Tanzanian priest Charles Kitima – and government critic

A prominent Tanzanian Catholic priest and critic of the government was violently attacked in the midst of rising political tensions prior to the elections owed in October.

PR Charles Kitima, who had attended a religious meeting all day, was ambushed at night in a canteen toilet near his home in Dar Es Salaam.

According to the police, he was hit on the head with a bone object and was later admitted to the hospital, where he is in a stable state.

Eyewitnesses said Father Kitima had spoken with several people before the attack, and was later found bleeding and called for help, moments after individuals had seen the stage.

The police say they have held a suspect while investigations continue.

The attack on FR Kitima, the Secretary General of the organization of the Catholic Bishops, Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), has been widely condemned.

Boniface Mwabukusi, president of the Tanganyika Law Society, who visited the priest in the hospital, said that “it had been a brutal attack with the intention of taking his life”.

Mwabukusi posted on X and said that Fr Kitima had a message for Tanzanians that “we should not be afraid to pay the price for standing up for justice and fulfilling our duties on the country”.

Political tension is increasing in Tanzania prior to the general elections, in which law groups express concern about reducing the civilian space, accountability and justice.

Opposition Chadema party vice-chairman John Heche said the incident was bad “news for the country”.

Lobby group Legal and Human Rights Center also condemned the “horrible attack” that depicted a “bad image” for the country.

FR Kitima has often criticized government policy and is generally known in Tanzania because of its bold attitude on democratic reforms and human rights.

The attack, which has alerted faith leaders and civil society, comes days after the Catholic Church has called on the government to pay attention to calling for the elections – an important requirement of opposition.

Leaders of Christian Churches, whose followers form 60% of the population, have always been pronounced about justice and administrative issues.

But their criticism was not well received by some supporters of the ruling party, with some senior figures who ask religious leaders to stay out of politics.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan warned the opposition last weekend that “no one is above the law”.

“We should not allow this election to be a reason for conflict,” she added.

She also tried to trivialize the fears to struggle by experiencing that the government would “do everything to ensure that the elections are free and honest”.

Since last year there has been a wave of attacks and abductions aimed at government critics. Senior opposition figures have also been arrested, including Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, accused of betrayal.

But these kinds of attacks on church leaders are unusual.

The police have said that the motive for the FR Kitima attack is not yet known, with ongoing investigations that other suspects want to identify.

The government has not commented on the attack.

But Stephen Wasira, vice-chairman of the ruling CCM party, condemned it and sent a message of sympathy to the priest.