CSW is concerned by the continued closure of the Glory of Christ Tanzania Church, which was de-registered by the Tanzanian government on 2 June, less than 24 hours after its founder reiterated his criticism of the significant rise in human rights violations in the country in the lead-up to elections in a Sunday sermon. 

A directive issued by the Registrar of Societies revoked the church’s registration, alleging that its leader was responsible for violations of Chapter 337 of the Societies Act through politically charged sermons intended to undermine public trust in the government.  

The move followed a message delivered on 1 June by Bishop Josephat Gwajima, the Member of Parliament for Kawe who belongs to the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Party, in which he had announced a seven-day prayer campaign for justice and peace and repeated his condemnation of ongoing abductions and enforced disappearances in the country that had already occasioned a warning from President Samia Suluhu Hassan about  ‘Gwajimanisation’ of the party.  

The church was given 21 days from the date of revocation to appeal the decision before the Minister of Home Affairs. Efforts to secure a temporary injunction from the High Court in the Dodoma Zone to block the government’s decision initially failed due to errors contained in the deregistration letter received by the church. 

Popularly referred to as ‘Nyumba ya Ufufuo na Uzima’ (The House of Resurrection and Life), the Glory of Christ Tanzania Church has over 2,000 branches, with a reported membership of over 70,000. The closure of the high-profile denomination has raised concerns regarding infringements on freedom of religion or belief and restrictions on the right to freedom of expression of leaders and members of religious communities.  

Earlier, on 8 May, Bishop Benson Bagonza of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, Karagwe Diocese, who has also spoken publicly about the rise in killings and abductions, revealed that he was receiving death threats. More recently, a joint prayer meeting with former members of the Glory of Christ Tanzania Church hosted on 6 July by the Evangelical Lutheran Church was surrounded by police officers. 

CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘The closure of the Glory of Christ Tanzania Church highlights a phenomenon whereby registration legislation is being used to control, coerce and silence legitimate dissent. Tanzania’s constitution guarantees the freedoms of expression, religion, association, and the right to participate in public affairs, yet a denomination whose adherents reportedly number in the tens of thousands has been de-registered simply because its founder continues to air legitimate concerns over grave and ongoing human rights violations for which there has been no accountability. CSW urges the Tanzanian government to reverse this decision.’  

The church’s closure comes against the backdrop of increasing repression in the lead-up to elections. There have been increasing reports of enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests and detentions of journalists, opposition leaders and their supporters. Several have been released with severe injuries and at least one was killed.  

On 9 April the opposition party presidential candidate Mr Tundu Lissu was arrested after calling for electoral reform. He was charged with incitement and treason - which carries a death sentence - and is currently on trial. Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire, who travelled to Tanzania to observe Mr Lissu’s court hearing on 19 May, were abducted from their hotel rooms on 18 May, accused of seeking to destabilise Tanzania, subjected to physical and psychological torture, and sexually assaulted before being dumped at the borders of their respective countries on 22 May with transportation money. 

Scot Bower added: ‘CSW also urges the Tanzanian government to ensure a fair trial for Mr Lissu, to respect the rights and freedoms of activists, journalists, political opponents and religious leaders, to release all who have been arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared, to conduct free and fair elections commensurate with international standards and, most importantly, to hold perpetrators of enforced disappearance, torture and murder to account.’  

Notes to Editors: 

1. All religious organisations on the Tanzanian mainland are required to register with the Office of the Registrar of Societies, while those in Zanzibar must register with the Office of the Registrar General. Registration must be renewed every five years, and any organisation judged to have violated registration procedures can be fined or even closed down.  

2. In July 2024 the Registrar of Societies de-registered the Christian Life Church in Dar es Salaam for allegedly charging members TZS 500,000 (approximately USD 183) for spiritual services, and for sermons that were deemed contrary to the values, traditions, customs and culture of Tanzania. The church’s Congolese leader subsequently left the country.