David Nkindikwa Must Be Released IMMEDIATELY

 

Adeladius Makwega, MBAGALA.

 

April 10, 1993 was a Saturday, on the eve of the Easter celebration worldwide

.

Mwanakwetu attended the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church, Mbagala Mission, which at that time was part of Mbagala Parish under the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam.

 

The Mass was conducted well, and afterward the children and youth from the Christian communities who had attended the Mass from Mbagala Sabasaba, Mbagala Makuka, and Mbagala Mangaya began returning home.

 

At that time, Catholics in Mbagala had two options for worship: either at Mbagala Zakhem Parish or at the Mbagala spiritual center, where this small church of St. Anthony of Padua is located. Therefore, the Mbagala spiritual center was closer and considered safer than going to Mbagala Zakhem, as there was a forested area near the TPDF camp with limited security and risks from robbers.

Remember, dear reader, we had finished worship and were now heading home.

 

The group gradually became smaller as each person reached their home.

 

As we were leaving the church, the final hymn sung by the Sisters of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam had the following words:

 

“Hallelujah, Hallelujah, the Lord has truly risen, now He is alive, (Hallelujah) He dies no more (twice).

Hallelujah, He has conquered death, He is no longer in the grave (Hallelujah), He dies no more, Hallelujah.

 

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, the Lord has truly risen, now He is alive, (Hallelujah) He dies no more (twice), Hallelujah.

 

Hallelujah, He has conquered death and indeed we have been redeemed, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

 

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, the Lord has truly risen, now He is alive, (Hallelujah) He dies no more (twice).

He has come out of the grave, He has conquered death; let us rise with Him (with Him), Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

 

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, the Lord has truly risen, now He is alive, (Hallelujah) He dies no more (twice).”

 

Now we were returning home; the girls were singing, and we were responding. Along the way, others were chatting about the demolition of pork butcheries and how the government handled the matter.

 

For those who remember 1993, Muslims through the Baraza la Kueneza Korani Tanzania raised a controversy over pork, and President Mwinyi said that anyone who wants to eat anything is FREE to do so. That is when President Ali Hassan Mwinyi was nicknamed “Mzee RUKSA” (Mr. Permission).

 

On the Easter Vigil night of April 10, 1993, there was fear of possible unrest in churches, so the police force, likely under RPC Mwinyi Dadi Ali, deployed many officers in churches and streets to prevent disturbances in case Christians were attacked that day.

 

Remember, we were heading home. When we reached near the residence of Mzee Mafko, on the left side near the Shempemba family and close to the Chura  Hauna Mbavu buses, on the road toward Mbagala Sabasaba Magengeni, police suddenly appeared and arrested all the older boys, including Mwanakwetu (Adeladius Makwega), Antony (now a born-again Christian), Emmanuel Mangaya, Fredrick Mfugale (Black Fish), and another young man from Mbagala named Selestine. The police tied our shirts as a form of restraint based on two accusations

:

“Why are you singing and making noise at night? Why are you discussing the destruction of pork butcheries?”

We responded that we were coming from church, and that is why we were singing. We had committed no offense.

 

The police insisted that we were causing disorder and ordered that we be restrained. We were then grouped with others arrested that night and taken toward Mbagala Kizuiani.

 

The girls, younger youths, and children we had been with began crying and ran toward their homes to report that we had been arrested while coming from church—grandsons of Makwega, Mangaya, the child of Mfugale, and many others were being taken to Maturubai Police Station. Families asked what crime had been committed. They were told:

 

“We were coming from church, singing:
‘Hallelujah, Hallelujah, the Lord has risen…’”

 

Yet they were arrested anyway, even though Fredrick Mfugale and Adeladius Makwega had served in the church and had committed no wrongdoing.

 

This account was later confirmed to me by my cousin Tulauke Shambani (now deceased), who was present that night. she ran to his father, Shabaani Katuna, who lived opposite the owner of the Chura Hauna Mbavu buses.

 

The family of Shabaani Katuna (Muslims), who had child with Faustina Makwega, helped gather the children and guided them to the homes of Christian families to inform them of what had happened.

 

We who were arrested were marched on foot through Mbagala Kizuiani and eventually arrived at Maturubai Police Station. Upon arrival, all the Christian families from Mbagala Zakhem and Mbagala Mission had gathered there, demanding to know why their children had been arrested after attending church.

The family of Shabaani Katuna, together with the Christian families and the children including Tulauke, explained the situation to the station officer.

 

The officer in charge had no immediate answer and said:

“Please wait a little while for our colleagues on patrol to arrive so we can provide an explanation.”

 

Eventually, we arrived exhausted. The officer asked:

“Who among you was coming from church?”

 

We raised our hands. Our shirts were untied, and we were made to sit aside. Families identified their children one by one. Mwanakwetu looked down and realized one of his new Easter shoes had been lost. We were released and began walking back, exhausted, around 3 a.m., still singing the same hymn:

 

“Hallelujah, Hallelujah, the Lord has truly risen…”

 

People at home thought Catholics were just returning from church at that hour, unaware that the vigil Mass had ended much earlier.

The next day, Easter Sunday (April 11, 1993), we attended church as usual. Later, some youths told us we had faced trouble because we did not have CCM membership cards in our pockets. They advised us always to carry them, as a CCM card “does not sleep in a police station”—a strong principle of the ruling party, which commanded great respect.

 

We celebrated Easter peacefully, and life continued in harmony.

What does Mwanakwetu say today?

 

On June 26, 2026, he expressed deep concern over reports of the abduction of David Nkindikwa, a young revolutionary and CCM cadre. This reminded him of that incident 33 years ago in Mbagala and the respect once associated with being a CCM member—that such a person would never spend a night in police custody.

 

Respect begins with your own family and spreads to others. Human dignity must be upheld. If someone has committed a crime, they should be arrested openly during the day—why take them secretly? That is neither justice nor respect. Acts of abduction deprive Tanzanians of peace, and those responsible bring shame upon themselves and their families. If this continues, who will still trust CCM?

Through this article, Mwanakwetu says: David Nkindikwa must be released immediately.

Mwanakwetu ,Are you there? Remember:

“David Nkindikwa Must Be Released IMMEDIATELY.”

 

Have a nice day.
makwadeladius@gmail.com
0717649257