The whereabouts of CHADEMA Deputy Chairperson John Heche remain unknown, two days after his arrest in Dar es Salaam on October 22, with the police yet to issue any official statement explaining where he is being held.
Heche was arrested on October 22 in Dar es Salaam, moments before entering the High Court to attend the treason case of party leader Tundu Lissu. Since then, neither his family nor party officials have been able to trace him.
On Thursday October 23, his mother, Weisiko Heche, visited Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam seeking answers. She said she had just returned from India, where she had gone for medical treatment and only learned of her son’s arrest through social media while in transit in Ethiopia.
“I came to follow up on my son’s case after hearing he was arrested. They told me he is not here. I tried calling Commander Muliro, but he didn’t answer. The Deputy IGP’s assistant told me to wait, then I was later advised to go home because they said he’s not there. My only plea is that they return my son,” she said outside the station.
CHADEMA earlier said police earlier informed them that Heche was transferred to Tarime but local officers there denied having him. His arrest came just days after he was blocked from entering Kenya to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, with immigration officials accusing him of attempting to cross the border illegally, a claim the party strongly denied.
Meanwhile, CHADEMA leader Tundu Lissu remains in custody and his treason trial has been pushed to November 3, just days after the general election. The High Court adjourned the case after the prosecution failed to present a new witness, following the court’s rejection of key digital evidence.
Lissu, who has been in remand for more than 200 days, opposed the adjournment, calling it a political tactic meant to keep him locked up during the elections. The court denied his bail request, citing the non-bailable nature of the charge under Tanzanian law.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has continued her campaign rallies across the country while opposition leaders remain in detention or missing, and rights groups call for accountability.
