Police in Tanzania Wednesday arrested, questioned and released the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) secretary general, Dr Willibrod Slaa, and two MPs on accusation of holding an illegal rally.

Arrested and questioned alongside Dr Slaa were the Special Seats MPs, Ms Rachel Mashishanga and Ms Chiku Obwao, who were accused of conducting the unlawful rally at Imalampaka village in Maswa District, Shinyanga region in central Tanzania.

The Shinyanga Regional Police Commander, Mr Diwani Athumani, said the three Chadema leaders were arrested at around 8am (East Africa Time) when they were about to leave for Kagera region to continue with their activities.

Top leaders of Chadema, including majority of its MPs, are in Lake Zone regions, conducting demonstrations and rallies to protest the increasing life hardships.

Police custody

Mr Athumani explained that after their demonstrations in Maswa on Tuesday, the Chadema leaders also conducted an illegal rally at Imalampaka village in which they used abusive language and rushed to Kahama after the rally. He said they were not permitted to hold a rally at the village.

Mr Athumani said at Kahama, they joined with the Chadema national chairman, Mr Freeman Mbowe, and they started preparation for a journey to Kagera region to continue with their demonstrations and rallies.

Dr Slaa and the two MPs, he went on, held a rally outside the time permitted to do so according to the permit which the Police Force in Shinyanga region had issued.

The three leaders were arrested by a team of police led by the Regional Crime Officer, Mr Kashindye Hussein, and were escorted to the district police headquarters.

One learning that their leaders were in police custody, Chadema members and supporters started to gather outside the police station.

However, Mr Athumani said that during the questioning, Dr Slaa and his colleagues said they were following a timetable given to them by their district leaders.

“They told us that they had no ill intention in holding the rally at the village because that is what they were told by the district leaders and they knew that the rally was allowed,” he said.

He said after the interrogation, all three leaders were released on bail but the Police Force was continuing with the investigations of the incident.

Reports obtained Wednesday afternoon said Dr Slaa and the two MPs arrived in Bukoba and joined Mr Mbowe for a demonstrations and rally.