In brief
Melkisedek Kaijage, a political science lecturer at the University of Dodoma, was arrested earlier this month for alleged incitement to protest and now faces terrorism charges after authorities broadened the case. He spent 15 days in police custody before being brought to a magistrate’s court to seek bail, but the shift to a terrorism offence means he will remain in custody until trial, as such charges do not allow bail. The arrest is part of a wider clampdown on more than 130 protest participants and other opposition figures, following violent post‑election unrest and a government‑sponsored suspension of public rallies. The case illustrates the growing restriction of civil‑societal expression in Tanzania’s political landscape under President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
A lecturer in political science at the University of Dodoma was arrested on 18 July, shortly after a planned nationwide protest was banned by authorities. Melkisedek Kaijage was charged with inciting people to join the demonstration, but his case has since been upgraded to a terrorism offence, meaning he cannot be granted bail and will remain in custody until his trial.
Kaijage is among more than 130 people who were detained for organising opposition rallies in the wake of violent unrest following the 2025 presidential election. The protests, which called for democratic reforms and justice for victims of the post‑poll crackdown, never materialised because the government banned them.
The shift from an incitement charge to a terrorism charge reflects a broader pattern of legal tightening. Under Tanzanian law, recruiting, facilitating, harbouring or supporting terrorists can lead to sentences from ten years to life imprisonment.
University officials describe Kaijage as a respected academic whose career was built on teaching rather than political activism. He has been transferred from police custody to Isanga Prison in the capital, Dodoma.
The case follows a series of moves by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration to suppress dissent, including the suspension of all political rallies across the country and increased security presence in major cities.
This arrest and the criminal framing of protest participants underscores the tightening political environment in Tanzania, where civil‑society freedoms are increasingly under threat.
