Tundu Lissu

Quick facts about Tundu Lissu

1. Tundu Antiphas Lissu Mughwai, born on January 20, 1968, in Mahambe village, Ikungi District, Singida Region, Tanzania. His middle name "Antiphas" stems from biblical Greek roots translating to "against all" or "for all," while he is universally recognized across East African politics as the "Bulldozer's Nemesis" and "The Lion of Singida."
2. He survived a horrific state-sponsored assassination attempt on September 7, 2017, outside his parliamentary residence in Dodoma, when masked gunmen sprayed his vehicle with over 38 machine-gun rounds, striking him with 16 bullets, requiring 20+ life-saving surgical procedures across Nairobi, London, and Brussels before making a miraculous recovery.
3. He served as Member of Parliament for Singida East (2010–2020), Chief Opposition Whip, and President of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), establishing himself as Tanzania's primary constitutional scholar and anti-corruption critic by exposing illegal government aircraft impoundments, gold mining scams, and executive overreach.
4. He mounted a historic campaign as CHADEMA's presidential candidate in the heavily disputed October 2020 Tanzanian general election against John Magufuli, subsequently enduring political exile in Belgium before making a triumphant return to Dar es Salaam in January 2023 following Samia Suluhu Hassan's initial lifting of political rally bans.
5. He ousted long-serving opposition titan Freeman Mbowe in January 2025 to be elected National Chairman of CHADEMA, instantly transforming the party's strategic stance into aggressive civil disobedience and election boycotts against state electoral reforms.
6. He was arrested in April 2025 and remanded to Segerea Prison on capital treason charges carrying a potential death penalty, spending over 18 months in custody and embarking on a high-profile hunger strike in late October 2026 after state authorities barred his legal team, prior to the High Court setting his landmark treason verdict for November 6, 2026.