Former Ambassador Humphrey Polepole has hit the ground running five days after eschewing a presidential appointment as an ambassador. He says he did it to regain his rights to speak out.
He quickly reviewed his own political ascendant biography. His odyssey as a Musoma D.C then member of the Constitutional Review Commission under Mzee Sinde Warioba. In all his narratives, he appears to credit his political activism that grew him the wings to assail the heights he had scaled. Looks like he now expects lightning to strike twice at the same spot, which it is him! That rarely happens, I am really afraid.
Of all his grievances, what led to the coronation of President Samia Suluhu Hassan to be the CCM presidential flag bearer drew most of his ire. He made a comparative argument about how his former boss John Pombe Magufuli was taken in the process in 2015. What he may have failed to grasp, he has now burnt the very bridge he needed to negotiate the 2030 CCM factionalism. Polepole now is damaged goods, as far as his superiors in CCM are concerned. He is now a marked man who wants to rock the boat from within, and all efforts will be directed to keep him quiet, indeed.
He said in 2015 a transparent process was deployed unlike in 2025. Polepole’s deliberate evasion of how Magufuli was anointed in 2020 is understandable not forgetting he is a cunning politician albeit stranded by overambition. At the end of his agitation, Polepole urges for a repeat process that will never come to pass.
This discourse looks at what was said, and intentionally avoided hot buttons to build Polepole’s tenuous case of a moral compass.
What Did He Say?
Here is a comprehensive summary of Humphrey Polepole’s key statements from his July 18, 2025, press conference in Dar es Salaam, based on available reports:
🔴 1. Confirmation of Resignation and Core Reasons.
– Reiterated his resignation as Ambassador to Cuba was driven by “loss of peace of heart and faith” in President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration.
– Criticized the erosion of constitutional principles, human rights protections, and accountability within CCM, stating the party now prioritizes “individual or group interests over institutional integrity“.
– Emphasized that recent violations of CCM’s internal democracy—especially in leader selection—were a breaking point.
🔴 2. Abduction of His Sister.
– Incident Details:
Reported that on July 17 (around 11 PM), unidentified individuals invaded his elder sister’s home in Bahari Beach by “jumping over the wall.” They confronted her, demanding “information,” after which her phone became unreachable.
– Suspected Motive:
Explicitly linked the attack to his resignation, stating, “If someone is looking for me, my phone numbers are available“, implying state-sponsored intimidation.
– Aftermath:
Family members found unidentified vehicles (Land Cruisers, a Noah) near the home and strangers entering the property. His sister remained missing as of the press conference.
🔴 3. Media Suppression and Today’s Speech.
– Condemned the blocking of social media in Tanzania to silence his press conference, calling it a pattern of censorship. This mirrored the 2021 suspension of his critical YouTube show, “Shule ya Uongozi”.
– Stressed that his speech aimed to expose “truths” about governance decay despite risks, urging citizens to demand accountability.
🔴 4. Broader Political Critique.
– Accused the government of systemic failures: “weakening execution of core duties,” declining leadership ethics, and suppressing dissent under the guise of “party loyalty“.
– Reaffirmed his commitment to CCM as an ordinary member but vowed to continue advocating for reforms “based on justice and morals“.
🔴 5. CCM Wrongfooted In The Presidential Nomination.
- He blames factionalism for throttled democratic processes contrary to clear provisions of the CCM constitution. He still believes CCM can claw back the presidential nominations to restore CCM battered integrity.
💎 Key Quote:
> “Whose interests are being fought for—an individual, a group, or the Party Institution? … I will not be part of a leadership divorced from ethics.”
📌 Contextual Notes.
– Timing:
The press conference occurred one day after his sister’s abduction and five days after his resignation.
– International Impact:
His resignation letter, circulated globally, highlighted Tanzania’s democratic backsliding ahead of 2025 elections.
– Government Sullen Silence:
No official statement from President Samia or CCM as of July 18.
This press conference intensified scrutiny on Tanzania’s governance, linking political dissent to personal safety and media freedom.
Police Promises To Work On Polepole’ Sister Disappearance.
Police have said they are working on reports of abduction of Polepole’s sister as reported by Polepole himself.
My Take:
CCM is now bedridden with factions navigating the 2030 succession politics. Despite what Polepole said, pragmatism teaches us that President Samia Suluhu Hassan is a foregone conclusion to keep her job after 2025. All the circuses aiming to scuttle this will come into a cropper.
Those who think otherwise will do well to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Politics is for pragmatists, not for academicians. Polepole is intentionally evasive and misleading when he claimed the anointing of Magufuli as CCM presidential flag bearer was without bumps. What he conveniently overlooks is that what he calls the “CCM norms” apply when there is a vacancy and now there is none.
In the 2015 presidential nomination, the then president Jakaya Kikwete was barred from seeking a third term this was why there was a modicum of democracy which some losers of that process like Bernard Membe and Edward Lowassa bitterly disagreed: Lowassa in 2015 and Membe in 2020 respectively.
In 2015, Lowassa’s name wasn’t shortlisted to join the five nominees despite collecting over 10 million of signatures who endorsed him across the country. Lowassa lamented a staged process to rig him out.
In 2020, Magufuli, enabled by Polepole and the rest of CCM central committee, ensured only one nomination form was printed. In fact, when Membe wanted to secure the presidential application form he was deregistered from CCM membership unheard! There is no word from Polepole to defend this blatant abuse of CCM’s own constitution.
CCM modus operandi: there is no vacancy when the sitting president is seeking reelection. This is what happened this time around although not filling a form was unusual but practical given the political circumstances.
Polepole will join Dr. Wilbard Slaa as ex-ambassadors who turned against their former employer.
Like Dr. Slaa, Polepole will soon find doors closed very fast with a bang. Dr. Slaa was relieved of the status of an ambassador no sooner he had crashed with his former employer and Polepole is marching towards that direction. A path to oblivion not to a genuine reformer due to a simple reason: Polepole is a power monger not an agent of change. Unlike the latter, the former whittles dry no sooner political patronage roots are cut off as in his particular case.
It is sad to see a promising political career that gatecrashed to the scepter of power now cut to size just too soon.
Polepole’s Circumstances Mirror Of Lazarus Nyalandu.
Another CCM upcoming politician called Lazarus Nyalandu who was angered when the then president Magufuli didn’t appoint him in his cabinet.
Nyalandu, like Polepole, failed to understand his hierarchical position in an organization called CCM. They both thought they were part and parcel of the empire, they weren’t. They were mere middle level outliers, nothing more.
Nyalandu followed the footsteps of Edward Lowassa to decamp to Chadema in a forlorn hope of mimicking Lowassa’s political fortunes of becoming Chadema’s presidential candidate. He wasn’t nominated despite hiring a huge bus again photocopying the US presidential candidates of painting aloud their presidential aspirations. Nobody even took Nyalandu seriously to say the least.
After coming to terms of his political miniature size, Nyalandu backpedalled to CCM where he is languishing into obscurity despite his latest attempt to resuscitate a flickering political career that has already exhausted her better days.
Polepole is also trundling that path into political incognito. There is no need to abduct his siblings since he is done, once and for all. Let him keep cannibalizing himself.
Depending how far Polepole wants to push his narratives his stay in CCM is now tenuous.
When an average CCM member threatened to go to courts to challenge how president Samia was nominated, he was axed to end his wrath, Polepole may find himself partyless. The temperature is super hot, and decisions may come fast and furious.
Polepole Miscalculated His Political Influence.
Ethical arguments make sense when the levers of power are within striking distance which is not the case we are dealing with right now. Polepole is a political spent force and will do better by toning down rather than chest thumping.
Political liabilities are expendable and our beloved Polepole is just that, nothing more! Therefore, his shrinking political base is unabated no matter how high are his decibels, and getting out of sabre-rattling happens to be the only ace in his fragile hands.
Read more analysis by Rutashubanyuma Nestory
