[Reposted] Intelligence insights: challenges and potentials for Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan's security sector reform ambitions

[Originally published on July 29, 2023]

By Evarist Chahali, intelligence analyst.

Bottom line up front

• President Samia Suluhu Hassan recently formed a 12-man-committee and secretariat of five members to investigate the performance of security forces in the country.

• She stated that she has formed the two teams to advise her on the best way to bring changes in the performance of the East African nations's criminal justice system.

• “We are going to see if rules and regulations are followed by these organs. Are we really serious or are we used to each other so that it has reached a stage that we don't take stern actions against each other,” said President Hassan.

• Names of teams' members have not been revealed except for the head, ex-Chief Justice Mohammed Chande Othman, and his vice chair, former Chief Secretary Ombeni Sefue.

• While the committee and secretariat are likely to have an easy task in investigating the performance of the police force, which President Samia said would be the first on the list, the their toughest challenge would almost certainly be in dealing with the spy agency TISS. While the former's vices are largely "open secrets", it is virtually impossible to investigate the latter, at least in the Tanzanian context.