Tanzania police pursue hackers after account hacked

Tanzanian authorities now say they are pursuing hackers who compromised the official X account of the Tanzania Police Force on Tuesday morning.

The account, which has more than 460,000 followers and had last posted on Saturday, May 17, was taken over by unknown individuals who hosted a live broadcast and posted unverified messages.

Among the false claims was a report alleging the death of President Samia Suluhu.

Authorities quickly refuted the claims, asking the public to disregard the information and labeling the messages as fake and unauthorised.

‘’That information is not true and it should be understood that the police have no authority to prepare or spread such information,” it read in part.

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The statement added, “While we are in pursuit of the criminals who made and posted those fake stories, we urge the public to ignore them.’’

The hack stirred debate online, with many netizens speculating about who might be behind it.

“Hata mimi nilijua tu ni taarifa za uongo Siku hizi kuna mambo mengi sana kwenye mitandao ya jamii Mtu asipokuwa makini atajikuta amepotoshwa. (Even I realized it was fake news. These days, there’s a lot of misinformation on social media. If you're not careful, you'll be misled),” posted Benedict Kilonzo.

Another user, Patrick Mwakipesile, questioned the police response: “Ninavyo lijua jeshi langu la polisi, hawa watu mtawakamata mara moja Swali langu ni moja tu. Mbona wale watekaji huwa hamuwakamati kwa wakati? (The way I know our police; they’ll catch the culprits quickly. But my question is, why don’t you arrest abductors promptly? Why the double standards?)”

The incident comes amid rising political tensions between President Suluhu and opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

Tanzanian authorities early this week denied entry to Kenyan lawyers and activists who had intended to attend a court case involving Lissu. The move sparked sharp criticism from some quarters, accusing the government of suppressing dissent.

Suluhu, speaking during the televised launch of the country’s new foreign policy, defended the decision.

"We have observed a trend in which activists from within our region are attempting to intrude and interfere in our affairs,” she said. “If they have been controlled in their countries, let them not come to disrupt us. Let us not give them the chance; they have already destabilised their own countries, and the only remaining peaceful nation is Tanzania.”

She also called on Tanzanian leaders to remain firm and not allow ‘ill-mannered individuals’ to cross the line.