Jerry Muro, the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) television investigative journalist, was on Sunday, January 31, 2010 arrested by police and interogated for more than five hours on allegations of soliciting bribes.

The Hali Halisi Publishers Limited, a company that owns Mwanahalisi Newspaper has launched a lawsuit against the Tanzania government in an attempt to seek nullification of provision 25(1) (2) of The Newspaper Act. The Act was earlier used by the Minister of Information, Culture and Sports to ban publication of Mwanahalisi Newspaper from 13 October 2008 to 12 January 2009 for publishing stories allegedly aimed to incite public hatred against the President and provoking disorder within the President’s family.

Minister of Information, Culture and Sport, George Mkuchika announced before parliament on 15 July 2009 that government intends to table the Media Bill before Minister’s Council. The bill intends to repeal all scrap laws that are repugnant with the constitution especially on the right to information.

After suffering a government ban for three months for allegedly tarnishing the name of the head of state in October 2008, and personal attacks that left its editor, Saed Kubenea, almost blind in January 2008, the Mwanahalisi newspaper, a small but vibrant and leading crusader against corruption in the Tanzanian society has now challenged the constitutionality of the Newspapers Act. This law was used to ban the newspaper and the Jakaya Kikwete led government has been prevaricating on civic society calls to repeal the colonial law.