Tanzania clerics are now under attack as the country plunges into political uncertainty.
The Secretary General of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, Father Charles Kitima was attacked by a gang of unknown assailants who assaulted him badly, in what is being suspected to be failed attempts to kill the cleric.
Father Kitima, popularly known as ‘Voice for the voiceless,’ was attacked and badly hurt during the night of April 30, 2025.
Reports say some thugs who somehow found their way into the TEC residential premises in the Kurasini section of Dar-es-salaam city descended onto the unsuspecting catholic priest, injuring him badly.
The Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), which was founded in 1956 is the conference of bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Tanzania.
Kitima had just walked out of the TEC Mess, heading to the lavatories, when the attackers descended onto him.
“I have just visited Dr Kitima and saw the injuries that the cleric suffered. Definitely the attackers were out to take his life,” wrote the President of the Tanganyika Law Society, Advocate Boniface Mwabukusi.
While the Police in Dar-es-salaam, through the regional commander Jumanne Muliro, claim to have arrested one suspect in connection with the attacks on the cleric, observers believe there was more to Father Kitima’s attack than what meets the eyes.
That is considering that the church leader, Dr Kitima, has been very outspoken against ongoing vices engulfing Tanzania at the moment.
Dr Kitima has been issuing a series of warnings against incidents of people being attacked, abducted and even killed for simply speaking against the government or being members of the opposition.
He was also on the stance that the country’s electoral body should be overhauled to allow free and fair polls before the October 2025 voting exercise.
Father Kitima is also among the various religious leaders who condemned the arrest of the Chairperson of the opposition party, CHADEMA, Tundu Lissu who is currently facing treason charges.
During the first hearing of Tundu Lissu’s case in Dar-es-salaam a number of people were attacked and injured, some getting maimed for life.
They faced retribution when the police set out to beat people who had gathered at the Kisutu magistrate court, with the opposition saying one person, a man, was killed in the attacks.
The attack on Father Kitima has raised uproar throughout the nation and beyond as both local, regional and international communities condemn the horrid incident.