Dar es Salaam. The government has again declined to release the number of people killed during the October 29 election-related unrest, with Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba insisting that publicising death figures would fuel further division at a time when the country needs unity and healing.
Speaking to editors on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, Dr Nchemba said that while the loss of life is undisputed, the government would not disclose the death toll, arguing that doing so would dishonour the dead and play into the hands of those seeking to destabilise the nation.
“It is a taboo in African culture to post and celebrate death,” he said.
“We are talking about people who lost their loved ones. Even if it were the blood of just one person that was shed, it is nothing to parade publicly.”
The Prime Minister criticised what he described as external and internal pressure to publish casualty figures, saying those pushing for disclosure “have their own agenda” and aim to deepen existing fractures.
He urged Tanzanians to respect families who lost relatives and to avoid politicising their pain.
Although the briefing touched on multiple issues, Dr Nchemba devoted significant time to describing the unrest as a coordinated campaign of economic sabotage.
He listed infrastructure destroyed during the violence, including 756 government offices, 27 bus rapid transit stations, 159 police posts, over 976 government vehicles, including ambulances, 1,642 private vehicles, and 2,268 motorbikes, in addition to 272 houses that were destroyed.
He argued that such targeted damage could not have been spontaneous.
Dr Nchemba was categorical in his assessment.
“What happened, and the way it was organised, was totally an act of economic sabotage,” he said.
“Even an ordinary farmer would not plant his field and then set fire to it.
These are your roads, Tanzanians.”
“Anyone doing this knows very well that the life of an ordinary Tanzanian depends on moving from one point to another to earn a living.
What intention did these people have, if not economic sabotage?” he asked.
He said the attack on the Dawasa water station revealed the true intentions of those behind the violence.
“When someone burns down a water distribution point that provides water to families, what exactly do they expect those people to live on?”
The Premier situated the violence within the broader political and economic context in which Tanzania is entering.
He noted that the attacks happened as the country moves into a new phase of resource-driven development, something he said cannot be treated as a coincidence.
He cited the planned $42 billion Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project, which is expected to position Tanzania among the world’s leading gas producers, and the twin $3 billion Mchuchuma Coal and Liganga Iron Ore projects, which are due to begin soon, as developments that may have drawn the attention of actors seeking to destabilise the country.
He further pointed to the discovery of rare and critical minerals, which are becoming increasingly important in global supply chains, as well as major infrastructure developments such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
“Why should such events suddenly occur now, when we have improved our ports, built an SGR railway that will be the fifth longest in the world and the first of its kind in Africa, and when we are entering a period of long-term economic opportunity?” he asked.
“Why at this time should Tanzanians be left with scars that do not heal?”
Dr Nchemba said history offers lessons.
“For those of us who study politics, this is exactly what happens in countries that discover strategic resources.
When you are united, no one can take your gas.
When you stand together, no one will touch your uranium.
That is why poor countries with no resources are never divided; there is nothing to fight over.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks also focused on what he described as external involvement.
He said some of those who incited violence online used Kiswahili to pass as Tanzanians despite living abroad or holding foreign citizenship.
“It is infuriating to hear people using Kiswahili so they appear Tanzanian, when in fact they are not even in Tanzania,” he said.
“They tell you to burn a hospital while their own hospitals are within walking distance.
They tell you to destroy roads and railway lines, yet in their own countries you cannot even drop a bottle top on the road without facing consequences.
Tanzanians must wake up.”
He warned that foreign actors were targeting sensitive social and religious issues to sow division.
Once such fractures deepen, he said, a country can break in ways that are difficult to repair.
While acknowledging the existence of grievances, Dr Nchemba warned that they must not be manipulated to destroy the nation.
“Yes, we have our differences among ourselves, but they must not be used as a reason to burn our country.
We have no other nation.”
He said the destruction was intended to cause fear, paralysis and long-term harm to livelihoods.
He also cited online calls urging tourists to avoid Tanzania as part of a broader strategy to weaken the economy.
“Tourists are not the property of the government.
This is sabotage.”
He concluded by urging unity.
“We have only one country, and it is called Tanzania.
Let us protect it.
This infrastructure does not belong to the government; it belongs to Tanzanians.”
Experts weigh in
Political scientist Bonaventure Mcharo said the Prime Minister’s concerns mirror patterns seen in African countries undergoing major resource transitions.
“When a country is on the verge of major economic transformation, politics becomes more complex and sometimes more dangerous,” she said.
“The PM is reading from a classic playbook of destabilisation where internal grievances are weaponised by actors with larger economic interests.
Even if one disagrees with the government, the destruction he describes does not resemble a spontaneous demonstration.”
International relations expert and former diplomat Salim Mpenda said the Prime Minister’s claims about foreign involvement were plausible.
“Tanzania is entering sectors that attract powerful global attention.
Gas, critical minerals and regional infrastructure inevitably draw interest, both positive and negative.
Whether or not that happened here, the PM is right that external influence cannot be ruled out.”
Governance specialist Hadija Mkange stated that while the data presented by the Prime Minister suggests coordinated destruction, the government must also consider domestic concerns.
“Some who joined the unrest were driven by genuine frustrations, economic pressures, perceptions of inequality and political emotions amplified by social media.”
A security and conflict analyst, who requested anonymity, said coordinated violence could also originate internally.
“Rapid socio-economic change can create pockets of discontent.
The PM’s warning is important, but Tanzania’s best defence is thorough investigation, transparency and dialogue.”
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