The man behind one of East Africa’s most iconic viral phrases has left the building.
Veteran Tanzanian politician Selemani Bungara—better known as “Bwege” and the genius behind the legendary “Ulisikia wapi?” meme—has died. The former Kilwa South Member of Parliament passed away on Monday, March 30, 2026, in Dar es Salaam while awaiting dialysis treatment at EM Hospital in Kigamboni. According to his brother, Nasri Omari, Bungara collapsed around 1 pm before the procedure could begin. His last moments were spent waiting for treatment that never came.
Bungara served as Kilwa South MP for 15 years, first under the Civic United Front (CUF) before later joining ACT Wazalendo. He was known as a fearless opposition voice who didn’t shy away from confrontation—whether on the floor of Parliament or in the face of ruling party pressure. But what made him immortal wasn’t politics. It was a press conference in 2020.
A reporter asked if he had defected to the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). Bungara’s response was pure gold. In a sharp, animated outburst, he fired back: “Ulisikia wapi?” Translation: “Where did you hear that?” The delivery was everything—the tone, the frustration, the sheer disbelief. It was the kind of reaction that memes are made of.
And Kenyans? We ran with it. Social media users flipped it to “Olisikia wapi?” and turned it into a catchphrase that transcended borders. It was in captions, comment sections, WhatsApp statuses, even on t-shirts. A Tanzanian MP became an East African internet legend without ever uploading a video himself.
Despite becoming a household name across the region, Bungara lost his Kilwa South seat in the October 2020 General Election. He secured 10,096 votes under ACT Wazalendo, losing to CCM’s Ally Kasinge who bagged 22,521 votes. The man who had the internet in a chokehold couldn’t hold onto his constituency. But his spirit remained untamed. In February 2026, just weeks before his death, Bungara resigned from ACT Wazalendo and announced plans to join Chadema—another opposition party. Even at 64, the fight in him hadn’t dimmed.
Bungara’s career wasn’t without controversy. In June 2020, he was arrested alongside ACT Wazalendo leader Zitto Kabwe during a political meeting, later released on bond. In 2016, he made headlines for a heated exchange in Parliament over his nickname “Bwege”—a moment that captured his combative style. But through it all, he remained a charismatic figure who understood something many polished politicians miss: sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is say what everyone’s thinking with a straight face.
Since news of his death broke, tributes have poured in across social media. ACT Wazalendo expressed shock and sorrow, extending condolences to his wife, Mwanawetu Said Zarafi—a member of the party’s Board of Trustees—and his family. But beyond official statements, ordinary people are mourning the man behind the meme. One Kenyan user wrote: “We didn’t know his politics. We just knew ‘Ulisikia wapi?’ and we loved him for it. RIP legend.” Another added: “The man who made us laugh during lockdown is gone. This one hurts.”
Selemani Bungara was many things: a 15-year MP, a fearless opposition figure, a man who faced arrest for his beliefs. But to a generation of East Africans scrolling through social media, he was something else entirely—the man who asked the question we couldn’t stop repeating. “Ulisikia wapi?” Today, we heard the news. And we’re asking the same thing back at the universe.
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