Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has instructed the country’s military to raise the Freedom Torch, popularly known as the Uhuru Torch, on Mount Kilimanjaro in commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

This announcement was made during a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the passing of Tanzania’s first president, Julius Nyerere, who passed on October 14, 1999. The ceremony coincided with the national celebration of the Uhuru Torch, which began its nationwide tour on April 2, 2024.

The Freedom Torch was first raised on Mount Kilimanjaro by 25-year-old Lieutenant Alexander Gwebe Nyirenda. His journey began on November 16, 1961, when Tanganyika’s Prime Minister, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, bid him farewell at the foot of the mountain.

The idea of the Freedom Torch originates from a speech given by Mwalimu Nyerere at the Tanganyika Colonial Legislature (LEGCO) in 1959, where he declared:

“We will light a candle on Mount Kilimanjaro, which will shine beyond our borders, giving hope where there is despair, love where there is hate, and dignity where before there was only humiliation.”

Nyirenda placed the Freedom Torch on the mountain Kilimanjaro on December 09, 1961, the day of the Tanganyika freedom.

The journey to raise the Freedom Torch again began on Monday, and the convoy of military personnel tasked with carrying the torch up the mountain is expected to arrive in Moshi today, October 15, 2024.

“Chief of the Tanzania People’s Defense Forces, just as the Tanzania People’s Defense Forces raised this torch on Mount Kilimanjaro on December 9, 1961, 60 years later, I hand over this torch to you so that it can once again be raised on Mount Kilimanjaro to uphold the honor of our nation and to assure citizens that the intention and work set for this torch has been done well,” President Samia directed the military.

Tanzania’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Jacob John Mkunda, received the directive and ordered the convoy to begin its journey to Moshi.

“I acknowledge receiving the flag of Tanzania along with the Freedom Torch from the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense and Security Forces of Tanzania, and I promise that the Tanzania People’s Defense Forces will carry both the torch and the flag of Tanzania to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, burning and shining brightly, and will follow all the protocols as you have directed. Oh Almighty God, help me,” Mkunda said.