Tanzania Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi resigns

Tanzania’s Vice President Emmanuel John Nchimbi. [Courtesy]

Tanzania's Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi has announced his resignation from office, effective September 4, ending months of speculation about a rift with President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Nchimbi issued a public statement from Dodoma on Tuesday saying he had written to Suluhu Hassan earlier the same day to inform her of his decision to leave political and public service.

"Today, 25 August 2026, I wrote a letter to the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, informing her that I have decided to retire from politics and public service," said Nchimbi.

He cited Article 50(2)(c) read together with Article 149(2) of the constitution as the basis for his resignation from the vice presidency.

On August 27, 2025, Nchimbi said, he pledged to serve Suluhu Hassan and the country faithfully, promising to vacate the post whenever she wanted a new deputy.

"I am fully satisfied, without any doubt, that the President desires change, and thus I have decided to fulfil my promise," said Nchimbi.

He thanked Suluhu Hassan and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party for their trust in him and thanked Tanzanians for their support during his time in office.

"I assure you that I will continue to be a good citizen of Tanzania," said Nchimbi.

Nchimbi and Suluhu Hassan ran together on the CCM ticket in the October 2025 general election, which the electoral commission declared her winner of with nearly 98 per cent of the vote.

The opposition Chadema party said hundreds of people were killed in a security crackdown on protests that followed the disputed vote, allegations that drew condemnation from the European Union and calls from the United Nations for an investigation.

Nchimbi said publicly on November 9 that the government favoured dialogue with the opposition, though he gave no further detail at the time.

The resignation comes six days after Tanzania's Information Services Department, known as Maelezo, suspended the publishing licence of newspaper MwanaHALISI for six months.

The department accused the paper of breaching accuracy and balance standards over an article claiming Nchimbi had rejected pressure to resign, faulting it for not securing comment from him directly.

Nchimbi joined CCM's National Executive Committee in 1997 after completing an advanced diploma at the Institute of Development Management in Mzumbe.

He worked at the National Environmental Management Council from 1998 to 2003, then served as Bunda District Commissioner before winning the Songea Urban parliamentary seat in 2005.

He went on to serve as deputy minister and minister under President Jakaya Kikwete, as Tanzania's ambassador to Brazil and later Egypt, and as CCM secretary-general from January 2024.

Suluhu Hassan named him her running mate in January 2025, and he was sworn in as vice president in November 2025 after her re-election, replacing Philip Mpango.