Various Tanzanian government social media accounts were hacked on Monday, May 20, and used to spread false information claiming that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had died.
The misinformation was posted on platforms such as the X account (formerly Twitter) of the Tanzania Police Force, the official YouTube channel of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, and the X account of Airtel Tanzania.
The Tanzania Police Force, through its X page, denied the claims, stating that the posts made in its name were false and had nothing to do with them.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan is alive and well. However, since the weekend, she has been targeted on social media by critics, mainly from Kenya and Tanzania, who oppose her administration.
The cyberattack came after the Tanzanian government, on Sunday, expelled six Kenyan politicians from its territory. Among them was a former Kenyan Minister of Justice. They had travelled to Tanzania to observe the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Lissu, who is the head of CHADEMA—the main opposition party in Tanzania—is facing charges that include conspiracy against the state.
Following the hacking, NetBlocks, a platform monitoring internet disruptions, reported that the Tanzanian government had blocked access to X in the country overnight.
