What legacy does outgoing Tanzania IGP leave behind?

Dar es Salaam. Former Police boss Simon Sirro has today July 20, assumed new duties as Tanzania’s envoy to Zimbabwe, leaving behind a legacy that has tainted his stellar career that saw him rise to the very top of the police force.
Sirro was on Tuesday night stripped of the post of Inspector General of Police after serving for five years that would test his mettle as the leader of a force riddled with corruption and accused of major human right violation allegations.
In recent years, the police force has come under heavy public scrutiny, accused of complicity in a number of unresolved deaths, disappearances and kidnaps.
Corruption among the force and the police doubling in politics, and largely against members of opposition parties has also remained a major source of public trepidation.    
 Mr Sirro was replaced by the former Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Camilius Wambura who will now take over at the helm of the law enforcement body. Both have been sworn in today at State House Dodoma.
Mr Wambura assumes the hot seat amid online protest from a section of opposition leaders and activists.     
But despite his rise from a junior police recruit to the office of the IGP, Sirro, has left a record of some unresolved serious crimes that blotted his time in office.
The Citizen online looks at some of the unresolved cases that are yet to be determined in the five years that Sirro served at the top of Tanzania’s Police Force.

Tundu Lissu’ shooting
On September 7, 2017, three months after Sirro was appointed IGP, Opposition lawmaker Tundu Lissu was shot and seriously wounded by unknown assailants as he arrived at his Dodoma home after attending Parliament’s morning session.
His attackers sprayed the front passenger door of his black Toyota Land Cruiser with bullets after Mr Lissu apparently hesitated to alight from the vehicle.

Also Read:Police seize eight cars in connection to Lissu’s shooting
Then Dodoma Regional Police Commander Gilles Muroto said preliminary investigations had established that the gunmen who shot Mr Lissu were in a white Nissan car and appealed to the public to volunteer information.
But that was just as far as the police went, not a single suspect was ever brought to book to answer for the shooting that left the legislator with several bullets lodged into his body.

Azory Gwanda disappears
On November 21, 2017, Azory Gwanda – a Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) journalist stationed in Kibiti District, Coast Region – went missing under suspicious circumstances.
 The 42-year-old disappeared in the company of four ‘unknown persons’ in an unmarked Toyota Land Cruiser.’ Gwanda is yet to be found, seen or heard from.

Also Read: Anxiety as journalist disappears in Kibiti

Nine months later, Home Affairs Minister Kangi Lugola said that his ministry was not involved with finding, Azory Gwanda.
"There have been such reports like the one you have just mentioned. A person is at home and then disappears. We, as a ministry, don’t interfere in the freedom of an individual that gets lost while at his home. Everybody has freedom according to the country’s constitution to go from one place to another without breaching the law,” Lugola said

Also Read: Lugola clarifies: Police still probing disappearance of Azory Gwanda, Ben Saanane

Lugola was on record saying that Gwanda disappeared from his home, therefore, it was none of their business except that if a crime has been committed to a person including kidnapping, then state organs will track down the kidnapper.
Foreign Minister Palamagamba Kabudi was on record during an interview with the BBC saying Azory Gwanda could have disappeared and died. More than five years later, the police is yet to say a single word on the journalist’s disappearance.

Death of Akweline Akwilini
On February 16, 2018, 22-year old Akwiline Akwilini, a student at NIT died after she was hit by a stray bullet as police were breaking up a rally by opposition party Chadema.
President John Magufuli immediately ordered security organs to investigate and take action against the killers. Three days later Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander, Mr Lazaro Mambosasa, said on February 19 that the police force was holding six policemen in connection with the death of Akwiline and that they were investigating 40 other police officers over the shooting incident.

Also Read: Why there will be no justice for killed university student, Akwilina

Akwilina’s family demands justice at emotional burial

However, in an interesting turn of events all the arrested police officers were set free. According to Mambosasa the Police Force was unable to get evidence that would hold their arrested colleagues responsible for the killing.

Mo Dewji Kidnap
On October 11, 2018, the world woke up to the news of the kidnapping of business man Mohamed Dewji, the Police Force then launched a manhunt for the suspected kidnappers.
Several arrests were made including one of a taxi driver who is believed to have driven the kidnappers during their mission but that was just as after as it went.

Also Read: IGP Sirro reveals vehicle used in Mo Dewji kidnapping

Tanzania Police chief Simon Sirro sheds more light on Mo return

Five Missing Kariakoo traders
On December 26, five young men who are described as “Kariakoo traders reportedly went missing and since then not much has been heard about them.

Also Read: Questions as five go missing in Dar es Salaam for three weeks

The Inspector General Simon Sirro in a press conference said he had directed a special investigation from the headquarters to establish the truth. It has been close to seven months!

The Mtwara killing of business man
On January 23, 2022 businessman Mussa Hamisi was allegedly killed by police officers, after they (the police) took Sh70 million away from him.
Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro admitted to how challenging it was for him to get to the bottom of the alleged killing of the businessman, detailing how collected evidence could easily vanish at some point.

Also Read: IGP Sirro opens up on Mtwara killing

Seven police officers were put on trial at the Mtwara Residents’ Magistrate Court in connection with the killing. The officers were named as Gilbert Kalanje, Charles Onyango, Bicolas Kisinza, John Msuya, Marco Mbota, Shiraz Ally Mkuka and Salum Juma Mbalu.
Speaking during an interview, Mr Sirro said the challenging part of investigations into alleged killing arose because the Police Force had to search inside its own house to identify the seven accused police officers and take them to a court of law.