Tanzania’s retired Chief Justice (C.J) Mohamed Othman Chande has dismissed claims that the events of October 29, 2025, were peaceful protests.
He described them instead as violent unrest marked by serious breaches of public order.
Chande made the remarks on April 23, 2026, while presenting the Commission of Inquiry’s report to President Samia Suluhu Hassan at State House in Dar es Salaam.
He stated that the commission found that the conduct of participants, including the use of weapons, was inconsistent with lawful and peaceful demonstrations protected under Tanzanian law.
“Participants in the unrest during and after the election carried various types of weapons, including stones, iron bars, spears, chains, sticks, clubs, matches, knives, firearms, slingshots and machetes, which are not permitted in peaceful demonstrations,” Chande said.
Commission’s Concluded Findings
Chande who chaired the commission, said that they based their findings on several factors, including the organizers’ failure to comply with constitutional and legal requirements requiring prior notice to police before public demonstrations.
He further stated that the unrest took place on a day designated for Tanzania’s General Election, thereby interfering with citizens’ constitutional right to participate in the voting process.
According to the former C.J, international, regional and national laws do not protect demonstrations that create fear in communities, threaten national security, cause destruction, or endanger lives.
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Tanzania General Elections
The inquiry stems from the October 29, 2025 general election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan secured a second term in office.
According to the election officials, the head of state received 98% of the votes, results that were strongly disputed, with critics arguing the election was neither free nor competitive.
The poll was further overshadowed by the absence of leading opposition figure Tundu Lissu, the CHADEMA leader who was in prison and unable to contest the vote.
Thereafter, unrest broke in several areas, particularly in Dar es Salaam, where clashes were reported near polling stations and in surrounding neighbourhoods.
Reports from the period cited burning tires, vandalism, attacks on property and confrontations with security forces.
Authorities later deployed police and military personnel, while a curfew was imposed in Dar es Salaam.
Communication disruptions, including reported internet restrictions, were also recorded during and after the unrest.
Later, a commission of inquiry reported that more than 500 people were killed in violence linked to the election period, making it one of the most serious political crises in Tanzania’s recent history.
