Chaumma, CUF unveil radical agendas as they launch campaigns

By Julius Maricha and Damiani Masyenene

Dar/Mwanza. Opposition parties Chaumma and CUF on Sunday officially launched their 2025 election campaigns, with each unveiling bold promises and sweeping reforms they intend to implement should they form the next government.

In Dar es Salaam, Chaumma presidential flagbearer Salum Mwalimu unveiled a radical vision, promising to formally recognise the media as the “Fourth Pillar of the State,” to be the final guardian of the Union and to deliver a living wage for civil servants within five years.

Presenting Chaumma’s manifesto, Mr Mwalimu outlined seven key pillars targeting income poverty: building a productive economy, improving living standards, promoting ethical and God-fearing leadership that respects human rights, creating a fairer tax system to lower the cost of living, transforming agriculture to guarantee food security, using technology for inclusivity and enacting a new constitution for the United Republic of Tanzania.

Meanwhile, in Mwanza, CUF national chairman Ibrahim Lipumba launched the party’s campaign alongside the party’s presidential candidate, Mr Gombo Samandito Gombo, who said his government would tackle corruption by compelling public servants guilty of embezzlement to return stolen resources.

“We have no reason to congest our prisons. What we want is our money. If they cannot repay, we will confiscate their property. They will never again be allowed to serve in government, their certificates will be annulled and they will be permanently dismissed,” he said.

Mr Gombo stressed that citizens themselves would determine punishments for corrupt officials, while constitutional reform would be an immediate priority of his administration. He further pledged to establish a national satellite to provide affordable, reliable communications services across the country.

“I know our government has the resources. I’m not making empty promises,” he said, citing his experience in public service.

In Dar es Salaam, Mr Mwalimu rooted his campaign in his professional background.

“My fellow Tanzanians, know that I am a journalist. My running mate is a journalist and even my mother was a journalist,” he said, drawing a direct link between his identity and his vow to elevate the media to a central role in governance.

He pledged to build a “Tanzania of Information,” where the media operates from a position of honour. “Any government that hides from the press fears the light. Any government that undermines the role of the Tanzanian media is an impure government,” he stated to loud applause.

Mr Mwalimu also launched a searing critique of post-independence leadership, arguing that while leaders once fought ignorance, poverty and disease, they had failed to overcome them. Instead, he alleged, new enemies had emerged, including corruption, favouritism and the enactment of oppressive laws that divided the nation into classes.

On the Union, Mr Mwalimu made one of his strongest pledges, promising to be its staunchest defender. “I will be the last person in this country to allow the Union to collapse,” he said, paying tribute to Julius Nyerere and Abeid Karume as visionaries whose legacy must endure.

He promised to be a neutral arbiter who listens to all voices to ensure the Union’s survival for generations.

Finally, he made a direct pledge to public servants: “As Chaumma, we intend to defend and improve the interests of civil servants in all sectors. Within five years, we will establish a living wage for all.”

As the campaign season gathers pace, the two parties have positioned themselves as champions of reform, promising radical shifts in governance, accountability and national priorities.