Dar es Salaam – Tanzania’s Prime Minister, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba, has issued a directive for the Police Force to immediately halt the search for Bishop Josephat Gwajima of the Glory of Christ Tanzania Church.
The Prime Minister called for the Bishop, who is also a politician, to return and continue leading his church, which the government recently reopened. This announcement was made on Sunday, November 30, 2025, while Dr Nchemba was speaking to residents in Arumeru, Arusha.
The directive, Dr Nchemba stated, comes from President Samia Suluhu Hassan. It is aimed at contributing to the government’s efforts to build national unity and cohesion following a turbulent period of unrest.
“Let him come out so we can build national unity, let us be cohesive to restore national unity,” Dr Nchemba instructed the police. The Prime Minister stressed that the government has met with the Tanzanian Episcopal Conference (TEC) and various religious, traditional, and other leaders. He urged all to join the effort to promote a peaceful Tanzania, citing it as the call of the country’s leader.
The Prime Minister’s order overturns a previous call by the Tanzania Police Force for Bishop Gwajima to surrender. In a public notice dated November 7, 2025, the Police Force had instructed Gwajima and nine other individuals to present themselves for arrest.
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These individuals were wanted in connection with the widespread events of October 29, 2025, which included major demonstrations that led to a significant loss of life and injuries, and were accompanied by a massive use of force by state organs.
The Police notice, following an investigation into collected evidence, listed ten people wanted in connection with the unrest: Josephat Gwajima, Brenda Jonas Rupia, John Mnyika, Godbless Jonathan Lema, Machumu Maximillian Kadutu, Deogratius Cosmos Mahinyila, Boniface Jacob, Hilda Newton, Award Kalonga, and Amaan Golugwa.
The Police had accused them of “planning, coordinating, and executing” these demonstrations, which are now under investigation by a commission launched by President Samia on November 20, 2025.
The Premier’s instruction to cease the search for Bishop Gwajima comes days after the Tanzanian government formally lifted the suspension on the Glory of Christ Tanzania Church on Monday, November 24, 2025.
Prime Minister Nchemba had instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs to cease the closure of the Dar es Salaam-based megachurch, criticising the policy of penalising thousands of worshippers for the alleged political actions of their leader. Mr Nchemba, who was appointed to the premiership earlier in November 2025, stressed that worship is a deeply personal, constitutional right.
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Gwajima had found himself in trouble after publicly disagreeing with the government’s direction in leading the country, particularly angered by acts of kidnapping and other civil rights violations, which he believed the government was not addressing adequately.
As a Member of Parliament for the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), he had publicly condemned a series of alleged kidnappings, enforced disappearances, and murders plaguing the country and announced a seven-day prayer campaign to address these human rights issues in June 2025.
This conduct led President Samia, the CCM national chairperson, to publicly express her disapproval, cautioning party members against choosing candidates like him in the upcoming primaries, stating, “Let’s leave the Gwajimas outside, no need for shame or embarrassment.”
Furthermore, some senior opposition figures named in the Police’s November 7 statement, such as Lema and Golugwa, were arrested but released after only a few hours.
This rapid release was widely interpreted as a signal that the government was extending an “olive branch” to the main opposition party, CHADEMA. However, concerted efforts continue to ensure the government allows independent inquiries into what transpired on October 29 and holds perpetrators to account.
