Dodoma. Gairo Member of Parliament, Ahmed Shabiby, has sparked public debate following his contribution in Parliament on January 28, 2026, during the discussion of the President’s speech. In his remarks, he warned of increasing embezzlement of public funds and alleged that a portion of the stolen money is being parked in real estate projects.
“In this country today, corruption is no longer done in small amounts. People steal openly and with certainty. They loot and are very greedy,” he said. “Everywhere you look, people are building expensive houses and large buildings, yet there is no accountability. Everyone can see what is happening,” he continued.
Shabiby’s contribution received attention from the public, as it was the only peculiar contribution of the day, as most MPs spent the majority of their time praising and congratulating the President. In his contribution, he also warned that the nature of the public has changed, noting that many citizens are now educated and politically aware. He cautioned the ruling CCM party to consider its prospects ahead of the 2030 elections.
“They behave as if today’s citizens are uneducated. But we must understand the reality now. Wherever you go, even to a boda-boda gathering spot, you will find people from all levels of education sitting together,” he argued.
“You will find university graduates, Form Six leavers, Form Four leavers, Standard Seven graduates, and even those who did not attend school, all sitting in the same place,” he continued. “And when they dialogue, they all get to the same level, as if they are all at the university level. People understand what is going on.”
Shabiby is not the first lawmaker to raise alarm over corruption and its links to real estate investment. In January 2024, Hamis Kigwangalla, former MP for Nzega, questioned how some leaders could afford properties worth several million US dollars.
“Now you hear stories of leaders buying properties worth US$6,000,000 in Masaki [and] Oysterbay,” Mr Kigwangalla said during an interview. “I have been a minister for five years, and I ask myself, a leader who is not a businessperson, how does he or she afford a property worth US$6,000,000 in Masaki?”
“I have also been reliably informed that somebody has bought a property in [Dubai’s] Palm Jumeirah worth US$10 million,” the MP added. “So now you remain with questions about where this leader got this amount of money?” Kigwangalla asked at the time.
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Later, Kigwangalla revealed that he had been informed he was under surveillance and that some of his close associates had received threats from unknown individuals. In his latest contribution, Ahmed Shabiby called for stronger anti-corruption laws if they would help curb the growing problem.
“Even I, as a businessman, do not like corruption, and I do not like thieves. You might find yourself running a business for many years, struggling to buy goods, to work, and to keep the business going. Then someone comes along with the proceeds of corruption and enters into that business, and disrupts it completely,” he argued.
“They will eventually go bankrupt. But by then, the damage has already been done — damage that may take five or six years of hard work in that business,” he continued.
Shabiby’s main line of business is regional transport through Shabiby Line buses, as well as real estate investments, including the Morena Hotel brand based in Dodoma and Morogoro.
During the October 29 protests, his businesses were targeted by protesters, with several of his buses set on fire, along with buses belonging to a fairly new transport company, Esther Coach. Protesters linked Esther Coach to Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba — a claim he denied — and the company’s directors also distanced Nchemba from its ownership.
“Today’s citizens are not ignorant. They know exactly what is going on. People know which property belongs to whom; this building belongs to this one, and is a skilled thief in the government,” Shabiby cautioned.
He continued: “When you go to certain places, you will find a building owned by a particular person — “so-and-so’s building.” In one place, someone even built a large building and openly put his name on it: “Certain person Tower.Now we ask ourselves, what are we supposed to do in a situation like this?”
Rumours that proceeds of corruption are being channelled into the real estate sector circulated widely on social media, especially in 2025 during elections period. Areas in Dar es Salaam, such as Masaki, Oysterbay, Mikocheni, and the PPP projects in Kariakoo, have frequently been mentioned in these allegations.
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In its 2022 report, Tanzania’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) warned that the real estate market is highly vulnerable and continues to be used as a vehicle for money laundering.
“The purchase of real estate may also provide a reliable way for criminals to store or conceal illicit proceeds in an appreciating asset while also benefiting from greater opportunities for anonymity compared with other financial assets,” the FIU report reads.
“This anonymity is particularly easy to achieve if buyers do not need a mortgage loan and purchase the property in the name of a legal entity, as there is no collection of information on the true buyer. In most cases, buyers make purchases without a real estate agent, insurance, financing through a financial institution or mortgage company, or an attorney to close the deal,” the report highlights.
Aside from the use of legal vehicles to attain anonymity, the report highlighted the trend of the use of less complicated nominees, such as a friend or relative, to own property on their behalf to conceal illicit proceeds.
