Old accident video falsely linked to Tanzanian president’s campaign rally

Published on October 10, 2025 at 10:58
3 min read
By Peris GACHAHI, AFP Kenya

With Tanzania’s election drawing nearer, misinformation is on the rise. Following a campaign rally held by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Arusha, a video circulating online purported to show an accident involving her motorcade. But this is false; the footage was taken in 2024 when the convoy of Paul Makonda, a leader in the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, was involved in an accident in the Mtwara region of Tanzania.

“President Samia’s motorcade involved in an accident in Arusha,” reads the text overlaid on a TikTok post published on October 2, 2025, and shared more than 1,000 times.

Screenshot of the false TikTok post, taken on October 3, 2025

The claim surfaced a day after Hassan kicked off her presidential campaign in Arusha (archived here).

Hassan, who is seeking to retain her position on the ruling CCM party ticket in the upcoming October 29, 2025 general election, has been touring various regions to promote her development agenda (archived here).

However, social media posts claiming that the Tanzanian leader’s motorcade was involved in an accident during a recent rally in Arusha are false.

Old video

AFP Fact Check conducted reverse image searches on keyframes from the clip and found that the footage is from 2024 and involved a different politician.

Local Tanzanian media outlet Wasafi Fm reported on the accident on February 11, 2024, in a TikTok post written in Swahili with the headline: “Makonda’s motorcade involved in accident in Masasi” (archived here).

“The motorcade of Paul Makonda, the Secretary for Ideology, Propaganda, and Training of the ruling CCM party, has been involved in an accident in the Masasi area of Mtwara Region,” the post reads.

The crash involved “more than seven vehicles” in Makonda’s convoy, which was driving from Ruvuma to Dar es Salaam.

According to the report, “at least seven people were injured and taken to Mtwara Regional Hospital,” but “no deaths were reported”, and officials said that Makonda was safe.

@wasafi_media MSAFARA WA MAKONDA WAPATA AJALI MASASI Msafara wa katibu wa nec itikadi uenezi na mafunzo wa Ccm Paul Makonda umepata ajali katika eneo la Masasi mkoani Mtwara Ajali hiyo iliyotokea saa 9 alasiri imehusisha zaidi ya magari 7 yaliyokuwepo katika msafara wa muenezi Makonda uliokuwa unatoka mkoani Ruvuma kuelekea jijini Dar es salaam Taarifa zilizothibitishwa kutoka eneo la tukio zinaeleza kuwa watu wasiopungua 7 wamejeruhiwa na kukimbizwa katika hospital ya mkoa wa Mtwara na huku kukiwa hakuna kifo chochote Hata hivyo kwa upande wa hali ya kiafya ya katibu wa nec itikadi uenezi na mafunzo wa Ccm Paul Makonda ipo salama. @officialzungu_ @jimmy_pro_gallery #wasafidigital #Makonda ♬ original sound - Wasafi Media

Wasafi Media also published footage from the scene on YouTube.

The same black vehicle leading the motorcade, with the same licence plate and smashed front end, can be seen in both videos.

Screenshots taken on October 3, 2025, comparing the false post (left) and the original footage published by Wasafi Media on YouTube

The incident was also reported by other local and international news outlets (archived here).

At the time, Hassan was on a two-day visit to Vatican City, where she met with the late Pope Francis (archived here).

On October 1, 2025, government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa dismissed the claims via Instagram.

“Ignore the deliberate misinformation being spread by those sharing this old video,” the post in Swahili reads. “The motorcade of Her Excellency President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan has not been involved in any accident. This accident occurred in 2024 and did not involve the President.”

Screenshot of the government spokesperson's Instagram post, taken October 3, 2025

We found no credible source of evidence of Hassan’s motorcade being involved in any accident during recent campaign rallies.

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