A total of 98 people were arraigned in Dar es Salaam on Friday, November 7, on charges of treason related to violent demonstrations that marred Tanzania’s general election held on October 29.
According to the charge sheet read before the Kisutu Principal Resident Magistrate, the suspects, all aged below 30, face three counts of treason, conspiracy to commit treason, and destroying various infrastructure across the city for three consecutive days starting on election day.
One of the accused, businesswoman Jenipher Jovin Bilikwija, is also charged with leading mobilisation efforts for citizens to participate in the protests for several months before the election, beginning in August.
Bilikwija, 26, who is popularly known as Niffer, is alleged to have encouraged the public to purchase tear gas and smoke-blocking masks from her shop in Sinza, Dar es Salaam, to enable their participation in the demos.
According to Section 39(2)(d) of Tanzania’s Penal Code, treason is a non-bailable offence that carries an automatic death penalty upon conviction.
The demonstrations, which started in Dar es Salaam and spread to Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya and Dodoma as well as areas in other regions, caused extensive damage to public and private property, including fuel stations, police stations, public offices – including those of the ruling CCM party – commuter buses and shops.
State security forces retaliated in brutal style, shooting protesters, innocent bystanders and passers-by indiscriminately, and it is estimated that the total number of casualties exceeded thousands, with the death toll running into the hundreds.
An official report has yet to be released assessing the precise extent of the damage caused by the protests, which were unprecedented in Tanzania’s election history since the country gained independence in 1961.
‘Most Wanted’
Meanwhile, the government has issued a Most Wanted notice for US-based social media influencer Mange Kimambi, a known critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, whom it believes instigated the protests through provocative social media messaging.
Attorney General Hamza Johari, speaking after President Samia reappointed him in her first official move after being sworn in on Monday, said catching Kimambi, whose outspoken anti-Samia stance has made her a household name in Tanzania over the years, would now become one of his office’s top priorities.
‘She has been openly drumming up local support for the demonstrations that we witnessed, aimed at disrupting the election, and now she’s celebrating the impact of her efforts and even laughing at us from afar on her Instagram platform,’ Johari asserted.
‘This is totally unacceptable… we will get her by hook or crook, using all means at our disposal, including seeking help from the US government to extradite her back to Tanzania,’ he added.