Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is facing increasing backlash after her government shut down one of the country’s largest Pentecostal churches following outspoken sermons condemning an alleged wave of enforced disappearances.
The Glory of Christ Church, known in Tanzanian language, Swahili as Ufuo na Uzima, and more than 2,000 of its branches across the country were officially closed by the Ministry of Interior on Sunday. Tanzanian authorities accused the church’s founder, Kawe MP and Bishop Josephat Gwajima, of fomenting public unrest through politically charged sermons that they claimed threatened national security.
Bishop Gwajima has repeatedly used his pulpit to condemn the disturbing rise in politically motivated abductions and killings. “People are disappearing… Even sheikhs are being taken from their homes and found dead. Who is next?” he asked in a recent sermon.
Gwajima claims that more than 80 people – many of them government critics – have gone missing or been found dead in recent months. He said that “the government did not approve of such actions even under Nyerere or Magufuli” and pointed the finger at the current administration for what he called a climate of fear and repression.
Tanzanian government’s move to close the church sparked a public outcry and unrest overnight. Armed police cordoned off the church building in Dar es Salaam, used tear gas to disperse worshippers and arrested several congregants who defied the order. Many were forced to hold impromptu prayer sessions on the streets.
Bishop Gwajima, undeterred, announced a week-long prayer campaign at his remaining branches and intensified his criticism of President Suluhu. “The police, the security agencies, they all answer to her. What is really going on in this country when people are being kidnapped and disappearing without a trace?” he asked.
The church closure comes amid growing concerns about the safety of religious leaders and activists in Tanzania. Last month, the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church in Tanzania, Father Dr. Charles Kitima, survived a violent attack by unidentified assailants at his congregation in Dar es Salaam. “Silence allows evil to exist. I will not stop speaking until every lost life is held accountable,” Kitima said at a recent service.
The opposition has now joined the chorus of criticism, demanding that President Suluhu provide answers and take responsibility for what they describe as a worsening climate of fear and impunity.