By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Tanzania, 20 November 2025 - Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has alleged that groups behind the violent protests that erupted after last month’s general election were “paid to burn the country”, as she inaugurated an Independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate the deadly unrest.
Speaking at State House Chamwino in Dodoma on Thursday, President Hassan said the government had launched the commission to establish what triggered the chaos that followed the 29 October 2025 election, in which she was declared the winner with 98 per cent of the vote, according to official results. The outcome has been fiercely rejected by opposition parties, who have condemned the poll as neither free nor fair.
“Let the Commission of Inquiry also examine the involvement of both local and international NGOs,” she said.
“We are told that the young people who went to the streets to demand their rights were first paid money. Where did this money come from?”
She added that the scale of the violence was deeply shocking for a nation long regarded as one of the region’s most stable.
“In short, what happened was never expected in our country, given our long history of peace and political calm,” she said.
Human rights organisations and international observers say the unrest left hundreds dead or injured as security forces clashed with demonstrators challenging the election outcome.
Opposition leaders argue that the vote was a “mockery of democracy”, noting that several key challengers had been jailed, barred from running, or driven into exile in the months leading up to the polls.
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President Hassan said the decision to form an internal commission was guided by the 2023 Commissions of Inquiry Act, which empowers the Head of State to establish such a body.
She explained that having a domestic panel in place would help coordinate any future cooperation with international investigators.
“Before external commissions arrive, we must have our own,” she said.
“Let it do its work, so that if others come later, they will engage with a commission that has already begun gathering the facts.”
The Commission will probe all incidents related to the breakdown of peace during and after the election and submit recommendations to the government, which remains under pressure at home and abroad to ensure accountability for the violence.
She exuded confidence in the probe team, premised on their experience.
President Hassan has said the Commission's findings, and recommendations will help Tanzania move forward.
