Dar es Salaam-Frustration and anxiety are rising at the University of Dodoma after police changed the charges against Assistant Lecturer Melkisedeki Tunzi Kaijage from sedition to terrorism.
“This is a matter that, honestly, we have received with great shock and deep sadness as academics. First of all, because we know Mr. Kaijage; we’ve worked with him, and we ask ourselves when he could ever have become involved in terrorism. So it is something that has truly caused alarm, and it has also badly lowered staff morale,” said Gerald Shija, Chairperson of the University of Dodoma Academic Staff Association, in an interview with The Chanzo on July 24, 2026.
Kaijage has been in police detention since July 8, 2026, on sedition charges. However, the charges were changed to terrorism a day after the court ordered his release on July 21. He is charged in connection with the Saba Saba protest, but people close to him link the arrest to an earlier incident on December 9, when he was detained over a lecture he had delivered in his classroom. They say an unknown informer present in the class is believed to have recorded him.
READ: More Than Two Dozen Charged With Terrorism in Tanzania Over Saba Saba Protests
The case is scheduled to return to court on August 5, 2026. His lawyer, Prosper Malangalila, told The Chanzo that they expect to learn more details about the case and will file objections where necessary.
“The morale and spirit of our institution as a university, for teaching and conducting research, has taken a step backward. Frankly, no one is happy. And what frightens me most is that we feel this could even lead to a staff strike down the line, because many people appear dissatisfied and wish for something to be done,” Shija continued.
He added: “We no longer feel safe; we don’t feel free to teach. Given the situation the lecturers now find themselves in, and everything unfolding at the moment, we can clearly see that freedom of thought is now facing a serious challenge.”
Over the weekend, Tanzanian police said 36 people had been taken to court in connection with the Saba Saba protest, which did not take place. Police said they had evidence that those arrested were planning to kill leaders, blow up electricity infrastructure, and burn down schools. Opposition figures and other stakeholders have dismissed the charges as fabricated.
The Africa Coalition for Academic Freedom (ACAF) has published an open letter to the Tanzanian president expressing grave concern and condemnation over the continued detention of three university lecturers in Tanzania: Johaiven Revelian Bikongolo and Titus Joseph Kituli, both of St. John’s University of Tanzania, and Melkisedeki Tunzi Kaijage of the University of Dodoma.
“I’m not certain about the nature of the content produced by the UDOM lecturer accused of “terrorism,” but I feel compelled to say that, as a nation, we must not allow ourselves to reach that point,” wrote Ayub Rioba, a former university lecturer and former head of the national broadcaster.
“We will be a nation of deeply foolish people if we arrive at a place where we imagine that the freedom to think, to question, and to criticize is owned by certain people,” he continued.
Two of the country’s major opposition parties, CHADEMA and ACT Wazalendo, have called for Kaijage’s release.
