Humphrey Polepole has expressed dissatisfaction with the current Tanzanian ruling party over what he termed a misplaced priority.

During an online press briefing on Friday, July 18, he accused individuals allegedly linked to the state of orchestrating the kidnapping of his sister as an act of political intimidation.

Polepole is reportedly under state scrutiny following a dramatic shift in his political stance and public behavior. Once a trusted insider and loyal defender of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Party during President John Magufuli’s administration, Polepole held influential positions, including CCM’s Ideology and Publicity Secretary and later, Ambassador to Cuba in President Samia Suluhu’s government.

During Magufuli’s tenure, he staunchly supported government policies, including crackdowns on opposition and civil liberties. However, in recent months, Polepole has become an outspoken critic of the current leadership under President Suluhu.

Last week, he publicly resigned from his ambassadorial role, citing discomfort with the direction the country was taking and accusing the current administration of straying from the foundational values of Tanzania’s founding fathers, such as Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Sheikh Abeid Karume.

“I was not pleased with how things were being run in the CCM government, So how was I then supposed to appreciate something that wasn’t right?” Humphrey said.

The diplomat said the ideological reversal from loyal enforcer to outspoken dissenter has not only politically isolated him but also placed him under heightened attention from state actors.

His insider knowledge of CCM’s operations combined with his willingness to expose alleged wrongdoing, he says, positions him as a symbolic threat to the regime.

“The reason why I didn’t talk when I was in the government as the ambassador in Cuba, is that, I could not bite the hand that fed me, that’s why after resigning I have come out to publicly speak,” explained Poleple.

His criticism carries more weight than that of regular opposition figures due to his past proximity to power.

He further warned that he intends to release damning evidence against powerful figures in government, stating that the information he has shared so far is only 25% of what he could reveal.

“If CCM wants to be a ruling party, then it should serve people’s needs and not their selfish gains; it should also accept corrections and not send them away. I may not talk much because these people are protected, but I promise you everything that happens in the darkness will surely come to light one day,” he warned.

His remarks come a day after his sister was allegedly kidnapped by individuals he described as government-aligned operatives, attempting to silence or neutralize his growing influence as a whistleblower.