Freedom of Press in Tanzania: “Manumba head to probe journalist’s (Daudi Mwangosi) death”
Written by DAILY NEWS Reporters
THE Police Force has formed a commission of inquiry that will investigate the circumstances that led to the killing of a Channel Ten journalist, Mr Daudi Mwangosi, in Iringa on Sunday.
The journalist got killed during skirmishes that pitted the law enforcers against supporters of an opposition party - Chadema. The late Mwangosi is said to have died on the spot at Nyololo village, Mufindi District, when police were trying to disperse supporters of Chadema at an occasion to launch the party's branch at the area.
The Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Mr Robert Manumba, told the 'Daily News' over the phone from Iringa that the probe team, to be headed by him (DCI) would draw experts from various state organs including the chief government chemist.
He, however, would not divulge more details on the composition of the team. "We will not take long to accomplish the investigation because most witnesses are known and the remains of Mr Mwangosi have already been collected for analysis," the DCI said.
He pleaded for patience among members of the public as the probe team would establish the cause of the death of the journalist.Disturbing images of the remains of the late Mwangosi kept circulating on several social networks and blogs most of the day . The images show his stomach ripped open by what is believed to be a bomb.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Said Mwema, as well as DCI Manumba, in addition to a number of investigators had travelled to Iringa by yesterday afternoon to start the investigations.
Meanwhile, the Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF) in collaboration with the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) have formed a probe team of their own to investigate the killing of the Channel Ten journalist.
The probe by MCT and TEF will enable TEF to decide on the best action to take against the police who are believed to be the culprits behind the killing, said a statement issued by the Secretary General of TEF, Mr Neville Meena, in Dar es Salaam .
In the three-page statement, TEF also called for the resignation of IGP Said Mwema and Iringa Regional Police Commander (RPC) Michael Kamuhanda.
"We also call on the government to form an independent commission to investigate the incident. Its findings should be made public while perpetrators of the shameful act should face legal action," Mr Meena said in a statement.
In another development, the Executive Secretary of MCT, Mr Kajubi Mukajanga, has mourned the death of the Channel Ten journalist, saying that his institution has formed a team of three people to probe the matter.
The team, which will be led by Mr John Mireny, who is the MCT's Publication, Research and Documentation Manager, is meant to conduct a journalistic investigation and give its report by Saturday, this week," he said.
Mr Mukajanga said further that other members in the team include Ms Hawra Shamte from Mwananchi Communications Ltd and Mr Simon Berege, a senior journalist who is now a lecturer at Tumaini University.
He said that the findings would be presented to the MCT board of directors from where the way forward will be decided.Commenting further on the unfortunate death of Mr Mwangosi, Mr Mukajanga noted that he was dismayed by what he termed as "the first ever killing of a journalist in the line of duty."
He called on openness and cautioned authorities against any move to cover up the matter as people were eager to know the reality behind the scene."Photographic evidence which has appeared in the media shows clearly that police are connected with the killing and any move to cover up this incident will not serve any purpose," he said.
Mr Mukajanga said that the incident should serve as a wakeup call to media houses in ensuring the safety of their staff while covering volatile incidents like this one.
He added that MCT saw this coming as several people have been killed in previous incidents that involved political rallies. He added that the Police Force ought to demonstrate high level of professionalism when dealing with chaotic incidents.
Earlier, a University of Dar es Salaam political scientist, Dr Benson Bana, expressed the incident as a result of excessive use of force by police. Dr Bana said that it was also high time politicians stopped their defiance of lawful orders to avoid terrible outcomes.
"Politicians who called for the gathering that led to the chaos might be safe now, but they should also think on the negative consequences that they have been causing to others," he said.
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