By K47 Digital News Team
Source: Tanzania Business Insight (TBI)
Date: November 8, 2025
In a dramatic escalation of Tanzania’s crackdown on dissent, Attorney General Hamza Johari has vowed to pursue the extradition of Los Angeles-based activist Mange Kimambi and introduce tougher laws targeting protesters. The move follows deadly demonstrations that rocked Dar es Salaam and several other cities after the disputed October 29 general election.
The announcement, first reported by Tanzania Business Insight (TBI) on 6th November 2025, came during Johari’s first day in office following his reappointment as Attorney General. Speaking to government lawyers in Dodoma, Johari said he had been directed to explore all legal and diplomatic avenues to bring the controversial online activist to Tanzania to face criminal charges linked to the violent protests.
“We saw the destruction of private and public property, including a vehicle belonging to the AG’s office. This is unacceptable,” Johari stated during his address at the Attorney General’s chambers.
“I was summoned after being sworn in and was given instructions to seek legal and diplomatic solutions. We can’t allow one lady who is outside Tanzania to tell people to do that (protest) and then brag about it. We must arrest her.”
Although Johari did not directly mention Mange Kimambi by name, government insiders confirmed to TBI that she was the key target of his remarks.
Tanzania Seeks Extradition Agreement with the United States
Johari ordered his legal team to determine whether Tanzania has an existing extradition treaty with the United States, a move that legal experts say could face significant hurdles given Kimambi’s US citizenship and America’s strict extradition policies involving political cases.
As TBI noted, Johari — who previously served as the Director General of the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority — is well-known for his expertise in international law, but his new challenge could become one of the most complex legal missions in Tanzania’s diplomatic history.
No extradition treaty currently exists between Tanzania and the United States, which makes the process difficult unless special arrangements are made under mutual legal assistance or bilateral agreements.
Mange Kimambi Speaks Out from Los Angeles
In response to the Tanzanian government’s actions, Mange Kimambi took to Instagram, where she boasts over 2.5 million followers, claiming that she had been warned by FBI agents in the United States about an alleged assassination plot against her.
According to her post, members of a Mexican cartel were allegedly hired to execute a hit, but she vowed not to be intimidated.
“They want me silenced, but I’m not backing down,” Kimambi wrote. “They can hire whoever they want, but I will continue speaking the truth about what’s happening in Tanzania.”
Kimambi, who has long been a vocal critic of the Tanzanian government, frequently uses her platform to highlight political repression, corruption, and human rights abuses. Her posts have made her a polarizing figure, adored by supporters of opposition movements but fiercely opposed by government loyalists.
Deadly Protests Shake Tanzania
The October 29 election protests erupted in Dar es Salaam and quickly spread to other regions including Mwanza, Arusha, Dodoma, Songwe, and Mara. Witnesses and opposition figures claim that thousands of civilians were killed by security forces attempting to suppress the demonstrations.
The government, however, denied reports of a massacre, labeling them as misinformation spread by what it called “foreign-funded agents of chaos.”
President Samia Suluhu Hassan acknowledged that there had been “loss of life,” but declined to provide an official death toll. Instead, she praised the police and military for what she described as the “swift restoration of law and order.”
Despite the government’s denials, videos circulating on social media appear to show gruesome scenes of shootings and mass casualties, with reports that mortuaries in several hospitals were overflowing with bodies.
Calls for Independent Investigation
Human rights organizations and opposition parties are now calling for an independent international investigation into what they describe as “a state-sponsored massacre.”
Local and international NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have echoed these calls, urging Tanzania to allow foreign forensic experts to assess the scale of the violence.
Opposition leaders accuse the government of conducting a post-protest cover-up, alleging that security agencies are erasing evidence of extrajudicial killings and secretly burying victims in mass graves.
So far, the Tanzanian government has refused to comment on those specific allegations.
International Reaction and Legal Questions
Legal experts have questioned whether Tanzania’s pursuit of Kimambi is legally feasible, given that the activist resides in the United States and has American citizenship.
“Without an extradition treaty, Tanzania would have to rely on diplomatic persuasion, which is extremely unlikely to succeed in a politically charged case like this,” said one legal analyst quoted by TBI.
Analysts also warn that tighter laws against protesters could further restrict civic space in Tanzania, which has faced increasing criticism for suppressing dissent and jailing opposition figures since the mid-2020s.
What’s Next for Tanzania?
Attorney General Johari’s remarks mark a new chapter in the government’s approach to digital activism and public dissent. His insistence on prosecuting a foreign-based activist underscores Tanzania’s growing intolerance toward critics who use social media to mobilize opposition movements.
If the proposed legal amendments are enacted, Tanzanians who organize or participate in unauthorized demonstrations could face harsher penalties, including long prison terms or heavy fines.
Meanwhile, the fate of Mange Kimambi remains uncertain. While she continues to speak out from Los Angeles, Tanzania’s move to extradite her has thrust the country into the international spotlight — reigniting debates about freedom of expression, sovereignty, and cross-border justice.
As Tanzania pushes forward with plans to tighten protest laws and target online critics, the world is watching to see whether this marks the beginning of a wider political crackdown or a bold attempt by the government to assert control in the face of growing unrest.
