Tanzania Tells Government Employees and Students to Stay Home After Chaotic Election Unrest

Tanzanian authorities on Thursday ordered government employees and students to remain at home following violent protests that broke out after Wednesday’s general election, prompting police to impose a curfew in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

During Wednesday’s voting, demonstrators flooded the streets of Dar es Salaam and several other cities, furious over the government’s decision to bar President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s two main challengers from contesting the election and over the growing crackdown on dissent.

Protesters clashed with police, and a local government office in Dar es Salaam was set ablaze. Internet services were cut across the country.

In a statement posted late Wednesday night on the Instagram account of government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa, the government announced:

“All public sector employees are to work from home, except those required by their employers to report to their workplaces.”

State television also reported that students would continue their studies from home on Thursday.

Msigwa did not respond to calls or text messages seeking further details.

By Thursday morning, the streets of Dar es Salaam were calm as residents cautiously emerged from the overnight curfew, while security patrols remained heavy across the city.

However, on Zello, an app that allows smartphones to function like walkie-talkies, some protest organizers were heard discussing plans for further demonstrations, including marches toward government buildings.

The main opposition party, CHADEMA, had called for protests during the election, denouncing the vote as President Hassan’s “coronation.”

CHADEMA was disqualified from the election in April — which included parliamentary and local votes for the semi-autonomous Zanzibar islands — after refusing to sign the official code of conduct. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, was also charged with treason.

The electoral commission additionally disqualified the candidate from another opposition group, ACT-Wazalendo, leaving only smaller parties to challenge Hassan.

One of only two female heads of state in Africa, Hassan initially earned praise after taking office in 2021 for easing political tensions and rolling back the censorship that had flourished under her predecessor, John Magufuli.

In recent years, however, human rights activists and opposition figures have accused her government of abducting critics and suppressing dissent.

Hassan has said she ordered an investigation into the abduction allegations last year, but no official findings have been released.