Why Tanzanian security chiefs refused to testify in Lissu treason trial
Tanzanian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu of Chadema party reacts to his supporters as he arrives in the dock at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on August 26, 2026.
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu on Friday closed his defence in his treason trial without calling top security chiefs to the witness box, as they refused to appear, saying they supported the prosecution.
Lissu, who has been battling treason charges for over a year now, told the High Court in Dar es Salaam that three security bosses whom he had sought to call as witnesses—Chief of Defence Forces General Jacob Mkunda, Inspector-General of Police Camillius Wambura and Director of Criminal Investigations Ramadhani Kingai—had flatly refused to testify in his defence.
