Unguja. Tunguu Representative Simai Mohamed Said, CCM, has accused Regional and District Commissioners of abusing powers granted under the law by detaining citizens without sufficient justification or clear legal grounds.
Under the Regional Administration Act of 1962, as amended in 2002, Section 7(1) gives DCs and RCs authority to detain a person for 48 hours without presenting them before a court.
Contributing to the debate on the revenue and expenditure estimates for the President’s Office Regional Administration, Local Government and Special Departments of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGZ) on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Mr Mohamed said the officials must understand their responsibilities and avoid misuse of powers granted under existing laws.
“This law has granted them powers, but some regional and district commissioners are abusing those powers and oppressing citizens by detaining them without proper reasons or justification,” he said during debate in the House.
Mr Mohamed said the broad authority granted under the law was in some cases being used to punish and intimidate citizens unfairly, contrary to principles of justice, accountability and democratic governance.
On sanitation, the representative said Zanzibar remained dirty despite being a major tourist destination, warning that the situation continued to tarnish the image of the Isles among tourists and investors.
Meanwhile, women’s special seats representative, Ms Moza Mohamed Khamis, said citizens continued to face serious challenges in obtaining Zanzibar identity cards, with the process often becoming unnecessarily difficult for ordinary applicants.
“These identity cards are legal documents for every Zanzibari, but there is excessive bureaucracy in obtaining them. People are being taken in circles without valid reasons. We must recognise that this country belongs to all of us and all citizens have equal rights under the law,” said Ms Khamis.
Wete Representative, Mr Shafi Mohamed Shafi, ACT-Wazalendo, said RGZ forces of taking over police responsibilities and harassing citizens without observing professionalism and accountability expected of security organs.
Pandani Representative, Prof Omar Fakih, ACT-Wazalendo, said the ministry, instead of providing support and comfort to citizens, had become a burden through actions that create fear and frustration among people seeking government services.
Responding to the concerns while concluding the debate, the responsible minister, Mr Idrissa Kitwana Mustafa, said the ministry would convene a meeting with regional and district Commissioners to review how they discharge their responsibilities and ensure powers granted under the law are not misused.
Regarding identity cards, he said some applicants fail to follow procedures or make mistakes in their names, requiring them to pay prescribed fees before corrections and new documents can be processed.
On sanitation, the minister said the budget includes construction of 111 waste collection centres in Unguja and Pemba, procurement of modern vehicles and engagement of companies to improve cleanliness and waste management services across the islands.
The House approved revenue and expenditure estimates amounting to Sh697.7 billion for implementation of government activities and development programmes.
