Shock as the number of people missing mysteriously in Tanzania increases

Dar/upcountry. The rising number of people who have gone missing under mysterious circumstances has caused shock and concern among the public.

Citizens are calling on the government to take responsibility and address this perplexing issue that has resurfaced in recent years.

The incidents of disappearance have sparked anxiety among the population, as they question the police force's role in protecting the public and their property.

Unfortunately, attempts to reach police spokesman David Misime for comment on the matter have been unsuccessful.

After hanging up the phone with the reporter, Mr Mobhare Matinyi, the Chief Government Spokesman, texted, saying he was attending an event.

Abductees

One case that highlights this alarming trend is the abduction of 34-year-old Innocent Elias Liveti, also known as Macheni, a businessman and cell phone technician in Kariakoo, Dar es Salaam.

Witnesses and security camera footage captured him being taken by two people in hats on December 1, 2023, around 1:30 am. To date, Mr Liveti's whereabouts remain unknown.

About 62 days ago, according to witnesses, Mr Liveti was sitting in front of his shop located on Narung'ombe Street, when two people wearing hats abducted him and whisked him away in their car.

Another incident is the abduction of businessman Mussa Mziba (37), who owns Mziba Empire Investment Ltd. at Mikocheni in Dar es Salaam.

Another distressing case involves the abduction of businessman Mussa Mziba, 37, owner of Mziba Empire Investment Ltd., in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, on December 7, 2023.

Two people claiming to be police officers arrived at his office around 8 pm over two months ago and kidnapped him. He has not been found since.

These incidents follow the disappearance of Mr Charles Wetinyi, who was allegedly arrested by individuals who identified themselves as police officers on October 23, 2023, in Serengeti District’s Mugumu area in Mara Region. 102 days have passed, and Mr Wetinyi's whereabouts remain a mystery.

Mr Wilson Damas and Mr Richard Kayanda, residents of Nyandoto Ward in Tarime District, Mara Region, have been missing since the 2020 poll campaigns.

In addition to these cases, several other people, including Tawfiq Mohamed, Self Swala, Edwin Kunambi, Hemed Abass, and Rajabu Mdoe, have been missing since December 26, 2021.

These were cellphone technicians and traders in Kariakoo, in Dar es Salaam. They are said to have been abducted by individuals dressed in police uniforms, leaving their families desperate for answers. 403 days have passed since they were last seen.

On the day of their disappearance, one of them texted a relative, informing them that they had been arrested in the area and taken to the central police station in a black Toyota Ist.

Families of the victims have voiced their frustration and highlighted their lack of communication with the authorities.

Edwin Kunambi’s parent, Mr Longili Martin, expressed his concern, stating that they have been struggling to find their children and have received no assistance from the leaders they met with in July.

He told this reporter that they have not heard from the authorities since July last year, when they met with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Minister for Home Affairs in Dodoma.

"There hasn’t been any communication since. Whenever I call these leaders, they are always out of reach. We have been struggling to find our children; time is running out, and we have no one to turn to for help," he lamented.

The government’s will is all it takes

Amid debates on these mysterious disappearances, some citizens have been bold enough to step forward during meetings held by the ruling CCM’s Ideology and Publicity Secretary, Mr Paul Makonda, to express their dissatisfaction about the way their missing loved ones’ cases have been handled.

To shed light on this pressing issue, Mwananchi Communications Ltd. organised a debate on Thursday night through X-Space, during which political analyst Mr Luqman Maloto emphasised that addressing these incidents is a matter of the government's will.

Mr Maloto stated that action must be taken to halt the increasing abductions, and the government should firmly declare its stance against these acts.

"There haven’t been attempts to put an end to these kidnapping occurrences, and as long as the government remains silent, the number of incidents will increase. One day someone will be kidnapped because they have malicious intent about someone else's property,” he said.

For her part, the Executive Director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), Ms Anna Henga, said many mysteriously missing people are not famous but rather individuals involved in disputes or court cases.

She stressed that the government has a constitutional obligation to protect its citizens and must take immediate action to address this violation of human rights.

Social affairs analyst Dr Faraja Christomus highlighted the political and social factors contributing to these incidents.

He called for better systems within the police force to prevent criminals from exploiting loopholes to target their adversaries or opponents.

Complaints during Makonda’s visit

During his visits to Singida, Simiyu, and Shinyanga regions, Mr Paul Makonda, CCM's Ideology and Publicity Secretary, faced numerous complaints from citizens regarding their missing loved ones allegedly kidnapped in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

While in Singida Region, on January 29, a resident of Singida District, Ms Mwanahamisi Sombi, requested Mr Makonda intervene in the case involving the disappearance of two brothers from the same family, Mr Haruna Iddi, 50, and Mr Juma Iddi, 45, who mysteriously went missing on December 28 last year.

During the meeting, Singida Regional Commissioner Peter Serukamba stated: "I am aware of this case; that person came to my office twice. I notified the RPC, who then reported the matter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Camillius Wambura. They made fruitless searches for these people at every police station across the country."

Similar complaints were made in Shinyanga Region in Tinde Ward, where Ms Nyangeta Malawa said her husband, Mr John Chacha, went missing on December 7, 2021.

Ms Malawa said the incident occurred in the ward land office, where she was informed by the ward executive officer that her husband had been taken away by unknown people.

Mr Makonda asked Shinyanga Regional Police Commander Janeth Magomi to clarify the matter to the curious audience.

"When I was transferred to this region in August 2023, I learnt about this case from this woman’s brother-in-law," said the RPC.

Another resident who complained about the disappearance of her son, Issa Hamis, is Ms Mariam Ndala, who said Hamis had gone missing since November 25, 2022.

She claimed that the family reported the matter to the police, but the police did not cooperate, despite her missing son being a close friend of RPC Magomi.

The RPC told Mr Makonda that the force was aware of the disappearance of Issa, who is a car mechanic.

"The police force has been closely following up on the matter with mobile phone service providers, but we have not been successful," said the RPC.

Ms Ndala disputed RPC Magomi's explanation, saying that she was with her son, who was fixing the RPC’s car, on the day before his disappearance.

The RPC said she did not know Issa and that his disappearance was reported to the main police station, a case whose file was later sent to her office.

Mr Makonda received similar complaints in Maswa in Simiyu region, where Ms Eliwaza Makwale told him that, on December 23, 2022, her husband went missing at 10 pm, claiming that he was abducted by unknown people from his place of business.

When Mr Makonda asked the Officer Commanding District (OCD) of Maswa, Maganga Ngosha, about the matter, the latter said he was transferred to the district last year and that work on the case is ongoing.

Aside from the current incidents, Mr Ben Saanane, former assistant to Chadema Chairman Freeman Mbowe, has been missing since November 2016.

In 2017, Kibondo Councillor Simon Kangoye disappeared and has since never been found. During the same year, a journalist at Mwananchi Communications Ltd., Mr Azory Gwanda, also went missing and has not been found to date.