"Zanzibar Mourns Death of Father Anselmo Mwang'amba"

Cause of Death of Priest Anselmo Mwang'amba in Zanzibar Revealed

The body of Father Anselmo Mwang'amba, aged 77, is set to be laid to rest in Kitope, North Unguja, on March 4, 2025. The Catholic Church in Zanzibar has disclosed the health condition that led to his passing.

Father Mwang'amba died on the morning of February 27, 2025, while attending to his duties at the church. In a statement to Mwananchi on March 1, 2025, Father Cosmas Shayo, the Secretary-General of the Zanzibar Catholic Diocese, revealed that the priest had been suffering from a long-standing back issue, which contributed to his death.

“He had been battling a back condition for a while,” said Father Shayo. “The church will remember him for his many contributions. He served tirelessly from his youth until death took him."

Father Mwang'amba, born on June 4, 1948, in Mbozi District, Mbeya Region, was ordained as a priest on June 14, 1981, at the age of 33. At the time of his passing, he had served the Church for 44 years, with assignments in both Unguja and Pemba.

“The church is mourning as we have lost a skilled and effective priest who made a remarkable impact in his service,” Father Shayo added. “This is a significant loss, but we accept it as God's will.”

In September 2013, Father Mwang'amba became the victim of an acid attack in Mlandege, in the Western District of Zanzibar. He was severely injured, suffering burns to his face, chest, and arm. He was initially treated at Mnazimmoja Hospital in Zanzibar before being transferred to Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam.

At the time of the attack, reports stated that the priest had been leaving a mobile phone services shop around 10:15 PM when he was ambushed at the shop's entrance by assailants, who then fled into nearby alleyways.

Father Stanley Lichinga, the Secretary-General of the Anglican Church, expressed his condolences, acknowledging the inevitability of death as part of God's plan but underscoring the irreplaceable gap left by Mwang'amba’s passing.

“Though death is part of God’s plan, his absence leaves an irreplaceable void. He served faithfully, and now it is time for his soul to rest in peace,” Father Lichinga remarked. “We cannot reject God's will; we must accept that time had come for him to depart.”