being done is not righteous.

So those who stand on the side of justice do not join them. They see that what is being done is not righteous. Therefore, let me say: our Tanzania is a nation of unity, a nation of solidarity. Peace and stability are our shields. Let us not allow ourselves to be divided, my brothers and sisters, by religious lines, by political lines, or by any other lines. We must not disrupt this country. We must not.

Even if you do not like the one currently leading the government, there is a time for everything. This is a democratic country. This person will lead until their time ends. If they make mistakes, speak about their mistakes.

Is it a mistake of the Sixth Phase Government to expand access to quality healthcare across Tanzania? Is that our mistake? To bring good services and good schools even to the villages? Is that our mistake? To grow Tanzania’s economy to the point that it is praised worldwide? Is that our mistake? Is our mistake making Tanzania a safe nation where people live happily? Is that the mistake we have made?

What is our mistake? If someone does not like the one leading, let us simply be patient. Every heart was created with the capacity to endure. Democracy exists, they will lead, and one day they will leave. Have all the leaders from the beginning until now, the Sixth Phase, been loved by everyone? No.

The country was destabilized. So if you do not like Samia, there is no reason to destabilize the nation. If you do not like her for who she is, if you do not like her for her religion, if you do not like her for where she comes from, there is still no reason to disrupt the country. Our Constitution and our laws are in place. This nation is governed by our Constitution and our laws. There is no reason to disrupt the country my brothers and sisters.

So I urge you: the poison being spread out there, when it reaches you, use your own minds. You know, there is no more dangerous way to manipulate someone than through religion. When you capture a person through their religion and feed them negativity about someone in the name of religion, you create a deeply rooted hatred in the heart, far stronger than what politician can cause.

When politicians manipulate someone, they targe people’s minds. And the mind changes, when someone better comes, the negativity can fade and something good can take its place. But when something enters the heart, it settle there.

So, our religious leaders, please remain within your lane. All our religions, all of them, teach that every authority is established by God. Every authority is established by God. Whether the authority is held by a woman or by a man, every authority is brought by God. And the reason God to bring that authority is known by no one on Earth. No one. Only God knows. Why Samia is here today.

So I ask our religious leaders: let us wear our robes properly. Let our robes reflect their true purpose. There is no holy book, not a single one, that instructs us to use our religions to destabilize our nations. None. When that happens, it is the personal will of individuals driven by the evilness of their own hearts. So do not wear religious robes while pushing your own personal issues under the cover of religion. I humbly urge our religious leaders: let us stand firm and not destabilize our country. Let us not destabilize our nation.

If there is anything to be addressed, the proper channels for dialogue exist. The proper avenues for sitting down and discussing matters exist. There was absolutely no reason for us to reach the point we reached. None, my brothers and sisters. I came with the 4R philosophy, and I implemented it very effectively, it brought great clarity and progress,until those people whose names I do not even know went and changed the direction of the country. But let me assure you: we will stand firm and defend this nation with all our strength. [Applause]

It is said, ‘What is past is not a sickness; let us focus on what lies ahead.’ [Applause].If our colleagues’ demand is a new constitution, no one has refused to review the constitution of this country. No one.

You will recall that I formed the Criminal Justice Reform Commission, which went across the whole of Tanzania and brought back findings on what Tanzanians were saying. And in implementing those recommendations, there were short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures. Of the short-term and medium-term recommendations, we implemented many, about 90%. [Applause].

What remained were the long-term ones, and among them was constitutional reform. And even for that, I said we would implement it. And if you read the election manifesto of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), I stated that within 100 days, I would form a commission that would first work on reconciliation, and then we would enter into the constitutional review process.

How can you proceed to amend the laws of the country while you yourselves are divided into pieces? First you must come back together, understand one another, and agree on what we aim for going forward, what our direction is. Only then can you draft your constitution based on the consensus we have reached. The constitution must state one, two, three, four — but you cannot jump straight into it while everyone is puffed up with anger. (She gestures, showing puffed cheeks.) Which constitution would ever be agreed upon in such a state?

That is why I said: first we reconcile. And because they destabilized the country, the first thing I did was establish a commission to examine the depth of this matter. I gave them three months to thoroughly investigate and bring us a report on what actually happened, where there was injustice, where there was justice. Once we understand these things clearly, then we sit down: ‘This is what the report says. These are the findings. Now, come, reconciliation committee, go through these differences. Identify the issues. Meet different groups and ask them: these are the matters; how do we move forward?’ That is the reconciliation commission. After that, we can sit down and draft our constitution. No one has refused.

Today they say they went into the streets, destroyed the country, and are now demanding a constitution. Where is this constitution they speak of? Is it hanging somewhere for us to simply pluck and hand to them? A constitution is a process . We begin here, we move to the next step, and then the next. Now, to escape the embarrassment of losing the election, they are creating excuses. And all these excuses are being supported from outside. They are not even ashamed. Out there, they sit and say, ‘Oh, Tanzania must do this, must do that, must do the other, then it will be like this. Who are you? [Applause].

Let me ask you, my brothers and sisters: do these things not happen in their own countries? Do they not happen there? Have we ever raised our voices to speak about what happens in their countries? They still think they are our masters, that they are our colonizers. For what reason? Because of the small amounts of money they give us? And even that money is no longer there.We trade, so that they benefit, and we benefit. That is what we insist upon. And let me tell you…(At this point, participants in the hall stand and begin chanting: “Sema, usiogope! Sema!” — “Speak, do not fear! Speak!”)

Tanzania oyeee! Alright, let us sit down, my brothers and sisters. I want to tell you, my fellow Tanzanians: usually, a beautiful woman is the one people fight over, isn’t that true? You will find people quarreling, fighting, causing a scene, and when you look closely, between those two or three men fighting, there is a beautiful woman at the center. Now, our country, Alhamdulillah, God created us beautifully, and He placed us in a very beautiful position. As I always tell you, Tanzania is the gateway into Africa. Tanzania can be used very effectively for global commerce. It can be used very effectively for global politics. The only issue is the political stance we have chosen: a policy of non-alignment.

Because of that, some nations come to us from this side, wanting to pull us into their camp; others come from another side. But also, the resources, God blessed us with… Minerals , Tanzania has them. We have the ocean, and through that ocean you can travel anywhere in the world.

Tanzania has large lakes which allow us to conduct any kind of trade with neighboring countries and to transport anything to neighbouring countries. Tanzania also has fertile agricultural land, which is why we are food secure at 128%, we feed ourselves and we export. Even more importantly, the government now understands that agriculture is our foundation. That is why we provide subsidies to farmers so they can increase production of both food and cash crops. Tanzania also has minerals, and now there are minerals known as rare earth minerals in high demand globally. The whole world has its eyes on them [rare minerals], such minerals also exist elsewhere in the world. But Tanzania is among the countries where these minerals are found, and people have their eyes on them. This is why stones are being thrown at us; this is why we are being targeted, because of how God created us and the blessings He gave us.

But I want to tell you: our natural gifts and our wealth should not become a curse that makes us ends up killing each others, manipulated by those who are eyeing our country. No. A nation is built by its citizens. This is the time for Tanzanians to unite, my brothers and sisters, and understand that everything God created and placed here belongs to us. It is ours. And God gave us this wealth intentionally, to lift our country up. In the past, we were not attacked this much. We were simply counted among the poor countries, developing slowly, struggling, and so on. But once we opened up our wealth, once we began using our tourism resources, our minerals, our ocean and our lakes to build our economy, that is what has begun to trouble people out there in the world.

Therefore, this is not the time for us to sit and point fingers at one another as Tanzanians. This is the time for Tanzanians to unite and say, ‘Tanzania is ours.’ God created it here for us, and it must benefit us, the people of Tanzania. When we say we are protecting….. what they call… sovereignty. We are protecting our freedom, we are protecting our nation. And we must say this from the heart. We elders, who are going out, and you young people who stood earlier, those under 50, we are going and leaving [this country] to you.

We do not know who among you, or even outside of you, will one day become president here. But you must understand this very clearly.Understand this very well. And unfortunately, human nature is easily influenced. Some of our people have been convinced — and those are the ones carrying out these acts. That is why I said this project that took place had planners, sponsors, and executors. So there are sponsors and executors within our own country — and under no circumstances should we allow them to destabilize us. [Applause]

My brothers and sisters, I said: what is past is not a sickness; let us focus on what lies ahead. What happened has passed. But from what we hear, another plan is being prepared. Inshallah, God will not stand with them, it will scatter like dust. But let me say this: I heard one of the organizers abroad saying, ‘Postpone it to the ninth, wait until Christmas, because now we are well prepared.’ Let me tell you, whenever they come, we are prepared. Whenever they come, we are prepared. [Applause].

In general, let me say this: human beings disagree, and human beings reconcile. We are not saying that the government is perfect or without mistakes. No. It is entirely possible that there are shortcomings, and there is no government in the world that has no shortcomings. But people sit together, they talk, and they resolve the shortcomings that exist. Therefore, we too must sit down, talk, and address the shortcomings that exist.

I have received messages saying, ‘We will only agree to sit with the government if they do one, two, three…This government is not one that can be ordered around or given instructions. We have told our colleagues, Let us talk, come to the table and let us discuss. And I have also received messages from those encouraging them, saying, there will be no dialogue unless you release this person, unless you do this, unless you do that.’

This is something that happens only within a household. Within a home, when the father has angered the mother, and he approaches her in the evening, she might say, ‘I don’t want, until you do this and that’, and then he does it so that they can reconcile. Is that not true?

So the government cannot be given such conditions. The government does not receive such terms, perhaps only a student government can be given conditions by their teachers: ‘You will not get this, this, or that until you do such and such.’ Students might follow those instructions. But a sovereign state, one that understands itself and governs its own affairs, mmmmh! Mmmh! (She shakes her head in refusal). If they are truly Tanzanians, and if they truly care about Tanzanians as they claim, because they often say, ‘Oh, we speak on behalf of the people’ — one must ask: which people? If it is truly for the people, the people have already spoken. They have already made their decision. They gave CCM 97%. That is the decision of the citizens.

Where are these citizens they claim to speak for? Then they ask: ‘Why 97%? Why not something else?’
As the Swahili say, paukwa pakawa — they were not there. And the sixteen who did participate were very small. Those who would have challenged CCM, they were not there. There was no CHADEMA, there was no ACT. Those are the parties we had prepared ourselves to face competitively. They were absent. So what were citizens supposed to do?

Let me tell you: even their own followers voted for Chama cha Mapinduzi. They voted for Chama cha Mapinduzi. Those who question, ‘Why 97%?’, that is simply what happened. It is 97% of those who voted, not 97% of all Tanzanians. Of those who cast their votes, 97% voted for CCM. Work was done, campaigns were conducted, and people understood, they voted. And God is great, because their planned chaos began at around eleven or noon, when many people had already gone early in the morning, cast their votes, and left. God is great. Especially in the towns, they did not disrupt voting everywhere, especially in the major towns. So, my brothers and sisters, we are Tanzanians. Tanzania will be built by Tanzanians.

A wound has occurred, and we Tanzanians must be the ones to heal our own wound. And this is not the first time. We suffered a similar wound in 2001, and we, Tanzanians ourselves, healed that wound. This wound will not be healed from outside. If we rely on outsiders, they will give us conditions, they will threaten to cut aid, they will impose all sorts of things. But those who will heal this wound are we Tanzanians. I ask that we return to our own platforms. Elders, you have your platforms. And within your platforms, there are people of different religions, different tribes, different political parties, but all of you are elders together within your platforms.

Sit down and talk. Sit down and talk so that our young people are not used the way they were used. Today, you an elder returns home and cries because your child has been injured in the leg. Unfortunately your child has died, what stopped you from preventing them from going out? What stopped you from speaking wise words to stop them? We allowed it. We are the elders of this country.

Let us sit with our young people and talk to them, in our councils and on our community platforms. And to our religious leaders: if truly, truly the pulpits we stand on in the mosques, when we say Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, and the altars we use in our churches, if truly we use them with sincere hearts and in submission to God, then let us go and submit to God. Let us abandon this incitement that is happening. Let us stop mocking God. This is mocking God, to take your personal will, the desires of your own soul, and dress them in religious garments. No. This is mocking God. It is mocking God. Let us stop mocking God.

My brothers and sisters, I have said that our work now is to close the wound. And here, I want to speak to my children as well, those who look ahead, my young people here and others outside who are already looking toward 2030. That journey must not be allowed to destabilize our country. I spoke with my ministers and told them: I look at each one of you, and if you have interests of that [2030 presidency], pursue them outside — do not pursue them while inside my government. I placed you in these positions to serve the citizens. Your future ambitions, we will reach them when the time comes. Only God knows who our leader will be in the future. Only God knows.

You may plan, you may strategize, and still not become what you expect. How many have planned, strategized, and had all the resources, even financial strength… only God knows in the future who will be our leader. So that journey toward 2030 should not harm our country.

My brothers and sisters, the other matters that were raised by the elders here, I have received them. Their minister is here, and he will address their concerns. And in all my tours across Tanzania, whenever I arrive in a region, the very first thing I do is meet with the elders of that region. Since my time as Vice President up to now as President, that has always been my practice: when I arrive, I meet the elders of the region, listen to their problems, and hear their views.

The challenge comes here in Dar es Salaam because it is a city. When you are in Dar es Salaam, you feel as though you are already at the headquarters. When you are in Dodoma, you feel the same — that you are at the headquarters. But when I travel to the regions, the first thing I do upon arrival is meet the elders. I listen to their problems, I listen to their opinions. We take everything on board and forward it to the relevant ministries for action. And among the matters we address is the understanding that as we age, our bodies require specialized medical care. This too is something we have worked on.

My brothers and sisters, after saying all that, let me say again, there are demands of right, but rights come after responsibility. Fulfill your responsibility, then claim your right. And in claiming rights, we have agreed on the channels for doing so. So fulfill your responsibility and then say, ‘I have fulfilled my duty, but this right was not granted.’

Go to the institutions that dispense justice and claim your right there. Even though they say rights are not begged for, they are demanded, yes, but not in the manner our colleagues used. No. We have put in place proper institutions for seeking justice. Therefore, for all those with legitimate claims, let us first fulfill our responsibilities and then go to claim our rights.

I have said: a nation is built by its citizens. So we are the citizens of Tanzania. Whether you recognize this government or you do not recognize it, the government exists and it is running Tanzania. And we, the citizens of Tanzania, must stand together, unite, and strengthen the peace and stability of our country.

Tanzania — hoyee?”

Participants: “Hoyee!”

My brothers and sisters, my elder brothers, elder sisters, and my younger ones, thank you.
Thank you very much for this opportunity you have given me. Thank you for preparing this platform.
I have heard you, and you have heard us. Let me tell you: whenever you need to meet with me, I am ready, whether as Samia, as the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, or as the Commander-in-Chief of this nation, I am ready to meet you at any time. If I have work, I will simply tell you: during this period I am occupied, so let us meet at another time. But I am always ready for dialogue.

Thank you very much.