A commission of inquiry has concluded that the Oct. 29, 2025 unrest was not spontaneous, but rather planned, financed and strategically coordinated, according to findings presented by Justice Othman Chande.

The report says organizers recruited participants in advance, targeting vulnerable groups including youths and motorcycle taxi riders, known locally as bodaboda operators. Recruits were allegedly paid between 10,000 and 50,000 Tanzanian shillings from Oct. 12 to 28, alongside promises of jobs, training and higher income.

In one case cited, a 16-year-old from Usa River in Arusha was reportedly given 50,000 shillings and promised as much as 5 million shillings to take part in the violence, underscoring the scale of inducements used.

Investigators identified at least 16 methods employed to mobilize and coordinate participants, including erecting roadblocks, damaging public infrastructure, using signals to identify one another and triggering disturbances simultaneously across locations—moves the commission said appeared designed to stretch security responses.

The commission said the organizers pursued multiple objectives, including disrupting the electoral process, signaling opposition to authorities and facilitating looting and theft during the unrest.

The findings point to a structured network behind the disturbances, rather than isolated or spontaneous protests.