Keypoints:
- UDOMASA reports terrorism allegation after bail
- ACAF seeks release of three lecturers
- Accounts conflict over Kaijage’s arrest date
TANZANIA’S academic freedom dispute has deepened after a university lecturers’ association said a detained scholar was remanded over a terrorism allegation while representatives were processing his release under a High Court bail order.
The case has moved beyond the fate of one lecturer, raising wider questions about due process, national-security laws and whether academics can discuss governance, corruption and political accountability without risking arrest.
Detention followed police summons
Melkisedeki Kitunzi Kaijage, a lecturer at the University of Dodoma, has been in custody since July 8, according to the University of Dodoma Academic Staff Association, known as UDOMASA.
The association said Kaijage received a police summons through his head of department on July 3 and was instructed to report to the university police station five days later. He complied, accompanied by his lawyer and two UDOMASA representatives.
Dodoma Regional Police Commander Gallus Hyera later confirmed that Kaijage was being held while investigations continued. UDOMASA said he was initially accused of encouraging participation in demonstrations planned for July 7.
Terror allegation follows bail order
After unsuccessful attempts to obtain police bail, UDOMASA applied to the High Court. The Citizen reported that Judge Joachim Tiganga granted Kaijage bail after 14 days in custody, allowing representatives to begin completing the release process.
That process was overtaken by a new legal development. UDOMASA chairman Gerald Shija told The Citizen that Kaijage was taken to court and remanded on what the association described as a non-bailable terrorism charge. He was then transferred to Isanga Prison.
The Citizen reported that prosecutors had upgraded the allegation. However, Africa Briefing has not obtained the charge sheet or independent court documentation identifying the precise offence, the statutory provision involved or the conduct said to amount to terrorism.
Coalition seeks three releases
The Africa Coalition for Academic Freedom has written to President Samia Suluhu Hassan about Kaijage and two lecturers at St John’s University of Tanzania: Johaiven Revelian Bikongolo and Titus Joseph Kituli.
ACAF said all three were detained over allegations connected to the planned July 7 demonstrations. It called for their immediate release unless credible charges supported by evidence are promptly brought before an independent court.
The coalition also demanded access to legal counsel and families, timely judicial review and bail where Tanzanian law permits it. It said university staff should not face arrest, intimidation or disciplinary action solely for teaching legitimate academic material or expressing scholarly opinions.
Africa Briefing has not independently confirmed the present location, court status or formal allegations facing Bikongolo and Kituli.
The coalition’s July 23 letter says the three lecturers were arrested on July 3. That account conflicts with UDOMASA’s chronology, which says Kaijage was summoned that day but entered custody after reporting to police on July 8. The difference has not been publicly reconciled.
Classroom claim deepens concern
ACAF said it had received reports that one lecturer was arrested after delivering an Ethics and Good Governance class in which historical Tanzanian corruption scandals were discussed as examples of accountability and public integrity.
Africa Briefing has not independently verified the account or established which lecturer delivered the class. If confirmed, it would deepen concern that legitimate classroom discussion is being interpreted as political mobilisation.
The Tanzania Higher Learning Institutions Trade Union has also raised concern about Kaijage’s detention, warning that the case could weaken universities’ role as centres of independent thought, research and evidence-based debate.
Wider crackdown forms backdrop
The lecturers’ cases unfolded during a broader security operation against demonstrations planned for the July 7 public holiday.
Police said they arrested 130 people for alleged ‘incitement to criminal acts’, while heavy security deployments prevented the demonstrations from taking place. The protesters had planned to demand democratic reforms and justice for people killed after Tanzania’s disputed 2025 election.
A government-appointed inquiry said in April that at least 518 people died in the post-election violence. Africa Briefing reported that the official finding intensified scrutiny of the government’s handling of the unrest. Tanzanian authorities have denied allegations that security forces used excessive force.
The African Union’s observer mission concluded the October 29, 2025 election failed to comply with continental democratic standards. It cited opposition restrictions, violent protests, an internet shutdown and electoral failings that compromised the integrity of the vote.
A separate investigation documented allegations of live ammunition, execution-style killings and possible mass graves following the disputed vote.
Opposition leader Tundu Lissu remains in prison while facing treason proceedings. His lawyers appeared in the High Court on July 23 to challenge restrictions they said prevented confidential legal consultations at Ukonga Prison.
What happens next?
It remains unclear whether Bikongolo and Kituli are still in custody, whether they have appeared before a court and what offences, if any, they formally face.
Further clarification is also needed on the allegation against Kaijage, the court handling his case and whether his lawyers have received a charge sheet.
ACAF copied its appeal to Tanzania’s education minister, inspector-general of police and attorney-general, as well as the African Union, East African Community, Commonwealth Secretariat and Southern African Development Community.
Until the allegations are disclosed and tested transparently in court, the cases will continue to fuel fears that Tanzania’s political crackdown is extending into universities and narrowing the space for independent scholarship.
