Tanzania’s Human Rights Commission Finds Arusha Regional Commissioner Guilty of Power Abuse

By Adonis Byemelwa

 In a landmark ruling, the Human Rights and Good Governance Commission (THBUB) has found Arusha Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda guilty of gross abuse of power. Makonda unlawfully ordered the arrest and 96-hour detention of a civilian without charges, a blatant disregard for legal protocols.

This verdict was announced today, yesterday 19, 2024, in Dodoma by THBUB Chairman Retired Justice Mathew Mwaimu. Despite being summoned to defend himself, Makonda refused to appear before the commission, demonstrating a troubling contempt for accountability.

Despite being summoned, Makonda refused to appear before the commission to defend himself, THBUB Chairman Retired Justice Mathew Mwaimu said today in Dodoma. He was delivering the commission’s findings on human rights and governance violations for 2022/23.

Justice Mwaimu reported that from July 1, 2023, to May 30, 2024, the commission received 135 new complaints, bringing the total number of complaints addressed that year to 1,020. During this period, the commission concluded investigations into 236 complaints, with 784 cases still under investigation.

The commission found that Makonda unlawfully ordered the arrest of an unnamed Arusha resident. The arrest did not adhere to the legal protocols and the accused was not involved in the primary allegations Makonda cited.

“The commission found that the regional commissioner exceeded his authority by handling a matter that should have followed a judicial process. Even if there were indications of criminal behavior, the correct procedure would have been to instruct the police to take appropriate action as per the law,” stated Justice Mwaimu.

He urged public officials to adhere to the laws, regulations, and procedures of the country and avoid taking the law into their own hands. Justice Mwaimu emphasized the violation of the suspect’s rights, noting the 96-hour detention without charges as illegal.

“Despite being called to defend himself before the commission, the regional commissioner (Makonda) refused to appear. However, this did not prevent the commission from performing its duties. It is our protocol to offer a fair hearing, but non-compliance does not halt our investigations,” added Justice Mwaimu.

Efforts by Mwananchi to reach Makonda on his mobile phone for comment were unsuccessful. In the 2022/23 period, the commission received 1,524 complaints and concluded 789, leaving 885 cases continuing into the new fiscal year starting July 1, 2023.

In another case, the commission investigated allegations against Babati MP (CCM) Pauline Gekul, accused of cruelty and harassment towards two former employees. The claims included inserting bottles into their rectums to extract confessions about poisoning Gekul’s food and placing witchcraft items in her hotel, Paleii Lake View.

After a thorough investigation, the commission found no evidence to substantiate these allegations. However, the commission did find that the complainants were detained for an extended period while being interrogated by Gekul, thus violating their right to freedom.

"Although we did not find sufficient evidence to support the allegations against Pauline Gekul, the prolonged detention of the complainants was a clear violation of their rights," concluded Justice Mwaimu.