Is CNN Correspondent Larry Madowo Wanted By The Tanzanian Government?
On November 26, 2025, an X user @AfricanHub claimed that Kenyan journalist and CNN correspondent, Larry Madowo has been declared the “most wanted” person by the government of Tanzania. The post had an image of Tanzania President and Larry Madowo, with the caption “A Kenyan 🇰🇪 man, Larry Madowo who currently works for CNN, is now the most wanted person by the Tanzania 🇹🇿 government.”
When this report was published, this claim had reached about 212,000 people, with over 12,000 replies, reposts, quotes, likes and bookmarks. In the comment section, @KenyanElder said “Tanzania should tread carefully on this” and @MogoiJR wrote “He's an international Journalist, a legend in our books not just a Kenyan man come on!”
VERIFICATION
Larry Madowo is an international correspondent for CNN. He previously served as the BBC Africa’s Business Editor, where he oversaw the launch of six syndicated shows in three languages and managed more than two dozen business journalists based in London and four African countries. Madowo was promoted to BBC’s North American Correspondent in Washington, D.C. In May 2021, CNN appointed Madowo as its Nairobi correspondent, two months later, he was promoted to international correspondent.
Recently, Madowo and his CNN team published an investigative report on alleged police shootings and mass-grave sites in Tanzania after the 2025 elections. The report was sharply criticised by Tanzanian government officials. They described the reporting as “biased” and accused the media of failing to get official comment before publishing.
While Tanzania’s government has strongly criticised CNN’s reporting on alleged killings and mass-grave sites after the elections, the criticism focused on the content of the report. At no time did the government state that Larry Madowo is now wanted or under investigation.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Kenyan journalist and CNN correspondent Larry Madowo has been declared the “most wanted” person by the government of Tanzania is FALSE. Although the government criticised CNN’s coverage of its post election situation, it did not name Madowo as a target of any investigation or pursuit.
