Tanzania opposition’s Youth Day celebrations in jeopardy as national leaders remain in detention

Mbeya. This year’s International Youth Day celebrations, organized by the opposition party Chadema, are now in jeopardy due to the ongoing detention of the party’s national leaders by the police.

The event, which was scheduled to take place today at the Ruanda Nzovwe grounds, was organized by the Chadema youth wing, which is famously known in its Kiswahili acronym as Bavicha.

The event was expected to draw supporters from across the country.

The opposition party issued a statement late on Sunday, August 11, 2024 saying a total of 61 people, including Chadema’s Deputy Chairman for Mainland, Tundu Lissu, Secretary-General, John Mnyika, and the Nyasa Zone Chairman, Joseph Mbilinyi, had been detained.

The party's Director of Protocol, Communications and Foreign Affairs, John Mrema, told The Citizen on late on Sunday that police officers in Mbeya, including the Regional Police Commander (RPC) and Regional Crime Officer (RCO), visited the Chadema Nyasa Zone offices in the region at around 8pm as they sought to interrogate the leaders for Bavicha.

Bavicha had been mobilizing its members from all corners of the country to meet in Mbeya for the event but the police had prohibited any form of gathering in or outside Mbeya under the disguise of International Youth Day celebrations.

The police stated that the gatherings intended to disrupt peace in Mbeya and other areas of the country.

Earlier on Sunday, Police Commissioner for Operations and Training, Awadhi Juma Haji, addressed the press in Mbeya, forbidding the preparations and instructing Regional Police Commanders (RPCs) to enforce the ban.

“The police force is fully prepared to handle those who attempt to defy this directive,” said Haji.

And, speaking to The Citizen’s sister paper, Mwananchi on Monday, Mr David Mwambigija, who is the Nyasa Zone chairman of the party’s elders’ wing which is popularly known by its Kiswahili acronym as Bazecha, expressed concern over the situation, stating that the police action has undermined the certainty of the event proceeding as planned.

"Although I am currently in Dar es Salaam, I am in constant communication with those on the ground. National leaders and other supporters were arrested yesterday and are being held at various police stations, including Inyara, Utengule, and Usongwe," Mwambigija reported.

He said the continued detention of key figures, including Nyasa Regional Chairman Joseph Mbiinyi, could severely impact the party's ability to deliver its message through the Youth Day celebrations.

He added that the detainees have been sent back to their respective regions, including Arusha, Manyara, and Zanzibar, at the expense of the police.

He urged the government to consider the financial burden of detaining a large group of individuals, suggesting that it would be more prudent to avoid such costly measures.

Despite the challenges, Mwambigija assured that efforts were underway to provide food, including breakfast, to the detainees at Inyara police station.

Attempts to reach Mbeya Regional Police Commander Benjamin Kuzaga for comment on the detentions and the number of Chadema supporters held were unsuccessful, as his phone went unanswered.

International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations that takes place on August 12, seeking to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth.

This year’s celebrations go with the theme of “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development”.