Dodoma – A 29-year-old man, Omari Hamis Ramadhan, was shot and killed by police on the evening of December 27, 2025, near the University of Dodoma. According to a police statement, officers on patrol to curb armed robberies signalled a suspicious motorcycle carrying three people to stop.
When the motorcycle failed to comply, officers opened fire, fatally wounding Ramadhan. The police have stated that an investigation is underway to “determine the full facts of the case and take appropriate legal action.”
However, this incident is far from isolated. Human rights organisations and local media have documented numerous cases where police have been accused of using excessive force, with promises of investigations often leading to no public resolution. This has fostered a climate of impunity, leaving citizens to question whether there is any genuine accountability for these actions.
Just over a year ago, in December 2023, 38-year-old Kalamba Ramadhani Mnenge accused police in Dodoma of torture and humiliation after being arrested on suspicion of robbery. He alleged that he was stripped naked, beaten unconscious, and hung from an iron bar. The regional police commander at the time promised an investigation, but the outcome remains unknown.
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In another high-profile case in November 2023, two police officers in Dar es Salaam were taken into custody after allegedly shooting dead a 29-year-old security guard, Razaki Azan, during a crackdown on sex workers. Again, the police announced an investigation, but there has been no public update on the case.
These incidents are part of a broader pattern of violence that has been criticised by both local and international observers. A 2024 analysis by The Chanzo questioned whether these were acts of a few “bad apples” or a systemic issue within a “rogue police force.” The report highlighted the police’s failure to update the public on investigations, contributing to a perception of a lack of accountability.
While accountability has been rare, it is not entirely absent. In a landmark ruling in June 2025, the High Court in Mtwara sentenced two police officers, Gilbert Sostenes Kalanje and Charles Maurice Onyango, to death for the 2022 murder of businessman Musa Hamis Hamis. The judge, in his ruling, stated, “When the guardian becomes the aggressor, the fabric of society frays.”
The government has acknowledged the need for reform. Following a violent crackdown on post-election protests in October 2025, which drew condemnation from the United Nations and Amnesty International, Minister for Home Affairs George Simbachawene announced that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had directed a major overhaul of the police.
The goal, he said, is to transform the police from a “force” to a “service,” guided by the recommendations of a presidential commission on criminal justice reform.
Critics, however, remain sceptical, pointing to a long history of unfulfilled promises. A 2006 report by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, for example, noted that Tanzania’s police force was characterised by a “culture of corruption, impunity, and violence,” with a priority on “keeping the ruling party in power as opposed to providing accountable policing.”
The report made several key recommendations for reform, including a shift from “regime policing” to “democratic policing,” legislative reform to ensure accountability, the establishment of an independent external complaints body, and a reduction in presidential control over the police.
It also called for increased funding, more recruitment and training, and improved living and working conditions for officers.
