A group of 52 members from the Ufufuo na Uzima Church has filed a civil suit at the High Court of Tanzania against the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), seeking to protect their constitutional right to freedom of worship.
The case, registered under Civil Application No. 16408/2025, will be heard by a panel of three judges: Justice Ephery Sedekia Kisanya, Justice Cyprian Phocas Mkeha, and Justice Zahra Abdallah Maruma. The first hearing is set at around 2:30 pm on July 11, 2025, at the Dar es Salaam High Court.
The church, which has been in existence for 31 years, was deregistered on June 2, 2025. The deregistration followed a press conference and sermon by the church’s leader, Bishop Josephat Gwajima, in which he condemned abductions, enforced disappearances, and killings in Tanzania. In the letter of deregistration, the government stated that the church was being deregistered due to remarks by its leader that allegedly sought to pit the government against its citizens.
In response, the church’s Board of Trustees sought a court injunction to challenge the deregistration order, and the case was filed and heard by Judge Juliana Masabo in Dodoma. Simultaneously, they filed an appeal with the registration authorities, including the Minister of Home Affairs.
However, the court was unable to grant relief due to a critical error in the deregistration letter—it was addressed to “Glory of Christ Church” rather than “Glory of Christ Tanzania Church.” Even the state attorneys dismissed the letter of deregistration as non-existent.
The administrative appeal process in the government also faced an obstacle, as the government denied the legitimacy of the letter presented to the Ministry, the letter dated June 02, 2025, that was used by the police to cordon off church premises. However, in the new evidence, the Church Board of Trustees was able to receive another letter dated June 03, 2025, advising of the intention to dissolve the Board of Trustees.
Despite the de-registration, the congregation has continued to gather for worship every Sunday over the past six weeks, resulting in repeated confrontations with the police. The most intense clash occurred on June 29, 2025, when police used force, including beatings and tear gas, and arrested 52 worshipers on the grounds of unlawful assembly.
It is expected that the Court in Dodoma will also hold another hearing on July 11, 2025, regarding the de-registration of the church, in light of the new evidence presented by the church’s legal representative.
