Chadema top leaders arrive at the Central Police for questioning

Chadema secretary general, Dr Vincent Mashinji

Dar es Salaam. Chadema top leaders have arrived at the Central Police for questioning in connection with their role in the Friday, February 16, demos.

 

The demonstrations in question were staged on February 16, 2018 during the countdown to the February 17 parliamentary by-election for Kinondoni Constituency.

While demonstrating peacefully, police came to disperse them, firing a bullet that ended up killing a National Institute of Transport (NIT) student, Ms Akwilina Akwilini who was not even taking part in the demonstrations.

 

Both the police force and the registrar of political parties have written to the party as they seek to dig deeper into the opposition party’s role in the demos.

 

The police force wrote to Chadema two weeks ago, requiring the opposition party’s top brass to report to the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam for interrogations.

The party’s top leaders heed the call and reported on February 27. They were questioned, allowed to go home and told to return today (Monday March 5).

 

Those who reported for police grilling on Monday, March 5, included secretary general, Dr Vincent Mashinji, the party’s deputy secretary general for Tanzania Mainland, John Mnyika and deputy secretary general for Tanzania Zanzibar, Salum Mwalimu.

The group also included Chadema’s women wing (Bawacha) chairperson, Halima Mdee, Tarime Rural legislator, John Heche and Tarime Urban Member of Parliament, Ester Matiko.

They were in the company of lawyers Frederik Khiwelo and Alex Massaba.

The Bunda Urban Member of Parliament Ester Bulaya also joined her fellow leaders at the station.

Preliminary report from the station delivered by advocate Khiwelo say the police have started questioning Dr Mashinji while others were waiting for directives from the Zonal Crime Officer (ZCO) for Dar es Salaam.