Protests have exploded across major Tanzanian cities following Wednesday’s disputed presidential and parliamentary elections, with opposition supporters denouncing the polls as fraudulent and heavily tilted in favor of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Clashes have left several people dead and dozens injured, as demonstrators barricaded roads, lit bonfires, and tore down campaign posters in defiance of heavy security deployments. The unrest has spilled across the border into Kenya, where two people reportedly died after fleeing violent confrontations between protesters and Tanzanian police.
Tensions reached boiling point after the electoral commission announced early results showing President Samia commanding nearly 95% of the vote in Mbea province and leading in most other constituencies across the mainland and Zanzibar. Opposition groups quickly dismissed the tally as “fabricated,” accusing the government of systematically dismantling democratic competition by jailing or disqualifying major opponents.
Tundu Lissu, the country’s main opposition leader, remains imprisoned on treason charges he denies, while another prominent candidate, Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, was disqualified on what critics describe as “manufactured legal technicalities.”
The European Union’s observers described the election as “a fraud that had been unfolding for months,” citing intimidation, media restrictions, and the exclusion of credible challengers. Amnesty International also condemned reports of excessive force by police, calling the civilian and officer deaths “deeply disturbing.”
By Thursday, gunfire had been reported in Mwanza and Dodoma, while Dar es Salaam was placed under heavy lockdown, with major roads and the route to Julius Nyerere International Airport blocked. A night-time curfew was imposed, and hospitals such as Muhimbili received a surge of wounded civilians.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as protesters clashed with security forces.
“After barely 10 minutes, we started hearing gunfire and tear gas explosions,”
The unrest has paralyzed businesses in the border town of Namanga, prompting Kenya to warn its citizens against joining demonstrations. Meanwhile, internet connectivity across Tanzania remains severely restricted, a move rights groups warn could further inflame tensions by cutting off access to information.
The government has ordered civil servants to work from home until Friday as the military intensifies patrols. General Jacob Mkunda, the Tanzanian army chief, blamed “bad characters who wish ill for this country” for the escalating violence, urging calm and warning against “destructive behavior.”
President Samia, Tanzania’s first female head of state who succeeded the late John Magufuli in 2021, was initially hailed for easing repression. However, analysts say her administration has since tightened its grip on dissent, using arrests and intimidation to silence critics.
As Tanzania teeters on the edge of a deeper political crisis, protesters continue to organize through encrypted walkie-talkie apps like Zello, vowing to sustain their resistance until “democracy is restored.”
