The Commission of Inquiry into the post–General Election unrest of October 29, 2025 has concluded that the violence was not spontaneous, but a coordinated operation involving planning, funding, recruitment and training of participants.
Presenting the commission’s report to President Samia Suluhu Hassan at State House in Dar es Salaam on April 23, 2026, retired Chief Justice Mohamed Othman Chande said the investigation established that those behind the unrest organised and mobilised individuals in advance and deployed them strategically across multiple locations.
“There is clear and convincing evidence that the incidents were planned, coordinated, financed and executed by individuals who had undergone prior training,” Justice Chande said.
He told the President that organisers used various tactics, including targeting vulnerable groups such as youths in difficult living conditions, motorcycle riders and small traders, many of whom were reportedly influenced through financial incentives and promises of employment.
According to the commission, some participants were paid between Sh10,000 and Sh50,000, while others were promised jobs and improved livelihoods as part of the mobilisation strategy.
Justice Chande said the recruitment and preparation phase took place between October 12 and October 28, 2025, during which groups were reportedly assembled, trained and encouraged to participate in the unrest.
“They were gathered, trained and mobilised to take part in the incidents on the day in question,” he said.
The report further noted that organisers deliberately coordinated simultaneous incidents in different locations in an apparent attempt to stretch law enforcement capacity and create confusion for security agencies.
“The strategy was to stage incidents at the same time in multiple areas in order to disperse and confuse police response,” he added.
The commission also observed that many of those who were influenced to participate ended up being the main actors on the ground, while the alleged organisers and coordinators were largely absent from the scenes.
This, according to the report, complicated enforcement efforts and resulted in the arrest of ordinary citizens and individuals described as followers rather than planners.
The findings, if implemented, are likely to shape future approaches to crowd control, intelligence gathering and prevention of politically linked unrest, particularly during sensitive electoral periods.
The commission’s report is expected to inform government policy responses aimed at strengthening national stability and improving early warning mechanisms ahead of future elections.
