At a time when nobody is sure of what they are speaking about, the latest general election in Tanzania, which saw Mama Samia Suluhu get re-elected by a landslide of 97 per cent, Political Ringside has done it again: uncovering facts that the world cannot afford to ignore.
When noise is louder than truth and opinions are recycled without depth, the show has stepped in with what it does best: slow, uncomfortable, honest political analysis.
Political Ringside begins where many commentators conveniently skip. The story does not start with the ballot. It starts in 2021, in a moment of shock, when Samia Suluhu Hassan unexpectedly walked into power after the death of John Magufuli. At the time, hope filled the room.
Political analyst Trueboy Nyakoko analyses Tanzania’s current status. Photo: Political Ringside | Source: YouTube
There was talk of reform, of reopening civic space, of Tanzania breathing again. Political Ringside reminds viewers that expectations were sky-high, perhaps dangerously so.
Fast forward to the recent election, and the show carefully lays out why a 97 per cent victory has unsettled so many people. Not because landslides are impossible, but because politics is rarely that neat.
Political Ringside points to the quiet removal of serious challengers, the muted opposition campaigns and the sense, whispered more than shouted, that the race had been decided long before voters queued.
President William Ruto with Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan in State House Dar es Salaam
Then comes the part nobody likes to sit with. Political Ringside does not rush past the protests that followed. It lingers there. It names the injuries.
It acknowledges the deaths that opposition groups say have occurred. It also admits the uncertainty, the lack of verified numbers, the fog that settles when fear and force collide. This is where the show’s credibility shows. It resists easy conclusions.
Perhaps the most chilling moment dissected on Political Ringside is the internet blackout. The sudden digital silence.
The show asks a simple question that hangs heavy: What kind of confidence shuts down communication? It is not asked with mockery, but with concern.
As international pressure mounts, Political Ringside frames Tanzania not as a villain, but as a country at a crossroads. Watchdogs are watching. Allies are uneasy. President Samia is under a microscope that she did not have four years ago.
Political analyst Trueboy Nyakoko analyses Tanzania’s current status. Photo: Political Ringside | Source: YouTube
For Kenya, Political Ringside makes it personal. This is not a distant story. It is a neighbour, a partner, a mirror.
Should Kenya stay quiet for stability, or speak up for principle? There are no tidy answers. Political Ringside does not pretend there are.
What it offers instead is something rare. Context. Memory. Courage to think out loud. In a moment when many are guessing, Political Ringside is doing the work, and that is why, once again, the conversation keeps returning to it.