Published by the Star on 5th November 2025, page 18
Published by the People Daily on 5th November 2025, page 10
Published by the Daily Nation on 4th October 2025
The lesson for African leaders in the Tanzania political tiff is that peoples’ power is malleable and versatile. One can shape it into desired shape and form but should be worry of the elastic tensile strength and its breaking point. Someone told me that even the meek and peaceful like doves, once push comes to shove; they drop their nonviolent nature and engage their vile side.
I have been to Tanzania several times and I can attest that some of the gentlest souls in the globe inhabit the East African country. People, who are so welcoming, shun controversy, disagreements and who would go any length to ensure that they do not offend anyone.
The Tanzanian people value religion and good deeds and are very obedient to their leaders. Since the days of their first President Mr. Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Tanzanians have been very loyal to the subsequent regimes.
Around 2009, during the time of Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete’s campaigns for second term, I visited Tanzania and stayed in Dar-es-Salam for a week. This was the first time I noticed something was amiss in a country that I adored so much. The news bulletin was three quarters about the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) leadership and brainwashing news. On the streets, almost all the advertisement spots were splattered with CCM campaign materials and only those on the periphery were reserved for the opposition candidates. When I tried to engage some of my hosts, they seemed dazed and only said that that is how things ought to be. A sign of hopelessness.
I felt that something was not right and my conclusion was that the country was still at a stage where our own Kenya African National Union (KANU) regime had pushed us to be. The CCM leadership had been taking advantage on the meekness of the people of Tanzania to a point that they had turned cold and very submissive.
As an interested and curious fellow on governance especially in Africa, I have constantly surveilled on the happenings in Tanzania and only knew that it was a matter of time before the bubble in which the CCM hid in would burst.
Tanzania’s mess begins from two fronts- the first being that the people have been lived over the years in a social environment that taught them cohesiveness to a fault. This means that the people of Tanzania would rather live in harmony even when they were hurting, like in an abusive relationship for the sake of unity. Secondly, Tanzania’s civic and political ideology of Ujamaa (family hood and a form of socialism). In the late 1960s Tanzania’s first post-independence president, the charismatic Julius Nyerere, believed that endemic poverty in rural areas could only be addressed if peasant farmers relocated to larger villagers and worked collectively. With cracks seen in the 1970’s when the public resisted this ideology. The good thing is Mwalimu Nyerere gave in and stopped the pursuit.
The subsequent leadership of Tanzania instead of learning from Mwalimu Nyerere of not to force social and political issues on people, instead chose to coerce and bully people into submission.
In Africa, leadership has been glorified with some subjects almost assuming god-goddess status. The political parties’ manifestation has also reached a level whereby the ruling parties assume metamorphose into cultism. They swallow the military, internal security, parliament, judiciary and election management institutions. They become the appointing authorities fastening their grip on the seat of power. Consequently, they compromise the education system, communication and importantly law reforms by ensuring that they sneak in legal clauses that protect their continued despotism. This allows them to continue serving even when they are old, frail and senile.
No one ever thought that the once the tranquil and noble people of Tanzania would ever get themselves to revolt against a system they have built and adore since independence, more than a century. It has surprised the whole world that the once very people who refer to each other as ndugu (brother) have bolted and said no to despotism. With Tanzania being a perfect example and a reference point, it is no different that egoistic leaders jail their opponents, compromise in electoral theft, gag the media and infiltrate the judiciary. All these is achieved by tampering with the constitution, brainwashing the elite, influencers and even the religious torchbearers.
We can draw parallels. In Uganda, the leading opposition honcho, Kiza Besigye is still in prison while in Tanzania the chief of opposition, Antipas Tundu Lissu and his deputy, John Heche are also remanded making it easy for the incumbent to bend the rules and campaign without a sweat, akin to one running against his shadow. Though Kenya enjoys relative democratic atmosphere, this fallacy was lifted in June 2024 although to the current when hundreds of revolting citizens mainly the youth were abducted, tortured, killed and others disappeared.
Another parallel to draw is the sudden gush of revolution power adopted by the youth in the three African countries and beyond. We might witness another uprising akin to the Arab spring but this time an East African one with the youth joining forces for regime and constitutional change. The online and street activism and cross border unity is something which our leaders need to take note of. Uganda goes into polls in January 2026 and Kenya will be in full throttle campaign mode and dive into polls in August 2027. The question would be, are the leaders able to read the signs of time.
The holy bible in the book of Mathew says, whoever has ears, let them hear, though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. Mama Suluhu Hassan had all the time to see and hear the cry and hue of her subjects but chose pride and highhandedness, may her counterparts she fondly calls jirani (neighbors) not pursue that route. See, hear and uphold constitutionalism, rule of law and above all, respect people and human rights.
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