Arusha – The District Court of Arumeru has freed Jackson Martine Kabalo and Joseph Chaviruka Mrindoko, popularly known as Wachokonozi, after the prosecution failed to continue leading evidence, according to the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC).
In a statement issued after the ruling, THRDC said the case was scheduled for hearing on May 26, 27 and 28, 2026, and again on June 4 and 5, 2026. The group said the prosecution called only one witness on May 26, bringing the total number of witnesses heard since March 26, 2026 to seven.
On the later hearing dates, THRDC said, the prosecution brought no witnesses and offered no substantive explanation for their absence. It added that the court found the matter had already taken too long and that continuing to delay the accused would undermine their constitutional rights.
The rights group said the court ordered the two men released under section 242(5) of the Criminal Procedure Act. In THRDC’s account, the court’s reasoning reflected the need to ensure justice is administered without unnecessary delay.
The two men had faced charges of “publishing false information” online and providing online content without a licence. They were represented during the proceedings by advocates including Simon Mwambambo and Ally Mhyellah from THRDC.
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The case against the pair began nearly a year ago after Arusha police arrested them on June 20, 2025. The two had built a growing audience through their Wachokonozi podcast, where they offered commentary on politics, public debt, religion, the election and wider social issues.
At the time, police said claims that the pair had been abducted by unknown people were false. In a statement, police said: “The truth is that on June 20, 2025, the Arusha Regional Police Force arrested those individuals … on allegations of misusing social media platforms.”
The prosecution’s handling of the case had already drawn scrutiny months before the final ruling. In August 2025, Meru District Court postponed the matter after the prosecution failed to appear when the case came up for hearing.
At that time, the magistrate warned the case would be dismissed if the prosecution was not ready on the next hearing date. It also said the two had first been arraigned at the Arusha Resident Magistrate’s Court on June 27, 2025, released on bail, and then rearrested and taken to the district court on the same charges.
THRDC now says the earlier case had been withdrawn on July 27, 2025 through a nolle prosequi, after which the pair were rearrested and arraigned again in Arumeru. That sequence is likely to sharpen questions about prosecutorial discretion and whether the repeated proceedings imposed an unnecessary burden on the accused.
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The ruling is also likely to revive debate about the legal framework governing online content. A recent study found that broadcasters and online content operators in Tanzania face a complex web of licences, regulations, codes and rules.
That study recommended simplifying the licensing system, lowering fees for online broadcasters and creating a one-year grace period for new online content providers. Those findings have particular relevance in a case where one of the charges concerned operating online content services without a licence.
While the court’s decision removes an immediate legal threat to Kabalo and Mrindoko, the case leaves behind broader questions about how Tanzania polices online political speech.
For digital creators, rights advocates and media lawyers, the outcome will be read not only as an acquittal for two popular commentators, but also as a test of how far criminal law should be used against online expression.
