Tanzanian Bishop goes missing after state closes down his church in Dar-es-salaam.
The Tanzanian cleric who has been speaking vehemently against rising cases of abductions and killings in the country, is reported to be missing.
At least nobody knows his whereabouts after he allegedly left incognito from the church compound, during the night when the police had gone round to the worship house and declared it closed.
The ‘Kanisa la Ufufuo na Uzima,’ the charismatic church headed by Bishop Josephat Gwajima in Tanzania, has been ordered to stop religious activities in Dar-es-salaam City.
Church members stayed vigil throughout the night of June 2, and June 3, 2025, surrounding their worship building which had been thronged by police men with the intention of arresting the religious leader.
Bishop Gwajima ruffled the feathers of Tanzanian authorities after he started questioning the current waves of people being abducted, tortured and killed in the country under what is believed to be state machinery.
Gwajima, who is also a member of parliament for Kawe constituency of Dar-es-salaam, called upon the government to stop the ongoing cases of enforced disappearance and murders, something which was tarnishing the country’s image.
Later, during the ruling party’s meeting President Samia Suluhu dismissed the Bishop’s claims.
On the second day of June, 2025 the registrar of Civil Societies, Mr Emmanuel Kihampa, wrote a dispatch informing Bishop Josephat Gwajima, that his church’s registration has been revoked.
The order came at the time when the religious organization was in the midst of conducting a marathon of prayers to supplicating for the country.
It was during the first day of prayer vigil that the police stormed the church at Ubungo, in Dar-es-salaam where they came face to face with angry brethren, booing the cops off, calling them ‘abductors!’
Bishop Gwajima was last seen at around midnight, posting live video clips saying his church was being surrounded by cops and he had no idea why.
He was surrounded by a team of other church leaders representing various branches of his ‘Kanisa la Ufufuo na Uzima,’ sect.
There were reports that the police arrested some church members later in the morning.
One of the brethren, Sister Alinder posted on social media that she was being taken away by the police and that people should be aware in case anything happens to her.
The Police in Dar-es-salaam though their officer, Jumanne Muliro later stated that they were simply executing legal directives as per policies.
Religious leaders and other opposition parties in the country have condemned the closure of Bishop Gwajima’s church.
The President of Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) Boniface Mwabukusi, said the decision was against the law