A Tanzanian High Court has sentenced two police officers to death by hanging for the murder of a suspect in a Tanzania Police Station cell.
In a statement issued on June 24, 2025, the Tanzania Police identified the convicted officers as Gilbert Sostenes Kalanje and Charles Maurice Onyango.
“The Mtwara Regional High Court has sentenced to death former Mtwara Regional Police Officers, former Mtwara District Head of Criminal Investigation (OC-CID) Superintendent of Police (SP) Gilbert Sostenes Kalanje and former Mtwara Police Station Chief Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Charles Maurice Onyango,” read part of the statement.
Tanzania Police Officers Sentenced to Death
The court found that on February 5, 2022, the two officers killed Mussa Hamis who was in custody at the Mtwara Police Station.
They later dumped his body in the Hiyari Forest, near the Dangote Cement Factory.
The case was heard before High Court Judge Hamidu Mwanga. Five other police officers who had been charged were acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove the case against them.
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Police Officers Arrest Suspects
Meanwhile, the Tanzania Police confirmed the arrest of two individuals over allegations of internet and social media misuse.
The suspects, identified as Jackson Kabalo and Joseph Mrindoko, are both residents of Maji ya Chai in the Arusha region.
The Arusha Regional Police Command has since issued a warning to the public against the negative use of social media platforms.
“The Arusha Regional Police Force warns social media users to stop spreading unverified information that causes unrest in the community, especially rumours that suspects have been arrested by unknown persons, which is not true,” read the statement.
The duo, both local YouTubers, were arrested as President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government intensified a crackdown on critics ahead of the upcoming elections.
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Report of Missing Persons
Public concern has been mounting over reports of individuals who have gone missing, disappeared, or been arrested by people identifying themselves as police officers.
However, the police have denied claims of involvement in the arrests, stating that investigations into the cases of the missing individuals are still ongoing.
“When the Police Force receives such information, it begins an investigation by collecting evidence from various sources to find the truth of the information about what happened,” read part of the report.
According to Investigations have revealed that some of the individuals reported missing have been found—some alive, others dead. In several cases, evidence suggests that the disappearances were self-initiated.
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