The Tanzania Media Women's Association (TAMWA) said police statistics show 1,605 people were killed in relationship disputes between 2024 and the middle of 2026, with women accounting for most of the victims. TAMWA executive director Dr Rose Reuben presented the figures at a press conference in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, appearing with a coalition of human rights defenders to issue a joint statement against domestic homicides, according to ippmedia.co.tz.
Why it matters
The numbers point to a rising share of murders tied to intimate relationships, even as overall homicide reports have fallen. Police recorded 2,193 murders in 2024, of which 422 stemmed from relationship disputes, ippmedia.co.tz reports. In 2025, relationship-related killings climbed to 725 out of 1,977 homicides.
The trend has continued into this year. Between January and June 2026, police logged 941 murders, up from 926 in the same period of 2025, and 458 of this year's cases were directly connected to conjugal violence.
"Over two and a half years, 1,605 people lost their lives to affinity disputes, with women disproportionately affected," Reuben said, as reported by ippmedia.co.tz.
What is driving the killings
Reuben cited United Nations figures showing that 40 percent of female homicides worldwide result from violence by an intimate partner. Media monitoring between July and October 2026 suggests such killings are increasing, with unmanaged anger over jealousy, money conflicts and property disputes among the triggers.
Dr Sylvia Ruambo, director of the Support Future Foundation, listed mental health difficulties, possessive behaviour, misuse of social media and weakening family structures as contributing factors. She stressed that no social or emotional circumstance excuses a crime or protects those who commit it.
"There are severe weaknesses in legal, policy and institutional frameworks to address intimate partner violence before it escalates to murder," Ruambo said, according to ippmedia.co.tz.
Sabah Ali Mzee, director of the Zanzibar Association of Women with Disabilities (JUWAUZA), said nothing justifies taking a life, whether the trigger is rejection, infidelity or a disagreement over money.
"Love is voluntary and built on mutual respect. When a relationship fails, the solution is to part ways peacefully, not to end a life," she said.
Calls for prevention and faster justice
Rogasian Massue, project manager at the Tanzania Child Rights Forum (TCRF), set out a series of recommendations. He said human rights, mental health and conflict resolution should be taught in schools from primary through tertiary level.
Massue also called for police to respond more firmly to reports of threats within relationships, and for courts to speed up domestic abuse cases. He said dedicated legislation against domestic violence is essential, alongside court protection orders for people at risk.
Other proposals included expanding integrated family dispute resolution centres across the country and running national campaigns on responsible parenting and mental health.
Halima Sonda, director of programmes at the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Network (THRDC), condemned the killings and urged anyone considering violence over a relationship dispute to seek help and abandon the idea immediately.
Watch for whether police and court responses to domestic abuse reports change, and whether the proposed domestic violence legislation moves forward.
