Tanzania's political instability risks spreading in the region

A Tanzanian police officer stops a man accused by electoral officials of attempting to taint the voting process at a polling station in Stone Town on October 29, 2025, during Tanzania's presidential elections. [AFP]

Described as having lost "its innocence" by the Citizen News Gang, Tanzania is in a political meltdown. After days of internet shutdowns, blackouts and curfews, the truth is slowly beginning to shine through state's efforts to censor or control information.

With this, comes credible concerns about the conditions of Tanzanian protesters and Kenyans caught up in the violence. Concern this week shifted from the horrendous estimates of Tanzanian protester deaths and injuries to the conditions of possibly as many as 20,000 expatriate Kenyan teachers, entrepreneurs, health-workers, hoteliers, traders, bankers, engineers and students living and working in Tanzania.