Samia blames foreigners for chaos amid regional snub

Key leaders from East and Southern Africa yesterday skipped President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s swearing-in ceremony, held at Nishani Grounds, a remote and secluded location in Chamwino District near the administrative capital city of Dodoma.

The isolated location in the vast savannah scrublands appeared carefully chosen to avoid populated areas following deadly protests that have rocked cities and towns, reportedly claiming over 1,000 lives since last Wednesday.

Samia’s controversial victory, announced by Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) Chairman Jacobs Mwambegele on Saturday morning, has heightened tensions, with the main opposition party, Chadema, rejecting the results.

She allegedly secured 98 per cent of the 32 million votes cast in an election marred by violence, destruction of voting materials, and chaos at polling stations. Observers and analysts have dismissed the poll as flawed and illegitimate. The opposition and civil society groups have also demanded the cancellation of the entire exercise.

In her address yesterday, President Samia acknowledged the deteriorating situation, expressing sorrow over the loss of lives and property. “From today, I want all security agencies to ensure normalcy returns to the country immediately,” she declared.

She criticised observer missions that condemned the electoral process, saying Tanzania would not take instructions from foreign entities.

“We have received their reports and will look at them in future but just like president Benjamin Mkapa said in 2000, we will listen to both those who praise us and those that criticise us but we will not allow them to dictate to us what to do,” said Samia. 

The election of President Hassan, or Mama Samia as she is commonly known, triggered deadly riots across the East African nation, leading to mass protests due to the exclusion of key challengers from the race.

Among those sidelined was Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu, who was barred after refusing to sign a code of conduct. The party has dismissed the results as completely fabricated. Lissu was arrested in April for alleged treason offences and is still in custody.

On Monday, the general public was not allowed to attend the invite-only, low-key ceremony, which was marked by tight security, with military personnel arriving in large trucks emblazoned with “Tanzania Military”.

It was the complete opposite of past ceremonies, such as when President Jakaya Kikwete handed over power to John Magufuli at the packed Uhuru Stadium in Dodoma in 2015, and again after his re-election in 2020.

In 2010, all East African presidents, including Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki, were among tens of thousands who attended President Kikwete’s swearing-in at a stadium in Dar es Salaam.

After taking her oath yesterday, Samia claimed that the protests, which have caused massive destruction of property, were organised by individuals from outside Tanzania’s borders and that some of the saboteurs had been arrested. “I’m saddened by the violence that hit our cities and towns, but it is not surprising because some of the youths arrested are from outside Tanzania. Investigations are ongoing to establish the truth,” said Samia.

Conspicuously absent

Tanzania is a member of both the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), but President William Ruto, who currently chairs the EAC, did not attend, nor did Cyril Ramaphosa, the SADC interim chairman. Also conspicuously absent were Presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopia), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Felix Tshisekedi (DR Congo), Peter Mutharika (Malawi), and the presidents of South Sudan, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, and Lesotho.

Four presidents attended the low-key ceremony, but only two—Burundi’s Evariste Ndayishimiye and Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema—were allowed to address the guests at the two-hour ceremony. Presidents Daniel Chapo (Mozambique) and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somalia) were also present.

Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe were represented by their deputy presidents—Kithure Kindiki, Rose Alupo, and Constantino Chiwenga, respectively. Egypt’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and his housing counterpart from DR Congo were also present.

Although organisers tried to conceal attendance challenges, keen observers would have noticed how the master of ceremonies struggled to stretch the list of those in attendance, including artists and “members of local and international media.”

International media were banned from covering the elections, and yesterday only the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation and the Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) were allowed to broadcast the event live.

The military thoroughly searched invited guests before they took their seats in the pavilion. They were entertained by musicians Rajab Ibrahim alias Harmonise, Hellen George Majeshi alias Ruby, and Zena Yousuf Mohammed alias Shilole.

Samia’s motorcade arrived in the remote area at 11:50 am to a low key affair. Guests, some dressed in CCM party colours of green and yellow, waved miniature flags as others applauded the president-elect.  She was greeted with a 21-gun salute before inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the military. The presidential flag was lowered at 12:07 pm, signifying the end of term. She then sat next to Vice-President-elect Emmanuel Nchimbi at 12:10 pm.

A minute later, the president-elect was invited to take the oaths of allegiance and office, administered by Chief Justice George Mcheche Masaju. Nchimbi then followed to take his oath. After taking office, the president inspected another guard of honour as the presidential standard was raised at 12:12 p.m., signifying her assumption of office. She then signed the certificate before receiving the instruments of power from a local elder and a counterpart from Zanzibar.

Interdenominational prayers followed, delivered by Muslim, Anglican, Catholic, and Pentecostal clergy in that order. The last two urged the president to put more effort into healing the country. “The country is divided and blood has been shed. I urge you to try and bring our people together,” prayed Dr Barnabas Mtokambali, the General Superintendent of the Tanzania Assemblies of God and head of all Pentecostal churches in the country.

Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye told Tanzanians they had passed the test of holding successful elections. “Thank you for how you conducted your elections. Elections are like an exam, and you have performed very well. Peace is priceless, and for 60 years Tanzania has been an example of peace. Let us not bring chaos to our region,” said Ndayishimiye.

President Hichilema told the gathering that Tanzania’s security and stability were crucial for the entire EAC and SADC regions, warning that “if peace is lost in one country, others are also affected.”