THE war on narcotics in Tanzania could be about to reach a turning point with the appointment of the country's new drug czar and a spate of high-profile arrests of prominent individuals over the past few days, analysts said yesterday.
President John Magufuli set in motion a reinvigorated "war on drugs" last week when he ordered security forces in the country to go after drug barons, saying no one was above the law - not even his own wife or cabinet ministers.
"Even if my wife, Janeth, is involved (in drugs) arrest her and take her to court," Magufuli told heads of the country's defence and security forces at State House in Dar es Salaam in an unprecedented manner.
"In this war against narcotics, no one is too prominent to be arrested even if they are politicians, security officers, cabinet ministers or children of prominent persons."
Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda picked up the mantle of the no-holds-barred war on drugs in the country's commercial capital by publicly announcing the names of 65 people, among them very prominent individuals, whom he described as persons of interest in the fight against the illicit trade.
The Dar es Salaam RC ordered the ‘persons of interest’ to report to the central police station in the city for questioning.
Among the high-profile individuals named by the RC were local music and film celebrities, prominent businessmen, politicians and clerics.
Dar es Salaam Zonal Police Commander Simon Sirro told journalists that police were holding for questioning a well-known cleric, Bishop Josephat Gwajima, and business tycoon Yusuf Manji, along with several other suspects.
Both Gwajima and Manji have vigorously denied any allegations of involvement in drug trafficking and have accused Makonda of personal vendetta.
"After cooperating with the police, I will go to court to sue Makonda for defamation," Manji told journalists before reporting to the central police station on Thursday.
Similarly, Gwajima, when dismissing allegations of involvement in illicit drugs trade, accused the Dar es Salaam RC of a smear campaign.
"Makonda's intention is to tarnish my name. Law-enforcement officers know that Gwajima is not involved in drug trafficking," he told his followers before turning himself in to the police.
Gwajima and Manji have already spent several days in police detention. While Gwajima was released yesterday evening, it could not be immediately established if Manji was still in detention.
National chairman of the opposition CHADEMA party Freeman Mbowe, who was also named by Makonda in his list of persons of interest wanted by the police for questioning over drug trafficking allegations, refuted any involvement in narcotics.
Mbowe, who is also a prominent businessman and Member of Parliament, dismissed the move as political witch-hunt.
"I deny in the strongest terms any involvement in drug trafficking or abuse," Mbowe told journalists earlier this week, saying he would also sue Makonda for defamation of his character.
'Cautious optimism'
The biggest question on the minds of many observers is - where do we now go from here after the recent dramatic developments in the country’s war on drugs?
Analysts welcomed the appointment by President Magufuli on Friday of Rogers Siyanga as commissioner general of the newly-formed Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA).
Establishment of the DCEA and appointment of key officials to head the new anti-drugs body is expected to give a fresh impetus to the fight against narcotics.
But other observers warned that the war on drugs has reached a potential watershed moment and could end up becoming an epic failure if it was not handled properly.
National coordinator of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) Onesmo Olengurumwa told The Guardian on Sunday that the war on drugs should be spearheaded by competent law-enforcement agencies instead of individuals such as regional commissioners.
"The identification, investigation and interrogation of suspects should be handled by security organs or other entrusted bodies," he said, adding:
"I commend the commitment of the Dar es Salaam RC, but we need to let our law enforcement agencies to lead this war on drugs."
Olengurumwa cautioned that without changing tactics in the fight against drug trafficking networks, little progress would be made.
For his part, chairman of the Tanzania Constitutional Forum (TCF) Deus Kibamba stressed the importance of following legal procedures in the war on drugs.
“The constitution clearly states that, for the purposes of preserving the right or equality of human beings, human dignity shall be protected in all activities pertaining to criminal investigations and process and in any other matters for which a person is restrained, or in the execution of a sentence,” he said.
“The war on drugs must be handled by criminal investigation experts who know all the tricks of the game ... this war should not be led by a regional commissioner, but by a law-enforcement agency,” Kibamba emphasized.
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