Tanzanian president John Magufuli. PHOTO | AFP
By ANSBERT NGURUMO
In Summary
Ten years ago, a Kenyan cartoonist caused an uproar when, in
one of his drawings, he depicted Tanzanian journalists licking the feet
of the president at a press conference — instead of engaging him with
questions.
The president was Jakaya Kikwete, a self-styled friend of the
media, who enjoyed a cosy relationship with the fourth estate in the
first two years of his administration.
The cartoon may have been in bad taste but not much has changed a decade later — even with a new president.
Of course, there is a difference between the two presidents:
While Kikwete would wear a smile as his government harassed you,
President Magufuli frowns as he stares down at critics.
It took Kikwete nine years to enact two draconian acts – the
Cybercrime Act 2015, and the Statistics Act 2015 – but it has taken Dr
Magufuli only one year to put in place the much criticised Media
Services Act 2016. Under last law, a journalist has to be registered by a
regulatory body under the direct control of the government in order to
practise in the country.
In just one year, according to lawyer and opposition chief whip
Tundu Lissu, 42 social media commentators have been harassed and
arrested.
For example, Member of Parliament for Arusha Urban Godbless
Lema, has been behind bars for sharing a “dream” he had about President
Magufuli. The dream was critical of the president’s leadership style,
and what Mr Lema termed Magufuli’s “deification of the presidency” at
the expense of democracy. Mr Lema’s lawyers are still struggling to bail
him out.
Recently, police in Dar es Salaam arrested Maxence Mello, the
founder and owner of Jamii Forums, a popular online platform. He was
denied bail, with some senior officers being quoted citing “instructions
from above.” Mr Mello was charged on Friday at a Dar es salaam court
with using a domain name not registered in Tanzania and failure to
comply with an order to disclose data in his possession. He was denied
bail and returned to the remand prison.
Tanzania Jamii Forums has frequently been the source of stories
involving corruption and helped expose a corrupt energy deal, which was
subsequently picked up by the mainstream Tanzanian media.
The Magufuli government has also banned live coverage of
parliamentary sessions, political rallies and demonstrations. A number
of media outlets critical of the government have also been closed down.
With Magufuli, it would appear the government wants to control and run every business – including communication.
When it comes to media freedom and freedom of expression, Tanzania is not what it used to be.
Additional reporting by Beatrice Materu.
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