Dar es Salaam – A coalition of Tanzanian civil society organisations has strongly condemned the repeated extensions granted to the presidential commission investigating post-election violence, describing the delays as a reflection of negligence, inefficiency, and a lack of accountability.
In a joint press statement issued on April 9, 2026, the Tanzania Governance Multi-Stakeholders Group (TG-MSG) demanded that the commission urgently finalise and publish a credible report.
The coalition, which includes prominent organisations such as the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), Twaweza East Africa, and the Tanzania Constitution Forum, dismissed the commission’s stated reasons for the latest extension as “mere excuses lacking substance.”
The commission, chaired by retired Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, was originally mandated to complete its investigation into the October 29, 2025, election violence within 90 days.
Following a 42-day extension that ended on April 3, a second 21-day extension was announced, pushing the deadline to April 24, 2026. The total timeframe has now expanded to 153 days.
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The civil society statement raised significant legal and procedural concerns regarding how the latest extension was handled. The coalition pointed out that the extension notice was published on April 4, one day after the commission’s legal mandate had already expired.
“By April 4, legally, the Commission had ceased to exist,” the CSOs say in their joint statement. “Furthermore, it is troubling that the Commission appears to have issued its own notice extending its mandate, rather than this being done by the appointing authority—contrary to legal and ethical standards.”
The organisations argued that a national body funded by billions in public resources cannot operate without a stable work plan, characterising the repeated delays and similar justifications as “excessive inconsistency and mismanagement.”
The coalition asserted that stakeholders in democratic elections, good governance, and human rights do not accept the legitimacy of the commission. They likened the commission’s conduct to the government’s failure to act against armed individuals who carried out extrajudicial killings during the October 2025 unrest.
The statement also highlighted a perceived dismissive attitude from the government regarding the violence. It referenced a March 2, 2026, meeting in Arusha where President Samia Suluhu Hassan told Ghana’s President John Mahama that “the events of October 29 were already over and Tanzania had returned to normalcy.”
READ MORE:Second Extension Granted for Tanzania’s Post-Election Violence Inquiry
According to the civil society groups, this attitude undermines the severity of the events, which saw hundreds killed and detained in a crackdown that tarnished the nation’s reputation both domestically and internationally.
Looking ahead to the new April 24 deadline, the coalition outlined several key demands. They insisted that government authorities and any individuals linked to the October 29 killings must immediately cease interfering with the commission’s work.
The organisations emphasised that the final report must meet international standards of acceptance, ensuring it can serve as a reliable reference for bodies such as the UN Human Rights Council, the Commonwealth, and the International Criminal Court, should it be required as evidence.
The coalition also called on Tanzanian citizens and stakeholders to prepare for a professional analysis of the report once it is released. They pledged to disseminate advocacy materials based on this analysis to ensure the public accurately understands the events of October 29 and can take appropriate action in line with their constitutional mandate.
