Ali Kiba apologises to Tanzanians for supporting Samia Suluhu
By Nancy Marende, November 6, 2025Tanzanian music star Ali Kiba has publicly apologised to his fellow citizens for supporting President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Taking to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday night, November 6, 2025, the award-winning Bongo Flava icon wrote, “Poleni ndugu zangu Watanzania, na ninawaomba msamaha kwa kuwa kwaza.”
Loosely translated as, “My fellow Tanzanians, I apologise for offending you.”
Tanzania’s protest
The Tanzania general elections, which took place on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, unfolded amid protests as citizens voiced deep frustration with the government over a myriad of issues.
The protests were largely unexpected, and weeks before the elections, a trove of celebrated Tanzanian artistes were still actively campaigning for President Samia Suluhu, showering her with praises despite widespread concerns that the opposition had not been offered an equal opportunity to compete.
Also watch: AU election observers say Tanzania polls marred by glaring irregularities.
So, when the protests broke out, artistes who had openly supported President Samia found themselves thrust into the eye of a storm as citizens turned on them in a fierce online campaign that forced some to retreat from social media for a while.
At the same time, others, such as Diamond Platnumz, were compelled to wipe clean their social media pages of any content that had previously shown them endorsing President Samia Suluhu, while artistes like Billnass chose to deactivate their accounts altogether, as Tanzanians made good their threats to cancel artistes perceived to be siding with the ruling regime.
The swearing in
President Samia Suluhu was officially sworn in as the country’s president-elect on Monday, November 3, 2025, yet citizens across social media had not relented in their criticism of her administration, persistently demanding an official statement over the deaths reported during the protests.
Addressing the country on Monday, November 3, 2025, after days of unrest that left several towns tense, President Samia said the government was closely monitoring the situation and urged citizens to uphold unity and calm as security agencies work to restore order.
She reminded those involved in inciting violence that true strength is not measured through confrontation but through conversation and cooperation.
“We must choose what benefits us all, because the safety of our entire nation is protected by each one of us, with all our might and at any cost,” the president said during her inauguration ceremony.
The Head of State said she was speaking both as a leader and as a mother to the nation, asking Tanzanians to prioritise dialogue and peace over chaos
“I sincerely urge my fellow citizens to uphold peace and tranquillity. I want to use this opportunity, as a mother, to issue a warning to all those who have incited violence and unrest. Let them understand that chaos and the absence of peace only end in the testing of strength and defence, but dialogue brings about unity and understanding,” she added.