DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Tanzanian police authorities have issued a stark public warning, alleging that foreign nationals in major urban centres are plotting a fresh round of violent protests, just one day after President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the country’s recent general election.
In a statement released on Monday, November 3, 2025, the police service claimed that intelligence reports indicate hundreds of foreigners, allegedly ferried into the country on motorcycles (boda bodas), entered Tanzania illegally with the intention of staging demonstrations and causing widespread chaos.
“Tanzania Police have received information that a group of foreign nationals are in the country with the aim of committing crimes, including creating chaos. These people are purporting to do several jobs, including operating boda bodas,” the police spokesperson said in the official statement.
Security warning and call for citizen action
According to the intelligence reports cited in the statement, the alleged foreign agitators are believed to be operating in major provinces across the country, including Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Mwanza, and Songwe.
Authorities have issued a direct appeal to the public for assistance in tracking these individuals.
“As police follow up on these reports with a view to taking action in line with our laws, any citizen hosting a foreigner whose work is unknown or whose activities appear suspicious is asked to provide information to government officers,” the statement added.
Police further warned that any Tanzanian citizens or business entities found to be harbouring the foreigners will face arrest and prosecution.
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However, the police did not disclose the nationalities of the individuals allegedly planning to destabilise the country.
Post-election turmoil
The dramatic security alert follows the highly contested general election that saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan secure a significant majority.
According to the country’s electoral commission, President Hassan, who assumed power in 2021 after the death of her predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli, reportedly secured 98 per cent of the votes cast.
The result has been met with severe criticism from both opposition groups and international observers, who have widely described the polls as neither free nor fair. The official claim of foreign interference now frames the government’s response to the post-election protests.
