Tanzania police arrest 37 in Lindi over election-related chaos

Lindi. Police in Lindi have arrested 37 people for questioning in connection with chaos that erupted in Liwale and Nachingwea on the Election Day.

Lindi Regional Police Commander (RPC) Stanley Kulyamo told The Citizen on Friday that the 13 people have been arrested in Liwale, while 24 others have been apprehended in Nachingwea district following riots that erupted on Wednesday this week.

"They are being interrogated as we seek to establish their roles in the fracas and bring to book those who will be directly implicated,” he said.

He said so far the law enforcers have managed to bring order in the region and that the situation has returned to normalcy.

"We have beefed up security in the area as we seek to ensure the security of people and their properties,” he said.

On Wednesday, chaos erupted in Liwale and Nachingwea districts, resulting into destruction of properties, including houses and vehicles.

In Liwale, two houses and three vehicles belonging to the constituency's parliamentary candidate on the ruling CCM ticket, Mr Zuberi Kuchauka were set ablaze.

Also burned was the house of the ruling party’s councillorship candidate Mr Mussa Mkoyage and so was a vehicle that is used for the distribution of vaccination services across the area which, at that time, was distributing voting equipment and transport logistics for election officers.

Reports from Nachingwea says a police vehicle was also burned during the incidents that occurred as citizens protested initial poll results in the stations as well as announcements by poll officials which gave the ruling CCM an early lead.

In Mtama Constituency, angry mob set ablaze the ward executive officer's office as well as two more buildings. As a result, the vote tallying exercise was shifted to Nyangao Village, some few kilometers away.

Despite the fracas, results released on Thursday evening by the Lindi Municipality Council executive director who doubles as returning officer for the area, Mr Jomaary Saturo gave CCM’s Halima Abdallah and Salma Kikwete victories for Lindi Urban and Mchinga constituencies respectively.

While Ms Abdallah collected 16,323 votes to defeat ACT-Wazalendo’s Isihaka Mchinjita, Ms Kikwete garnered 11,690 votes against the ACT-Wazalendo's Totomwema Cyprian who polled 5,388.