Dar es Salaam – A senior aide to Tanzania’s main opposition leader was allegedly abducted and tortured by individuals identifying themselves as police officers on the night of May 20, 2026.
David Joseph Mghanja, widely known as Djumbe, an assistant to CHADEMA national chairperson Tundu Lissu, was taken from his vehicle in Bunju area, according to party officials and an eyewitness.
The incident is the latest in a series of disappearances and political violence that have rocked the East African nation, drawing condemnation from human rights groups and prompting US lawmakers to propose sanctions against government officials.
Night of terror
According to Allan Macha, a friend and neighbour who was driving with Djumbe at the time, their vehicle was intercepted by a Toyota Probox and two motorcycles near Djumbe’s home.
Macha recounted the harrowing experience during a press conference at CHADEMA headquarters.
“They forced us to stop and immediately opened our doors, introducing themselves as police officers and stating we were under arrest,” he stated. “It felt like a mafia operation, like something out of a kidnapping movie.”
When Djumbe questioned the reason for their arrest, the assailants forcibly removed him from the vehicle.
“More than four people struggled with him to get him out of the driver’s seat and into their Probox,” Macha recounted, his voice shaken. “Others grabbed me, trying to force me into the car as well. I held on tightly and screamed for help, shouting ‘kidnappers, thieves!’”
Macha’s cries attracted the attention of local motorcycle taxi drivers (bodaboda), prompting the assailants to flee with Djumbe in their vehicle, while others commandeered Macha’s car.
A high-speed chase ensued, with bodaboda riders pursuing the vehicles until the assailants fired shots into the air near the Mbweni area, forcing the pursuers to retreat.
Victim’s ordeal
Djumbe himself provided a detailed account of his experience during the abduction and his escape. He described the physical trauma he endured and the desperate measures he took to survive.
“The handcuffs were very tight,” he recounted. “They squeezed my hands so much that I felt my hands wanted to break, as you can see they are very tight. Even he [one of the assailants] stepped on me. So I lost the strength to fight them. But I gained strength after I realised that the boda boda were following, and they were saying the boda boda were following and continuing to increase in numbers.”
Djumbe recounted how he attempted to escape from the vehicle when the assailants became distracted by the pursuing boda boda riders.
“When they saw the boda boda following so much, they discussed among themselves saying ‘let’s go, let’s go to Mbweni police station.’ One said ‘no, the boss said this issue is not to be taken to the police, he said he needs to be taken to the boss to be finished here. He should not go to the police.’
“So when they were running, the bodaboda found themselves having passed and reached the forest at Mbweni, the security one. Now I did not know, but I felt when they reached there they saw a chance to deal with those boda boda. They got out and started shooting. I heard them saying ‘shoot, shoot, these bodaboda, shoot them so they don’t continue following us.’”
Djumbe described how he managed to escape from the vehicle during the chaos, saying: “When they got out and were shooting, I was in the boot of the Probox. I was thinking I was stuck and could not jump out because I was handcuffed. When I saw them get out and were on one side of the vehicle, I quickly threw myself to the middle seat.
“I quickly took my hands to the lock, I opened it and jumped to the other side. That side has a forest, I entered the forest. So they came to shock and returned to the vehicle. I had already entered the forest. They started following me and shooting. The forest was so thick they could not even pass.
“I was in the forest for an hour and a half and I could not get out of the thorns because I was handcuffed. I left my trousers in the thorns, I could not remove them from the thorns because I was handcuffed. So I managed to get out on the other side and thank God at least I am safe now. I was able to escape from the hands of those murderers.”
Djumbe also revealed that his assailants had stolen money from him and that one of them appeared to be a leader.
“I did not have a wallet,” he stated. “I had seven thousand shillings. I was carrying that money because my car was in the garage. I knew when they finished fixing it I would pay the mechanic. He took it completely. He was beating me with the butt of a gun on my head. The butt of a gun is a black man, black, but he appears to have a Zanzibari accent.
“And he appears to be the leader of their convoy because when his colleagues say ‘these boda boda are following us, we must run, eh, to the police, Mbweni police,’ he told them ‘boss said this guy should not be taken to the police, we need to run away from these boda boda. They need to be taken to the boss to be finished with him.’”
Battered and bruised
The following morning, CHADEMA Deputy Secretary General (Mainland) Amani Golugwa announced that Djumbe had been found at his home, severely injured and still in handcuffs.
READ MORE: Police Investigate Mysterious Disappearance of CHADEMA Youth Leader in Geita
“He has been beaten on the head, he is bleeding, his head is busted open,” Golugwa told a press conference. “He was hit on the head with the butt of a gun, his right side is broken, he is not in good condition, and those handcuffs have squeezed his hands until they are numb and swollen.”
Golugwa stated that police officers from the Oysterbay station had visited the party headquarters earlier that morning, claiming Djumbe was a suspect who had escaped with handcuffs.
“I asked him, how do you know he is handcuffed?” Golugwa said. “And secondly, he escaped from whose hands? Those hands you say he escaped from, do you know those people? And thirdly, when you tell me he is a suspect, do you know about his arrest and what he is accused of?”
Golugwa demanded that the police immediately go to Djumbe’s home to remove the handcuffs and allow him to seek medical treatment.
Police investigation
The Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone issued a public statement on May 21, confirming they were investigating the incident.
According to the statement, police had been following up on social media reports regarding Djumbe’s arrest by unidentified individuals in the Bunju area.
The police confirmed they had located the Toyota Wish belonging to Allan Macha, in which Djumbe was allegedly a passenger during the incident.
READ MORE: Tanzania’s Authorities Under Scrutiny as LHRC Questions Silence on Disappearances
The statement also noted that police had visited the CHADEMA offices in Mikocheni after receiving reports that Djumbe was there, but only found the person who was allegedly with him during the arrest.
“Furthermore, David Djumbe has been found and further investigation is ongoing to identify the people who arrested him and for what purpose so that appropriate legal action can be taken against them,” the police statement read.
Pattern of disappearances
The abduction of Djumbe is not an isolated incident. It occurs against a backdrop of increasing political repression and violence in Tanzania, particularly following the disputed October 2025 general elections.
A recent presidential commission of inquiry, led by retired Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, investigated the post-election violence.
While the full report has not been made public, Justice Chande’s presentation to President Samia Suluhu Hassan on April 23, 2026, revealed staggering figures.
The commission found that approximately 518 people were killed as a result of the events, and between 2023 and 2025, a total of 758 people disappeared.
The government’s handling of the commission’s findings has drawn criticism from prominent figures, including former Prime Minister Joseph Sinde Warioba.
In a recent interview, Warioba expressed concern over the decision to keep the full report confidential, arguing that the public has a right to know the truth to facilitate national healing.
“To me, it feels as though certain matters are being hidden,” the elder statesman said. “That is why it troubles me.”
International repercussions
The deteriorating human rights situation has not gone unnoticed internationally. On May 20, 2026, US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Ted Cruz introduced a bipartisan bill seeking to impose severe sanctions on Tanzanian government officials and suspend critical aid.
The proposed legislation targets senior officials in the government, the ruling party, the police force, and the intelligence service, citing democratic backsliding, political repression, and human rights abuses.
The tension surrounding Djumbe’s case was further highlighted when armed police officers temporarily surrounded the CHADEMA headquarters in Mikocheni on the morning of May 21, shortly before Golugwa’s press conference.
According to reports, three police vehicles with armed officers were stationed outside the gates, and officers entered the building to question Golugwa. The police eventually withdrew, allowing the press conference to proceed.
