The disruption, confirmed by internet watchdog NetBlocks, began on Tuesday evening and affected all major internet service providers in the country, including Airtel, Vodacom, Liquid Telecom, and Habari Node.
'Live metrics show X has become unreachable on major internet providers in #Tanzania; the incident comes as a compromised police account posts claims the president has died, angering the country's leadership,' NetBlocks said in a statement on Mastodon shortly after 9 p.m. EAT.
The clampdown came hours after hackers gained control of the Police Force's verified X account (@tanpol), which has over 470,000 followers. The hackers used the platform to falsely announce the death of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and even held a live broadcast.
Authorities have since regained control of the account and launched an investigation.
'This circulating information is entirely false,' said the Police Force in a statement. 'The Police Force does not, and would never, publish such content through its official platforms.'
The Force vowed to identify and prosecute those behind the cyberattack.
'Legal action will be taken against any individual found to be involved in creating, disseminating, or amplifying such misleading content,' the statement warned.
The attack was not isolated to the police account. Other verified Tanzanian X accounts were also hacked, including Airtel Tanzania, football club Simba SC and media personality Odemba.
The YouTube channel of Tanzania's ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), was also compromised, with the same false message regarding President Suluhu's death appearing across these hacked profiles and triggering widespread panic before official clarifications were issued.
The cyberattack follows a tense political climate in Tanzania, with President Suluhu under fire, particularly from Kenyans on X over a recent crackdown on regional activists. The chaos unfolded amid the ongoing trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, which saw several prominent East African figures deported or arrested upon arrival in Dar es Salaam.
Those affected include Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire and a delegation of legal and civil society figures from Kenya.
Former Justice Minister Martha Karua, ex-Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, LSK Council member Gloria Kimani, and activists Lynn Ngugi, Hanifa Adan, and Hussein Khalid were all detained and deported earlier this week, shortly after arriving in Tanzania to attend a court session related to Lissu's ongoing treason case.
President Suluhu defended the government's actions during a televised address on Monday, warning against what she described as 'interference' by foreign actors.
'We have started to observe a trend in which activists from within our region are attempting to intrude and interfere in our affairs,' she said, calling on security agencies to guard against external influence.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
