Are We Lighting the Fuse?
The crackdown on small traders could be the spark that starts a fire we will not be able to put out.
On Saturday, 10 October 2026, I saw two things that worried me, and later I heard about a third.
A Rubbish Truck Full of People
The first was a large rubbish truck packed with small traders who had been arrested, along with their goods. Riding in the same truck was a large group of the people who had arrested them: young men in the official uniform of the Dar es Salaam City militia (mgambo).
Why did this frighten me? Because those arrested were young people without formal jobs, struggling to earn a living honestly. Stopping them from running the small businesses within their means sends them a deeply negative message.
It amounts to telling them: "You have no right to live!" And what is frightening is that no living creature lets its life be taken while it simply stands and watches.
When an Honest Living Is Taken Away
When fighting to survive, human beings turn to crime. It is in our nature. Even thieves and bribe-takers in our offices are caught up in the same struggle. They are employed to work 30 days a month, but their pay covers only 20 days of their needs. That arithmetic is the real answer to why corruption and theft are so widespread.
For those who have no formal job and are also denied the right to earn an honest living, we should expect more pickpockets and muggers on our streets. That is the first kind of crime.
The second kind, and the more frightening one, is the outbreak of large-scale unrest.
Large-scale unrest usually ends up taking on a political face. It takes enormous force to put down, and even after that force is used, the government concerned often ends up falling. There are many examples; we need not name them.
Demolitions in Mpanda: Is This a Nationwide Operation?
While I was still thinking about what I had seen, another event came up. A friend showed me a video clip of demolitions under way in the town of Mpanda, in Katavi Region. In the video, a council bulldozer was mercilessly flattening the stalls of small traders.
Why did this one frighten me too? Because it occurred to me that this "war" on street vendors, the machinga, might be a campaign aimed at the whole country!
Just imagine: pickpockets and muggers springing up across the entire country. Could you stop being afraid?
Or ask yourself: where would unrest that breaks out nationwide end? If that does not frighten you, you are no ordinary person!
Mbagala: The Vendors Are Gone, and Prices Are Up
The third event is a story from another friend. He lives in Buguruni, but he usually buys his household supplies, especially food, in Mbagala. He says food prices in Mbagala are generally much lower than in other parts of the city.
He told me that on that day he went to Mbagala to shop as usual, but found things very different from what he was used to. The vendors were gone; in their place were hundreds of militia officers.
After asking around, he was directed to the back streets, where he found what he needed, but only in secret and at higher prices than he was used to.
His story deepened my fear. The biggest market for farmers is the small traders in our towns and cities. If those traders are gone, farmers have no reason to bring their produce to town.
Is There a Hidden Hand?
This friend believes that there are people inside the government who want serious unrest to break out in the country. He believes they are receiving "bribes" from foreign countries and are using the excuse of keeping our towns and cities clean. He says this has come after attempts to stir up unrest by funding political parties failed.
I am not sure about this theory that foreign money is being used to provoke unrest through small traders.
What I am sure of is that what is happening now will cause problems down the road.
A Request to Her Excellency the President
I do not believe that what is happening has the blessing of our President, Her Excellency Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan.
President Samia is among the very best presidents this country has had. Since taking office, she has done a great deal to improve the lives of Tanzanians. She surely knows that most of her people have no formal employment and must rely on themselves to earn a living. It is hard to imagine a leader with that understanding ordering such inhumane actions as the ones now taking place.
The President carries a great many responsibilities, so some things can happen without her knowledge.
I humbly ask that, if possible, she set up a way to meet ordinary citizens face to face, at least once a month, so that she knows for certain what is happening on the ground. This would be nothing new: another of our finest presidents, the late Ali Hassan Mwinyi, did the same.
What do you think? Are we lighting the fuse? Share your view in the comments below, and pass this article on to someone you know.
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