Sounds like a fairy tale but regrettably it isn’t. In a little known village called Runzewe Geita electronics were stolen from an unknown place. The stolen items were a computer and shaving equipment.
It is unclear how the Ward executive secretary of Uyovu known as by one name Budimu and the village executive secretary of Lyobahika village also known as Masembo had zeroed in on one hapless Enock Thomas Mhangwa (25l was the one who stole the items.
They rounded him up, and began beating him in the village office. The victim pleaded for his innocence, and that he didn’t know what they were accusing him of. When they saw they were heading nowhere with their captive, they went to his mom’s home and asked her to part with Tshs 200, 000/=.
The woman told them she had nothing to settle the dispute. They told her they were found to finish off his boy. That is exactly what they did. They took him to a forest where using sticks they beat him to death. He pleaded with them to spare his life but the officials weren’t in a mood to consider them.
For instance, he told them that he could persuade his mother to sell the brans. His beaters told him your mom had told them she had nothing so they continued with the brutal beating until they saw they had killed him. When they had come to terms of what they had done, departed from the crime scene and had disappeared. The police are looking for them.
As local leaders become disconnected to the electorate we should expect brutality to take a centre stage. Local leaders in Tanzania no longer hold power at the bequest of the voters. A sense of taking law into themselves has grown disproportionately.
The village leaders knew the right thing was to hand over the suspect to the police who would have carried proper investigations. They didn’t possibly because they were distrustful of the police and expediency suited their calculations.
After the brutal murder, the stolen items were removed at a saloon of a woman who had bought them from two hustlers. When asked whether the murdered young man was the one who sold the things to her. She said he wasn’t! The village officials had wrongfully killed the deceased, and had killed him for a crime he didn’t commit.
Lawlessness grows when leaders lack political accountability to the electorate. It is unclear why they owned those stolen items and how the village officials pinpointed the deceased lad. Was it a premeditated crime with stolen items a ruse to harm him or it was a matter of mistaken identity that is a riddle we may not solve at least for now.
This is what was shared in one of the complainants in Facebook page:
“malisa_gj Habari za leo kaka? Naomba utusaidie
kupaza sauti ili haki iweze kutendeka. Mdogo
wetu Enock Thomas Mhangwa (25), mkazi wa
Runzewe, Geita, ameuawa kwa kupigwa na
viongozi wa serikali ambao ni Afisa Mtendaji wa
kijiji cha Uyovu anaitwa Budimu na Afisa
Mtendaji wa kijiji cha Lyobahika anaitwa
Masembo.
Viongozi hao walimtuhumu Enock kuwa ameiba
kompyuta na mashine za kunyolea wakataka
aoneshe alipoficha vitu hivyo. Enock alikataa
kuhusika na tukio hilo kwa sababu hana tabia ya
wizi. Alipokataa, walimfungia ofisi ya kijiji na
kuanza kumpiga na kumlazimisha aseme.
Baadaye walienda naye nyumbani, wakamkuta
mama, wakamwambia atoe laki 2 ili wamsamehe.
Mama hakuwa na pesa. Wakamwambia, “Kama
huna laki 2, huyu tunaenda kummaliza.’
Wakampeleka porini, ambapo walimpiga wakiwa
wamemfunga mikono kwa nyuma ili asiweze
kujitetea. Enock alipozidiwa, aliwaomba
wamhurumie, ataenda kuongea na mama awape
hiyo hela. Wakamwambia, “Mama yako amesema
hana hela.” Akawaambia atauza pumba maana
alikuwa amekoboa mpunga. Lakini
hawakumsikiliza. Waliendelea kumpiga tu
Katikati ya kipigo walimvunja mbavu na
kumpasua bandama. Alivuja damu ndani kwa
ndani akiomba msaada, lakini hawakumsikiliza.
Waliendelea kumpiga huku wakimrekodi hadi
alipoaga dunia. Baada ya kuona amefariki,
walikimbia na hadi sasa wanatafutwa na polisi.
Hata hivyo, vitu vinayodaiwa kuibiwa vilikutwa
kwenye saluni kwa dada mmoja. Dada huyo
alipoulizwa aliwataja vijana wawili waliomuuzia.
Vijana hao wala hawamjui Enock wala
hawakushirikiana nae. Kwa hiyo mdogo wetu
Enock ameuawa bila hatia.
Tunaumia kwa sababu Enock hajawahi kuwa na
rekodi yoyote ya wizi, hivyo hatujui kwanini
viongozi hao wa serikali waliamua kumuua.
Tunaomba utusaidie kupaza sauti ili wahusika
wakamatwe na kufikishwa mahakamani. Kama
familia tumeumia sana. Mama yangu analia
akikumbuka viongozi hao walivyomuomba laki
mbili ili wasimuue mwanawe.
Laiti angekuwa
nayo, mdogo wetu asingeuawa kikatili vile.
Umaskini ni mbaya sana. Tusaidie kupaza sauti ili
haki itendeke.!” End of quotation.
Key Takeaways.
The brutal extrajudicial execution of Enock Thomas Mhangwa (25) in Runzewe, Geita, Tanzania, represents a grave miscarriage of justice and underscores systemic failures in local governance. Based on the detailed witness account and contextual analysis, the incident reveals disturbing patterns of abuse of power:
⚖️ 1. Summary of Events.
– False Accusation & Extortion:
Village executives Budimu (Uyovu Ward) and Masembo (Lyobahika Village) accused Enock of stealing a computer and shaving equipment. After detaining and beating him at the village office, they demanded Tsh 200,000 (~$85) from his mother to spare his life. When she could not pay, they took him to a forest, bound his hands, and beat him to death with sticks despite his pleas and offers to sell family assets.
– Post-Murder Discovery:
The stolen items were later found at a salon, where the owner identified two unrelated sellers—confirming Enock’s innocence. The killers fled and remain at large.
🔍 2. Systemic Failures & Parallels to Regional Contexts.
– Abuse of Authority:
The officials acted as judge, jury, and executioner, bypassing legal protocols. This mirrors patterns in Ethiopia, where secretive committees (e.g., Oromiya’s “Koree Nageenyaa“) ordered extrajudicial killings to suppress dissent, highlighting how unchecked power enables brutality.
– Accountability Vacuum:
As in Ethiopia’s Amhara conflict, where security forces commit torture and executions with impunity, Tanzanian local leaders operate without oversight. The absence of consequences for such abuses erodes public trust in institutions.
– Socioeconomic Exploitation:
Extorting Enock’s impoverished mother reflects a broader trend where marginalized communities are targeted. Similar dynamics are documented in Oromia, where security forces extort and torture civilians under pretexts of maintaining order.
📉 3. Underlying Causes.
– Erosion of Accountability:
When leaders are appointed rather than democratically accountable (as in Tanzania’s decentralized system), they often prioritize expediency over justice. This aligns with Ethiopia’s history of local officials using violence to assert control.
– Institutional Distrust:
The killers’ refusal to involve police suggests deep distrust in formal justice mechanisms—an issue also prevalent in Ethiopia, where communities avoid reporting abuses due to fear of retaliation or collusion.
– Premeditation vs. Mistake:
Whether Enock was deliberately targeted (e.g., personal vendetta) or misidentified remains unclear. However, the rushed execution and evidence suppression point to intent to conceal the truth.
🛠️ 4. Necessary Actions.
– Immediate Investigations:
Tanzanian authorities must apprehend Budimu and Masembo, with independent oversight to prevent evidence tampering. As recommended by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, external monitors should ensure transparency.
– Legal & Institutional Reforms:
– Mandate training for local officials on due process and human rights.
– Establish community oversight committees to report abuses.
– Compensate Enock’s family for state failure to protect him.
– International Pressure:
The UN Human Rights Council and African Union should demand accountability, echoing calls for justice in Ethiopia’s high-profile abuse cases.
💔 Conclusion.
Enock’s killing exemplifies how lawlessness festers when leaders wield power without accountability. His mother’s trauma—hearing officials barter her son’s life for money—underscores the dehumanizing impact of corruption and impunity.
Tanzania must address these systemic rot to prevent future atrocities. As the Awra Amba community in Ethiopia asserts: “Peace requires respecting human dignity through dialogue, not violence“.
> “Silence enables the next murder. Enock’s story must ignite change.“
Read more analysis by Rutashubanyuma Nestory
