Shops, markets and neighbourhood enterprises that normally bustle with trade fell silent as insecurity, blocked roads and fear kept people indoors. For many entrepreneurs, particularly those dealing in perishable goods, days of disruption translated into losses running into millions of shillings and mounting debts.
From poultry farmers and fruit vendors to butcher shop owners and market traders, businesspeople interviewed said the unrest abruptly erased hard-earned income and shattered hopes of financial stability.
Many were servicing loans and found themselves at a crossroads when they could no longer operate. The impact was especially acute for poultry farmers, butcheries and fresh produce traders, whose stock could not be stored for long periods.
Poultry farmer Dismas Sanga said he lost millions of shillings within five days, an experience he described as unforgettable in his entrepreneurial journey.
“I was supposed to start selling my chickens on Oct. 30, but unrest broke out the day before,” he said. “Customers who had planned to collect the chickens early that morning could not come, and I was left with all my stock.”
Sanga said poultry farming already comes with challenges that farmers have learned to manage, but the events of late October were unprecedented.
“When the selling window passes, the losses are immediate,” he said. “Chickens still have to be fed and cared for.”
He estimated that keeping the unsold birds cost him about 300,000 Tanzanian shillings a day. Although he had feed in stock, it was meant for new chicks he planned to buy after selling the mature birds. Instead, he was forced to use it to sustain the unsold chickens, deepening his losses.
As the situation worsened, Sanga said he tried calling relatives to see if they could buy chickens, but most were unwilling or unable to do so.
“People were afraid to move,” he said. “Even those who wanted to buy couldn’t transport the chickens because there was no road transport and people feared going out.”
He added that many regular customers were unreachable, while those who answered said their workplaces were closed.
“All bars, nightclubs, cafeterias and restaurants were shut, which meant losses for most of us,” he said, noting that customers usually relied on motorcycles to collect chickens, but riders were too afraid to operate during the unrest.
In Dar es Salaam’s Mbezi Mwisho area, butcher shop owner Abel Chonjo said the violence wiped out his business entirely after meat sourced from an abattoir was left hanging for five days.
“When the violence broke out, we fled for our lives,” he said. “Some of us didn’t even have time to store meat in freezers. I left my shop unlocked because there was no time.”
When he returned days later, he found the meat completely rotten. Some had been eaten by dogs and cats, though nothing had been stolen.
“There was simply no movement at all,” he said.
Chonjo said he is now struggling with heavy debts after failing to repay loans and losing his entire working capital. He described the experience as a harsh reminder of how fragile livelihoods become during unrest.
“This should never happen again,” he said. “No one can work or make progress when peace is absent.”
He urged leaders at all levels to engage citizens, particularly young people, and listen to their concerns, citing challenges such as unemployment, poverty and lack of basic services including water.
“If these issues are ignored, frustration grows and can turn into unrest,” he said.
Chonjo also appealed to young people to think carefully before taking part in violence, saying the October events benefited no one.
“We lost our brothers and sisters. We lost our businesses, our capital and our livelihoods,” he said. “Financial institutions are now pressing us for repayments, yet many of us can no longer provide for our families. Recovery will take time, and some may never fully regain what they lost.”
Fruit vendors were among those hardest hit. Asia Rashid, who trades at Buguruni market, said the unrest completely wiped out her business, leaving her without capital to restart.
She said the violence came at the worst possible time, just after she had received a large consignment of fresh fruits, including watermelons and tomatoes, bought using borrowed funds and personal savings.
Rashid said she had not planned to operate on Oct. 29, expecting a quiet day. On Oct. 28, she packed and stored her produce, planning to reopen on Oct. 30. Those plans collapsed when violence broke out, blocking roads and making it unsafe to leave home.
“I only returned to the market after five days,” she said. “I could not believe what I saw. Everything had rotted. The smell was terrible. I went home crying.”
She said she is now moving from place to place in search of capital to restart her business, adding that the experience was not only financially devastating but emotionally draining.
“Some of us survive by going out every day to earn just enough to buy food,” she said. “When chaos erupts and there is no movement, that simply means starving.”
Rashid said women entrepreneurs were among the worst affected, with many food vendors losing all their capital and shutting down. As a result, many are now burdened with debts to savings groups and financial institutions, with little prospect of quick recovery.
“We are appealing to all Tanzanians to say no to violence,” she said. “Peace is the only foundation on which small businesses like ours can survive and grow.”
Community leaders and analysts warned that unrest undermines both social cohesion and economic development.
Onesmo Olengurumwa, coordinator of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition, said avoiding a repeat of the Oct. 29 violence would require dialogue, accountability and respect for the rule of law.
“All political parties have a responsibility,” he said. “Those in power must strengthen systems, uphold justice and create platforms for dialogue. Opposition parties must pursue their demands through legal means and guide supporters to respect the law.”
He noted that while the Constitution recognises the right to demonstrate, protests must be peaceful and lawful.
“Rights go hand in hand with responsibility,” he said, adding that destroying property or harming others undermines legitimate demands.
Olengurumwa also stressed the need to address youth unemployment and marginalisation, noting that young people were significantly involved in the October protests.
Political analyst Hamiduni Maliseli echoed the call for peaceful and lawful political engagement, urging parties to distance themselves clearly from violence.
“Political parties are national institutions registered under the law,” he said. “Destroying public infrastructure and disrupting livelihoods only harms ordinary citizens who pay for those assets through taxes.”
For traders struggling to recover, the lesson is stark.
Without peace, they say, there can be no business—and without business, no livelihoods.
Notes to Editors
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