Tanzanian MP who represents Iringa Town, Peter Msigwa, has been arrested by police in Iringa for addressing his constituents and revealing the circumstances in which Tundu Lissu was attacked.
According to his assistant, the MP was addressing a gathering in Iringa around 4pm when the head of criminal intelligence in Iringa together with other officers stormed the meeting and pulled him down from the podium and drove him away.
Msigwa amekamatwa na Polisi huko Iringa na kushushwa kwa nguvu jukwani ktk Mkutano halali. Msiogope baada ya giza nene asubuhi hutokea!
— Godbless E.J. Lema (@godbless_lema) September 24, 2017
Until 10pm Sunday, MP Peter Msigwa is still being grilled at the police station.
Sources within the Chadema party also reveal that police is more interested in what they told KTN TV in an interview which aired last week. The MP together with Arusha Urban MP Godbless Lema talked about freedom, the role of MPs and shrinking democratic space in Tanzania.
They were candid enough to point that the police cannot investigate the attempted assassination of MP Tundu Lissu while they know who attacked him. They also revealed that the government of Tanzania together with the country’s parliamentary leadership is actively trying to sabotage the treatment of Tundu Lissu.
While Tanzanian MPs have health cover in their scheme of service, the speaker of the country’s parliament has refused to authorise release of funds to pay for the MPs treatment forcing individual MPs to contribute money from their own pockets to fund the treatment.
The money contributed by the individual MPs (approximately TZS 43million) has also been held by the Speaker who is not giving reason as to why he cannot release the funds.
READ: 15 Tanzanians Arrested Donating Blood For Shot Mp, Tundu Lissu
It seems like Tanzania is getting deep into dictatorship where every critic of President Magufuli is actively targeted for harassment and assassination.
The arrest of Peter Msigwa follows that of Zittow Kabwe who was arrested a few days ago after tweeting that Tanzanian parliament is deep in the pockets of the executive.
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