Intelligence Insight | Tanzania's Ruling Party CCM’s Billion-Shilling Fundraiser: State Capture and Espionage Concerns
Ujasusi Blog’s East Africa Monitoring Team | 15 July 2025 | 0035 BST
📌 Background: A Billion-Shilling Windfall for CCM 🏦
Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), recently held a high-profile fundraising gala in Dar es Salaam on August 12, 2025, aimed at financing its 2025 general election campaign and strengthening the party’s infrastructure. The results were staggering – over TSh 86.3 billion (approximately USD 35 million) was amassed in one evening. According to party officials, about TSh 56 billion was collected upfront in cash, with another TSh 30 billion in pledges to be paid later. This eye-popping haul far exceeds typical campaign fundraising in Tanzania and has understandably raised both eyebrows and questions.
Who are the donors behind this massive sum? A cross-section of the country’s elite – wealthy business magnates, industry groups, and high-ranking officials – opened their wallets for the ruling party. Key contributions included:
Business Tycoons: The single largest individual donation came from Ghalib Said Mohamed (owner of the GSM Group), reportedly around TSh 10 billion. GSM Group has extensive interests in port logistics, transportation, real estate, and consumer goods, so its hefty pledge signals that major corporate players are heavily invested in CCM’s continued rule.
Mining Interests: Mining companies – both local operators and international firms – collectively contributed roughly TSh 16.2 billion. This bloc was led by the Federation of Miners Associations of Tanzania (FEMATA); notably, FEMATA’s president, John Bina, alone marshalled TSh 16.24 billion from small-scale miners (about TSh 9 billion already paid, with the rest pledged). In an eye-catching example, Bina’s assistant contributed TSh 1.5 billion himself, an unusually large sum that suggests some donations may have been pooled or underwritten by unseen backers.
Political Leaders and Insiders: Top government officials also made contributions, though dwarfed by the private sector’s giving. President Samia Suluhu Hassan contributed TSh 100 million of her own money, Zanzibar’s President Hussein Mwinyi gave TSh 50 million, and several CCM veterans (including the Vice President, Prime Minister, and Speaker of Parliament) chipped in around TSh 20 million each. Cabinet ministers together added a few hundred million shillings more. These are largely symbolic gestures of solidarity from party leaders – the real financial muscle came from the business community.
Others: Various religious leaders, cooperatives, sports clubs and individuals made smaller donations. For instance, a prominent football club donated TSh 100 million, aligning even sports institutions with the ruling party’s campaign.
CCM’s fundraiser was not an ordinary collection of membership dues – it was a who-is-who of Tanzania’s economic elite teaming up to bolster the incumbent party. CCM Secretary General Emmanuel Nchimbi emphasised that the aim was not only to fund the upcoming elections but also to support “party-building” activities like infrastructure and outreach. The party had set an ambitious target of TSh 100 billion for this drive, and surpassing 86% of that goal in one night was touted as a triumphant show of confidence. President Samia, speaking at the event, thanked the contributors and stressed that CCM “must be sustained and fueled” by the resources of its members and supporters.