Renowned Tanzanian opposition leader, Tundu Antiphas Mughwai Lissu, commonly known as Tundu Lisu, has sparked controversy by declaring that Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania, should never be canonised.
Lissu’s comments came during a lecture at Makerere University on Thursday, where he discussed Nyerere’s political and constitutional influence in East Africa.
Lissu, who serves as the opposition chief whip in Tanzania’s Parliament, told an audience of law students and scholars that Nyerere, despite his historical importance, was no saint.
“I’m saying we should humanize him. He never was a saint. He would be the first to admit that he never had anything to do with religious sainthood,” Lissu said.
Lissu’s remarks come at a time when some of Nyerere’s family members, along with Catholic groups in Tanzania, are leading efforts to have the former leader beatified.
This movement has gained support from Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his family, who have long had close ties with the Nyerere family.
Maria Nyerere, the widow of the late president, has also been actively involved in the cause, particularly during the Uganda Martyrs Day commemorations.
However, Lissu is firmly opposed to these attempts to elevate Nyerere’s status. “Why are they trying to make him one [a saint]? He was a Catholic, I’m a Catholic too. I’m not sure that Mwalimu was not sinful. I don’t think he wasn’t. He was a human being,” Lissu emphasised.
The opposition leader stressed that the push for canonisation was an attempt to turn Nyerere into an untouchable figure, erasing his human flaws.
“The attempts to canonise him, whether as a secular saint or religious one, are attempts to dehumanise Mwalimu. What we should do is humanise Mwalimu Nyerere,” he said.
Nyerere, who ruled Tanzania for 24 years before stepping down in 1985, passed away on October 14, 1999. Lissu argued that while Nyerere’s intentions were often seen as noble, his legacy included serious mistakes.
“There are stories, if told, may lead us to ask some of his motives,” Lissu said, referring to allegations of human rights violations and the abuse of power during Nyerere’s rule.
Lissu pointed to Nyerere’s creation of a centralised government in post-colonial Tanzania, which he believes set a dangerous precedent for authoritarianism across Africa.
“The one thing that unites post-colonial leaders in Africa is their authoritarianism. Under Mwalimu Nyerere, we will never know possibly hundreds or thousands who were detained without trial,” Lissu claimed.
He added that the Preventive Detention Act, borrowed from Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, allowed for detention without trial, a tool he argued was used to stifle dissent.
Lissu’s critique extended beyond Tanzania, arguing that Nyerere’s leadership model influenced not only his own country but neighboring nations, including Uganda.
He claimed that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has modeled much of his leadership on Nyerere’s approach, though Lissu questioned whether the “great leader’s” principles had been truly upheld by Museveni’s government.
“The way our leaders are behaving today, this accountable and criminal behavior on the part of our leaders has everything to do with the constitutional foundations laid by Mwalimu in 1962, which created a president who was only accountable to his God. How good could that be?” Lissu asked.
Despite Nyerere’s historical achievements, including uniting a nation made up of over 120 tribes, Lissu argued that Nyerere’s legacy was more focused on creating a state than a true nation.
“I’m not very sure whether a state is the same thing as a nation,” Lissu stated. He emphasised the continued challenges facing Tanzanians and East Africans in general, with leaders often seen as oppressive figures, harking back to the violent and oppressive colonial systems they inherited.
In a bold move, Lissu also criticized the idea that Nyerere played a significant role in stabilizing post-colonial Tanzania, drawing comparisons to the German colonial administration’s lasting influence.
“The hallmark of the colonial state was its violent, oppressive character,” he said, questioning whether modern Tanzanian governance differed significantly from the colonial era.
Lissu’s comments have reignited debate over Nyerere’s legacy, his place in African history, and the attempts to canonize him as a saint.
While some continue to praise Nyerere as a visionary leader who helped forge the foundation of modern Tanzania, others like Lissu argue that it’s time to acknowledge the flaws and complexities of his reign, humanising rather than idealising him.
As Tanzania continues to reflect on Nyerere’s legacy, Lissu’s challenge to the canonization efforts serves as a powerful reminder that even great leaders are not immune to critique.
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