Aasai

Tanzania’s government has come under intense criticism after it deregistered one of the nation’s largest Pentecostal churches, Glory of Christ Church, led by outspoken Kawe MP and Bishop Josephat Gwajima. The church’s closure, including its 2,000-plus branches, followed a series of fiery sermons in which Gwajima condemned the growing cases of abductions and enforced disappearances across the country.

 The Ministry of Home Affairs accused the bishop of using the pulpit to incite the public against the state, alleging his sermons threatened national security. On Sunday, police stormed church premises, fired teargas, and arrested worshippers as congregants held prayers in the streets in defiance of the shutdown order.

Bishop Gwajima, however, remains defiant, claiming over 80 Tanzanians have disappeared or been found dead under mysterious circumstances. “Even sheikhs are taken and found lifeless. Who’s next?” he asked during a recent sermon, as he announced seven days of prayers across all branches of his church.

Amid mounting tension, the opposition and religious leaders are now pressuring President Samia Suluhu Hassan to account for the disappearances. Catholic leader Father Charles Kitima, himself a recent victim of a violent attack, warned that silence only enables evil, urging the government to stop targeting voices of truth.