Tanzanian lecturer jailed after anti‑government protest charge upgraded to terrorism

Melkisedek Kaijage, a respected political science lecturer at the University of Dodoma, was placed in prison after the state re‑classified his arrest as a terror offence.

The 33‑year‑old teacher was first held after the government banned the July 7 protest and rounded up more than 130 people who were accused of encouraging the demonstrations.

His detention, initially set for 15 days, became permanent because the conspiracy charge carries no option for bail under Tanzanian law. It also means a trial can only take place before a higher court and is likely to last several years.

The prosecution claims Kaijage threatened to set fire to public buildings, a charge that, if proven, could sentence him to life in prison. The new charges echo a crackdown that began after large populational unrest over the October 2025 election and the subsequent post‑poll violence.

Several colleagues at the university say that Kaijage’s reputation has primarily come from scholarship, not activism. Nevertheless, his name has become a focal point for people who want to protect dissenting voices in a country that has ruled as a “stable” nation for the last six decades.

The case highlights a pattern of state repression that threatens the safety of not only academics but also the long‑standing indigenous knowledge keepers whose ideas are often ignored or silenced by the mainstream political agenda.