Members of the Glory of Christ Tanzania Church, popularly known as the Ufufuo na Uzima church, had to pray and conduct their service outside the church premises on Sunday, June 15, 2025. This followed the deregistration of the 31-year-old church after the main bishop’s sermon denouncing abductions in the country.
Members prayed and sang together outside the church while holding signs and posters calling for freedom of worship and displaying messages against abductions. This prompted police intervention, during which tear gas was used, and some members were arrested for failing to adhere to police warnings that the church was closed.
“We have decided to worship here because, as you can see, that place has been restricted. As a result, church services are not taking place, and this is the second week that people have been unable to find a place to worship. We decided to hold a short service here, then continue with our daily activities. Once we finish giving the offering, we will proceed with our routines,” one of the church personnel leading prayers told the police, just before they were dispersed.
Members have turned following frustration encountered in legal actions taken by the church, which has so far resembled the situation between Herod and Pilate when they wanted to crucify Jesus, with neither wanting to take responsibility. For the Ufufuo na Uzima church, they report that the responsible authorities do not want to accept accountability for the deregistration of the church, while police continue to enforce the deregistration order. This puts the church in a legal limbo, not able to find a solution in court but also failing to progress forward in the administrative appeal process.
Police began enforcing the church’s closure on June 2, 2025. Since then, the whereabouts of the church’s main leader, Bishop Josephat Gwajima, have remained a mystery. Police reportedly tried to arrest him in the middle of the night on the same day he began leading a seven-day fasting prayer against abductions. Under unclear circumstances, the police failed to find him despite searching the church thoroughly, even though he had recorded a video at around 11:35 p.m., claiming they were surrounded.
The Chanzo has confirmed through reliable sources that Gwajima was seen outside his church on June 8, 2025, praying with fellow members. A video, which sparked debate over whether it was truly him, showed a man wearing a black cap and T-shirt praying. The Chanzo was able to confirm it was him.
Frustration
Following the deregistration, the church’s Board of Trustees went to court to seek an injunction against the deregistration order. At the same time, they appealed to the registration authorities—specifically the Minister of Home Affairs.
However, the court could not provide relief due to a discrepancy in the letter of deregistration, which was addressed to “Glory of Christ Church” instead of “Glory of Christ Tanzania Church.” Even the state attorneys dismissed the letter of deregistration as non-existent.
Speaking to the press on Friday, June 13, 2025, the church’s lawyer, Peter Kibatala, said they received a letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs denying the existence of any valid deregistration letter. Kibatala read some paragraphs from the letter:
“The letter that is claimed to be the basis of the appeal is not legitimate and is not recognized by the Ministry, especially considering that it has not been signed by the Registrar of Civil Societies. Therefore, it is clear that the letter lacks legitimacy and legal authority to be considered a decision that can be appealed under the Societies Act (Cap 337), thus preventing me from proceeding with your appeal,” the letter from the Ministry reads.
“In addition to that, the letter states that the church whose registration was cancelled is Glory of Christ Church a.k.a. Ufufuo na Uzima church, while the appellant is Glory of Christ Tanzania Church. Due to this confusion, I have been unable to proceed with your appeal as I cannot determine which decision is being appealed against or who made that decision,” the letter continued.
The church leadership has also circulated this letter, which is seen to be signed by the Minister of Home Affairs. The church’s lawyer, Peter Kibatala, said they have written to the Ministry again to request official confirmation of the letter so it can be used in their legal proceedings. The Chanzo is continuing its efforts to reach the Minister of Home Affairs for clarification, as his official mobile number was unreachable.
“The question that should be answered by those who went to close our churches, those who have come forward and publicly declared that they are executing a government order to shut down the church, is: Which exact order are they referring to and enforcing? Is it the same order that is claimed to be invalid because it is unsigned, or is there another one?” Kibatala asked in front of hundreds of church leaders who attended the court case on Friday.
“If there is another one, we invite them to come forward, present it to the public, and explain why that letter has not been delivered to us to this day,” he continued.
In Dar es Salaam, the District Commissioner of Ubungo, Albert Msando, confirmed the church’s closure, arguing that members should seek other avenues while complying with the order of the day.
Response from Other Religious Leaders
Several religious leaders have spoken out, questioning the government’s decision to deregister the church instead of taking direct action against Bishop Gwajima if wrongdoing is suspected.
“I want to speak to the government. The government should stop shutting down our churches. Why don’t they ever shut down Catholic churches? You are humiliating us,” Antony Lusekelo said on June 5, 2025. “Shutting down churches is not a good thing. When you close a church on Sunday, where will the children go for Sunday school? What have they done wrong?” he added, clarifying that he was not defending Gwajima.
“Shutting down a church and making believers lack a place to pray is punishing the congregation for a mistake committed by their leader. And that is not fair,” said Muslim scholar Sheikh Khalifa Khamis.
“The church will continue to exist whether Gwajima is sick, whether Gwajima is traveling, or even if Gwajima is dead. So it is not right to deny the entire church and all its believers their right to worship because of mistakes made by their leader,” Sheikh Khamis emphasized on June 5, 2025. He warned that the situation could spiral into religious hatred and division, as members may feel persecuted because of their faith.
Another outspoken Christian cleric, Bishop Benson Bagonza of Tanzania’s Lutheran Church, called on the government to exercise restraint. Bagonza, who had publicly revealed on May 8, 2025, that he was receiving death threats, later confirmed by the church on May 10, urged for wisdom in state interventions involving church matters.
“Our government should distance itself from this new trend of shutting down churches. It should stay away from it because we love the government, and the government also loves the Church. I ask that wisdom be applied, and may the Holy Spirit, whom we are honoring today, continue to reign even when bad things happen,” Bagonza said on June 8, 2025.
Politics
The incident stems from a press release on May 24, 2025, in which Bishop Josephat Gwajima denounced abductions in the country. He claimed that parallel institutions or groups were conducting extrajudicial actions with full political cover. Gwajima argued that these groups were contributing to the rise in abductions, with little to no response from authorities.
The timing of Gwajima’s press release, just a day before the tabling of the Ministry of Home Affairs budget and ahead of his political party’s congress, was seen as strategic. Following the press release, Gwajima, who also serves as Member of Parliament for Kawe constituency, came under fire from fellow MPs, some of whom accused him of being politically motivated.
“I was very surprised as I listened to our brother, but I kept asking myself many questions: What exactly was the motive? This country allowed our brother to travel across all regions of Tanzania by helicopter. So what was the motive behind that tour? Perhaps there were certain things being prepared, maybe things he would like to pursue in 2025,” said Joseph Kakunda, MP for Sikonge constituency, on May 27, 2025.
Criticism of Gwajima reached its peak during the CCM congress on May 30, 2025, when the party’s Chairperson, President Samia Suluhu, issued a warning to the party:
“I kindly ask, or perhaps instruct, the committees responsible for vetting candidates to do so with justice. Let them act justly. If someone is suitable, let it be said clearly that they are suitable. If someone is not suitable, let us say that this person has one, two, or three shortcomings,” President Samia said.
“If we give room, my brothers and sisters, and allow people who are only seeking positions, we will end up with individuals who, once in power, turn the party into a Gwajimanized version of itself. So under no circumstances should we be Gwajimanized, and we must leave these Magwajima [informal version of many people like Gwajima] out of our party,” she emphasized.
In response to the newly coined term “Gwajimanization,” Bishop Gwajima took to Instagram and the pulpit on June 1, 2025, to offer his own definition: Gwajimanization is unwavering courage to speak the truth, regardless of whether that truth is bitter or displeasing to those in power. It is a firm commitment to defending the interests of the nation over personal interests, and to raising one’s voice boldly and resolutely, so powerfully that it echoes within the halls of authority and shakes the very foundations of corruption and injustice.
Following the submission of new information from the church, the court case is expected to resume on July 8, 2025.
