Dar es Salaam — Tanzania is not merely at a crossroads but is “slipping with great speed” into an unknown and dangerous future, renowned academic Professor Issa Shivji warned during a high-level symposium here.
Speaking at a gathering convened by the opposition party ACT Wazalendo at the Serena Hotel on May 16, 2026, Prof Shivji and other eminent Tanzanians delivered a stark assessment of the country’s political crisis following the deadly October 2025 elections.
The symposium brought together political leaders, civil society representatives, religious figures, and diplomats to chart a path forward after the controversial findings of the Chande Commission.
Prof Shivji, one of Africa’s most respected legal scholars, focused his commentary on the glaring lack of accountability for the violence that claimed over 500 lives. He argued that while Tanzanians frequently speak of peace and justice, they often ignore the crucial element that binds them together.
“The link between peace and justice is accountability,” Prof Shivji stated. “Without accountability, you cannot have justice, and without justice, you cannot have peace. In the situation today, we have not seen accountability.”
Past experiences
To illustrate his point, the professor drew on Tanzania’s history, demonstrating that previous administrations had taken responsibility for state-sponsored violence. He cited the 1976 ‘Operation Mauaji’ in Shinyanga, where security forces killed suspected witches.
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When the victims showed their wounds to founding President Julius Nyerere, the resulting outrage led to the resignations of the Ministers of Home Affairs and Security, the Regional Commissioner, and the prosecution of regional police chiefs.
Prof Shivji also referenced the Kilombero Sugar Factory killings during Ali Hassan Mwinyi’s presidency, the 2000 Pemba killings under Benjamin Mkapa, and the Arusha killings during Jakaya Kikwete’s tenure.
In each historical instance, he noted, there was a degree of accountability, commissions were formed, and officials faced consequences—a stark contrast to the aftermath of the October 2025 violence.
The academic declined to offer specific recommendations for resolving the current crisis, arguing instead that solutions must emerge from broad public discourse rather than closed-door meetings.
“Do not think the people are ignorant,” he urged, noting that citizens had begun to speak truth to the Chande Commission before their testimonies were pulled from public broadcast. “Tanzanians are not ignorant. If given the chance, they will speak.”
A terrible sin
The symposium also featured a fiery intervention from Bishop William Mwamalanga, a prominent Tanzanian religious leader serving as the Head of the Pentecostal Church in the country, who condemned the silence of both Christian and Muslim leaders regarding the state-sponsored violence.
“The nation has committed a terrible sin,” the Bishop declared. “Evil people have shed people’s blood… To go and kill a person has become a business. I say no.”
He emphasised that the President is the primary marker of justice in the nation and warned of divine consequences if the country’s leadership does not repent and ensure justice for the victims.
Legal expert and advocate Peter Madeleka provided a damning legal analysis of the crisis, arguing that the foundation for the flawed election was deliberately laid by Parliament in 2024.
He pointed out that lawmakers created an ‘Independent National Electoral Commission’ — an entity that does not exist in the Tanzanian Constitution, which only recognises a ‘National Electoral Commission.’
Madeleka strongly objected to the Chande Commission’s characterisation of the October events as “violence” (vurugu), insisting that the correct legal term is “murder.” He revealed that 17 people were killed in his own constituency of Kivuli alone.
Legal contradiction
The lawyer also highlighted a glaring legal contradiction in the government’s response. He noted that over 700 youths were initially charged with treason—the most serious crime under the Constitution—for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government during the protests, only to be later pardoned by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“If we already went to court and charged people with treason, it means the criminal investigation was complete,” Madeleka argued. “To come today with recommendations to form another commission to investigate is to insult the Tanzanians who lost their relatives.”
He further ridiculed the government’s assertion that the election was free and fair, questioning how a democratic exercise could be considered legitimate when it was conducted amidst the massacre of over 500 citizens.
“If one of us here dies, this whole event stops because it is a tragedy. How can we have a tragedy of over 500 people and still boast that we voted well, counted, and announced results?” he asked.
Abuse of state institutions
Advocate Maduhu William of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) accused the government of systematically abusing state institutions to suppress political opposition.
He pointed to ongoing violations by the electoral commission, even as Tanzania reeled from the October 2025 violence.
He cited recent cases in Chato district, where opposition candidates were disqualified without proper procedures, and noted that the commission has no timeline for resolving such cases, leaving opposition candidates effectively excluded from elections.
Maduhu also condemned the Registrar of Political Parties for what he called selective harassment. While the Registrar has threatened to deregister ACT Wazalendo and CHADEMA for political reasons, he said he had never seen a single warning letter issued to the ruling CCM. The office denies these allegations.
The government’s absence from the symposium was telling, Maduhu added: “The government was invited but chose not to attend. The electoral commission is not here. The police are not here. How can we reach consensus without them?”
He also criticised the media for selective coverage. Civil society analysis of the Chande Commission report received minimal attention, he said, whereas government statements dominated the news.
When the commission presented its report, every newspaper carried it prominently; when civil society released its own analysis, it was barely covered.
Finally, Maduhu highlighted the plight of 2,045 youths arrested during the October violence, of whom 1,651 were prosecuted. He had represented some of them in court.
“They came before us with broken bones, women with torn clothes, people who had been tortured. Yet the Chande Commission’s report says nothing about these hundreds who were beaten and injured.”
Other speakers included veteran journalist Saed Kubenea, who acknowledged the severe democratic backsliding compared to previous decades, and elder journalist Said Salim, who urged the opposition to document the atrocities meticulously in a film, comparing the necessity of such a record to documentaries about the Holocaust.
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The commentaries underscore a profound and growing consensus outside of traditional party politics: that the government’s handling of the October 2025 violence, including the Chande Commission’s report, has failed to address the root causes of the crisis or provide the accountability necessary for national healing.
As Prof Shivji warned, without such accountability, the country’s rapid slide into instability may be difficult to halt.
