Nay Wa Mitego, Tanzanian Hip Hop Artist, Wants Government In Check

Emmanuel Munisi, alias Nay Wa Mitego is always at loggerheads with the Tanzanian government

Music is in part, defined as an art of arranging sounds to express emotions and feelings, and Tanzanian artist Nay Wa Mitego does just that – expressing his emotions and feelings through music.

The only problem is that his sounds put him at loggerheads with the Tanzanian authorities.

Since 2016, during the tenure of late president John Magufuli, Wa Mitego can’t account for the number of times he has been arrested, threatened or even charged because of his music that tends to criticize the government.

Just this September, BASATA, the country’s body in charge of music and art regulation charged him with dubious offences after he released ‘Nitasema’, a song calling out the government for emergence of abductions and forced disappearances in the country.

Cases of Human Rights Abuse In Tanzania

Over the last ten years, Tanzania has witnessed a surge in human right violations by government operatives.

When Magufuli’s successor, Suluh Hassan took over, the cases reduced, but they have since gone high, with the country going into an election in 2025.

And one major political problem in the East African country is the absence of a strong opposition. Any politician who stands out to criticize the government is either assassinated, or just silenced by government machineries.

One example is Tundu Lisu, who appears to be the country’s opposition leader but operates in fear, many times from abroad in Europe or neighbouring countries.

Lisu, who became a fierce critic of the government, survived an assassination attempt in 2017 after being shot 38 times in the parking area of his parliamentary residence.

Ali Kibao, who was one of the country’s opposition leaders and would have played a key role in the 2025 elections was found murdered after being abducted from a bus in broad daylight just this September.

Human rights activists have called out the government for these atrocities and continue to demand answers.

CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) is the majority party in Tanzania and has ruled the country since gaining independence in 1961.

Nay Wa Mitego Vows to Carry On

According to Nay Wa Mitego whose real name is Emmanuel Munisi, he is taking it his job to put the government in check since there is no proper body in the country to do so and he will not be stopped by intimidation.

Besides, he knows that the government understands the impact of music in the society, so he is awakening the masses while also simply putting the government on toes.

“I believe and have learned that people in power know how powerful music can be,” Nay says.

Nay is one of the country’s big artists and has a massive following on his social media handles.