McLaren
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 19, 2025
- 1,089
- 3,444
As many Tanzanians continue to process and come to terms with what happened on election day, in one of her most anticipated speeches, President Samia Suluhu Hassan warned that the violent unrest on October 29 has undermined Tanzania’s credibility with foreign development partners, prompting the government to renew its focus on mobilizing domestic resources to keep national projects on track.
Speaking during the swearing-in of newly appointed ministers in Dodoma on November 18, President Hassan noted that during her first term, strong donor confidence made financing easier, but the recent, what she described as, “disturbances” have slowed progress on both ongoing and planned national initiatives.
The October 29 unrest saw security forces respond with live ammunition, tear gas, and mass arrests as protests erupted over contested elections. Reports indicate that thousands of protestors were killed and hundreds injured, with accounts of enforced disappearances and missing persons sparking outrage among citizens and human rights groups.
The crackdown has been widely criticized as excessive and has cast a shadow over Tanzania’s international image.
“In the previous term, financing was readily available because there was trust. What happened in our country has tainted our image, and this is likely to reduce our resource base. We must therefore use the resources we have to attract more funding so that the projects we promised are delivered with speed.”
Her remarks have sparked mixed reactions online. Some citizens interpret her comments as an acknowledgment of the government’s actions during the unrest, seeing it as a rare admission of the events that unfolded on October 29
Others, however, are concerned that the administration may respond by increasing taxes or introducing new levies to offset potential reductions in donor support.
Such measures, they fear, could place additional financial burdens on ordinary Tanzanians.
Speaking during the swearing-in of newly appointed ministers in Dodoma on November 18, President Hassan noted that during her first term, strong donor confidence made financing easier, but the recent, what she described as, “disturbances” have slowed progress on both ongoing and planned national initiatives.
The October 29 unrest saw security forces respond with live ammunition, tear gas, and mass arrests as protests erupted over contested elections. Reports indicate that thousands of protestors were killed and hundreds injured, with accounts of enforced disappearances and missing persons sparking outrage among citizens and human rights groups.
The crackdown has been widely criticized as excessive and has cast a shadow over Tanzania’s international image.
“In the previous term, financing was readily available because there was trust. What happened in our country has tainted our image, and this is likely to reduce our resource base. We must therefore use the resources we have to attract more funding so that the projects we promised are delivered with speed.”
Her remarks have sparked mixed reactions online. Some citizens interpret her comments as an acknowledgment of the government’s actions during the unrest, seeing it as a rare admission of the events that unfolded on October 29
Others, however, are concerned that the administration may respond by increasing taxes or introducing new levies to offset potential reductions in donor support.
Such measures, they fear, could place additional financial burdens on ordinary Tanzanians.
