Event Summary
On 22 January 2026, Joseph Waryoba Butiku, Chairperson of the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation, convened a meeting of elders and stakeholders including retirees, women’s groups, religious leaders, political parties, NGOs, and media representatives to reflect on Tanzania’s founding principles of peace, unity, justice, and sustainable development following reports of election-related violence. Joseph Waryoba Butiku, a retired major and long-serving public servant, stressed that the unrest beginning October 29, 2025, shook a nation historically known for stability and non-discrimination.
He noted that official explanations attributed the violence to youth, while strict security orders forced citizens indoors, with reports that people risked being shot for leaving home even to buy basic necessities. Drawing on his military background, Butiku explained that soldiers are bound to obey commands, especially amid incidents of infrastructure destruction, which heightened fear among residents. He also revealed that security officials once advised him to relocate due to threats against his home, but he refused, choosing to take responsibility for his own safety because he mistrusted the protection arrangements.
Butiku criticized the absence of clear, timely political leadership during the crisis, describing the nation as being in deep mourning while disputes persist over the death toll. He linked the tensions partly to longstanding calls for constitutional reform, which led some citizens to question the elections’ legitimacy. Warning that Tanzania risks drifting from the rule of law toward “the rule of the jungle,” he cited cases such as the killing of Ali Kibao and the reported abduction of Humphrey Polepole. He further warned about rising religious division and shrinking media freedom, recalling how businessman Reginald Mengi once feared his outlets could be shut down, underscoring ongoing concerns about independent journalism.