"Some People Want Me Dead": Tanzania's Top Catholic Cleric Fr Charles Kitima Reveals He Lives in Fear
Ujasusi Blog’s East Africa Monitoring Team | 23 Dec 2025 | 0405 GMT
Snapshot
Fr Dr Charles Kitima, Secretary General of Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), publicly disclosed in December 2025 that he currently lives in great fear after being informed people want him dead, revealing he is actively being hunted (”natafutwa”) whilst President Samia Suluhu Hassan simultaneously launched unprecedented attacks on TEC, and Muslim clerics accused Catholic VP Emmanuel Nchimbi of conspiring with the Catholic Church to remove the Muslim president, creating a converging sectarian and political threat environment for religious leaders criticising authoritarian consolidation.
What Did Fr Charles Kitima Reveal About Current Death Threats?
In a December 2025 public address, Fr Dr Charles Kitima made extraordinary security disclosures about ongoing threats to his life whilst praising his deputy Father Chesco Msaga’s courage in continuing TEC operations under dangerous conditions.
Critical Threat Revelations:
• Current Fear Status: “Kwa mfano mi sasa hivi naishi kwa hofu sana” (For example, right now I am living in great fear)
• Active Hunting: “Mi naishi kwa hofu, natafutwa” (I live in fear, I am being hunted)
• Death Threat Intelligence: “Si ni uwawe, si vitu gani” (Whether to be killed, or what)
• Previous Assassination Confirmation: “Walishafika hapa kuniua” (They already came here to kill me)
• Operational Security Measures: Unable to attend Mama Jenster’s burial following security advisories
• Operational Delegation: “I send him [Father Cesco] knowing I’m being hunted...he goes to town”
Threat Persistence Analysis:
Fr Kitima’s statement that he has been “informed” suggests either direct threat communication from adversaries, intelligence received from security or ecclesiastical sources, or systematic analysis of threat indicators including President Samia’s December 2 attacks and the sectarian campaign against the Catholic Church.
How Did President Samia Suluhu Hassan Directly Attack TEC?
On December 2, 2025, President Samia delivered unprecedented direct institutional attacks on the Tanzania Episcopal Conference during a meeting with Dar es Salaam elders, explicitly naming TEC whilst defending the post-election massacre.
Presidential Attack Elements:
TEC Statement Monitoring: “Despite various statements issued by religious institutions—including eight statements from TEC there are still disagreements within the institutions themselves, highlighting the difficulty of using such statements as national guidelines.”
Doctrinal Imposition Accusation: President Samia asserted “political sentiments based on the grounds of any religion had no place in the country,” stating: “If you don’t like your president because of his or her religion or gender or whatever part of the country he or she comes from, then know that all power comes from God and only he knows why someone should receive such powers.”
Constitutional Supremacy vs Religious Authority: “Tanzania will continue to be governed according to its Constitution, not on religious doctrines,” emphasising “The strength of religion is in our hearts; there is no overriding here...that my religion should override Tanzania.”
Post-Election Violence Defence: Hassan defended October 2025 crackdown asking “Were these really demonstrations or acts of violence? People were destroying government buildings, raiding police stations, and stealing weapons...Should we have just stood aside and done nothing while the mob did whatever it wanted?”
Threat Escalation Assessment:
President Samia’s explicit mention of “eight statements from TEC” demonstrates systematic intelligence monitoring of Catholic Church communications, establishing surveillance infrastructure targeting religious institutions. The constitutional vs doctrinal framing criminalises religious moral guidance as theocratic overreach, providing ideological justification for escalated repression.
What Sectarian Campaign Targets VP Nchimbi and the Catholic Church?
Concurrent with Fr Kitima’s death threat disclosure and President Samia’s TEC attacks, Muslim clerics believed working with Hassan launched sectarian accusations against Catholic Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi, accusing him of conspiring with the Catholic Church to remove the Muslim president.
Sectarian Targeting Elements:
• Primary Accusation: Muslim clerics accuse Catholic VP Emmanuel Nchimbi of working with Catholic Church (specifically TEC) to remove Muslim President Hassan
• Religious Polarisation: Exploitation of Tanzania’s 35% Muslim, 60% Christian religious balance
• Constitutional Crisis Risk: Campaign undermines constitutional succession order • Associate Targeting: Geofrey Mwambe, VP Nchimbi associate, reportedly arrested December 2025
• Mainland-Zanzibar Tensions: Hassan’s Zanzibari Muslim network vs mainland Catholic VP
Strategic Analysis:
The sectarian campaign represents dangerous escalation exploiting religious divisions. By positioning TEC criticism and VP Nchimbi as Catholic conspiracy against Muslim president, Hassan attempts to: (1) Delegitimise democratic accountability as sectarian conflict, (2) Eliminate constitutional succession alternative, (3) Mobilise Muslim constituencies, particularly Zanzibar, (4) Isolate TEC as partisan political actor.
VP Nchimbi Context: Dr Emmanuel John Nchimbi, sworn in November 3, 2025 as Vice President, maintains Catholic faith and reputation for opposing political violence. His principled stance against violence positions him as potential alternative to Hassan’s authoritarian consolidation—precisely why he faces targeting.
What Did Pope Leo XIV Warn About Intelligence Agencies Targeting Churches?
🔐 PREMIUM INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS CONTINUES BELOW
What you’ll get:
Pope Leo XIV’s unprecedented warning on intelligence targeting of churches
Detailed post-election massacre analysis (estimated 10,000 killed)
Connection to April 2025 assassination attempt
International accountability mechanisms (ICC, US, EU, African actors)
Intelligence assessment: converging threat matrix
Strategic implications for Tanzania’s authoritarian trajectory
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