Tanzania has suspended the publication of MwanaHALISI, a newspaper known for its critical coverage of the government, for six months after it published a report alleging tensions within the country’s leadership.
The suspension took effect immediately and applies to both the newspaper’s print and electronic editions, according to the Information Services Department.
The government said the newspaper breached media regulations by publishing an unbalanced and insufficiently verified report earlier this month. The article claimed that Vice-President Emmanuel Nchimbi had resisted pressure to resign and had fallen out with President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The newspaper based the report on anonymous sources. Government officials said Nchimbi was not contacted for comment and that statements attributed to the information minister had not been independently verified.
“The Director of Information Services determined that the newspaper should receive a more severe penalty than the previous one,” the government said in a statement.
Officials also cited a separate error in which a photograph of the information minister was published with a caption identifying him as Nchimbi.
A newspaper with a history of clashes
The decision is the latest confrontation between MwanaHALISI and Tanzanian authorities.
Earlier this year, the newspaper was warned after publishing a story questioning how President Hassan had changed since taking office in 2021. The paper was among four newspapers allowed to resume publishing in February 2022 after having been banned under the late President John Magufuli.
Hassan’s arrival in power after Magufuli’s death initially raised hopes of a more open political and media environment. But rights groups and international observers have continued to raise concerns about restrictions on civil liberties and the press.
The latest suspension has drawn criticism from media stakeholders.
Deodatus Balile, chairman of the Tanzania Editors Forum, said he did not support suspending media licences. He questioned whether the same authority should be able to act as complainant and judge in such cases.
The government, however, maintains that the newspaper’s reporting violated media rules and warranted a stronger penalty.
MwanaHALISI has 30 days to appeal the decision under Tanzania’s Media Services Act.
The authorities have also summoned another newspaper, Jamvi la Habari, to respond to concerns over recent articles that officials believe may have breached media regulations.
Press freedom concerns
The suspension comes as Tanzania’s standing on press freedom has fallen sharply.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Tanzania 117th out of 180 countries in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index, down 22 places from the previous year. The organisation said the decline reflected worsening conditions for journalists and growing restrictions on access to information.
The government has defended its regulation of the media, while critics argue that suspensions and other restrictions can have a chilling effect on independent journalism.
For MwanaHALISI, the immediate question is whether its appeal will overturn the six-month suspension and what the decision will mean for a newspaper that has repeatedly found itself on the wrong side of Tanzania’s media authorities.
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