Reports emerging from Tanzania have raised serious questions about how President Samia Suluhu’s government is handling dissent, with allegations that informers have been planted in universities to monitor lecturers critical of the administration.
The claims suggest a growing fear among academics and opposition figures that freedom of expression is under direct threat.
The issue came into the public spotlight after the University of Dodoma Academic Staff Association raised concerns over the arrest of a lecturer accused of encouraging students to take part in December 9 demonstrations.
According to the association, the lecturer was not mobilising students outside the classroom but was speaking during a lecture, an act that should ordinarily fall within the boundaries of academic discussion.
The association says the arrest followed a recording made inside the lecture hall, allegedly by an informer posing as a student.
Isaac Mahenge, the Secretary General of the academic staff association, explained that the lecture was secretly recorded and later handed over to higher authorities.
He claims the recording was then used as the basis for ordering the lecturer’s arrest. For many lecturers, this incident has deepened fears that classrooms are no longer safe spaces for open discussion, especially on political matters.
The idea that students could be used to spy on their teachers has unsettled the academic community and raised alarms about surveillance within public institutions.
The opposition has reacted sharply to these developments. John Heche, the Vice Chair of CHADEMA, Tanzania’s main opposition party, described the situation as unprecedented since independence. He openly compared President Samia’s leadership style to some of the darkest regimes in history, saying the level of control and intimidation being reported is unacceptable in a democratic society.
In his view, Tanzania is drifting toward a form of rule where freedom of opinion and professional independence no longer exist.
Heche stated on social media that if these actions are true, then the country is facing a high level of dictatorship. He argued that teachers have never before been told what they can or cannot say in class, and warned that interfering with education in this way crosses a dangerous line.
His remarks reflected wider frustration within opposition circles, where there is a belief that the government is deliberately silencing critical voices rather than engaging with them.
These accusations come at a time when President Samia’s administration is already facing sustained criticism over how it handles opposition and dissent.
Human rights groups and political actors have repeatedly accused the government of using arrests, intimidation, and prolonged detention to weaken critics. Allegations of forced disappearances have also continued to surface, adding to the sense of fear among activists and outspoken citizens.
Senior CHADEMA officials, including Heche himself, have been arrested and detained several times, often around periods of political tension or planned protests.
The party’s leader, Tundu Lissu, has remained in detention for months due to his strong opposition to Samia’s rule. His continued detention has become a symbol for many of what they see as the closing of democratic space in the country.
Taken together, the claims about university informers, arrests of lecturers, and repeated detention of opposition leaders paint a troubling picture for many Tanzanians. Critics argue that when fear enters classrooms and political debate is treated as a crime, the country risks losing the very freedoms it fought to secure.
Whether the government addresses these concerns openly or continues on its current path may shape Tanzania’s political future in the years ahead.
