History of the Diocese

The Diocese of Western Tanganyika is one of the eight Dioceses that established the province of the Anglican Church in Tanzania in 1970 after the division of the Church Province of East Africa (Church Province of East Africa) and created two independent provinces. Namely the State Church of Tanzania under Archbishop John Sepeku (Bishop of Dar es Salaam) and the State Church of Kenya under Archbishop Festo Olang’.

The establishment of the diocese of Western Tanganyika in 1966 is due to the growth of the Diocese of Central Tanganyika (DCT) that is the mother diocese. The Diocese of Central Tanganyika spread the gospel to many parts of the continent through the missionaries of the Missionary party known as the Church Missionary Society (CMS) or currently “Church Mission Society” (CMS) from London, England. After CMS saw that the work of the gospel had grown, Pastor Yohana Omari was consecrated as the first Assistant Bishop of DCT. Between 1959 and 1963, two other Bishops were consecrated and made auxiliary Bishops in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika. One was Bishop Maxwell Wiggins, a missionary from CMS New Zealand who worked in Berega and was sent to manage the area of Lake Victoria, which was also called Victoria Nyanza and later became the First Bishop of the Diocese of Victoria Nyanza (DVN). The second was Bishop Musa Kahurananga who was assigned to the Western Tanganyika region. Archdeacon Maxwell Wiggins was appointed by Bishop Alfred Stanway under the Archbishop of Canterbury on 11 June 1959 to be the Bishop of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Dodoma.

Bishop Musa Kahurananga who at that time was the Rural Dean of Kasulu and before that was the Priest of the Parish of Moshi, Kilimanjaro was consecrated as the Assistant Bishop and Archbishop of the Church of East Africa, The Most Revd. Leonard Beecher. The service was held on the day of Saint Bartholomew, ie 24 August in 1962, the service was held in Kasulu and was attended by Bishop Stanway and his assistant Bishops Yohana Omari and Maxwell Wiggins. Also present was Bishop N. Langford Smith who was a Missionary in the Uha area for many years and went to Kenya to become an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Mombasa. Bishop Sundkler of Buhaya Evangelical Lutheran Church, Bukoba was also present.

The Diocese of Western Tanganyika was founded on 24 July 1966 by the late Musa Kahurananga the first Bishop. Bishop Kahurananga retired in 1983. After his retirement, the late Bishop Dr. Gerard Mpango was elected as the second Bishop and he led and governed DWT until he left power in 2010. After Bishop Mpango, Bishop Sadock Makaya was elected in 2010 who is the Third Bishop of this Diocese. During the periods of administration and leadership of the three Bishops, namely Kahurananga, Mpango and Makaya, this Diocese has made great strides in evangelism, development, economy and community service. It is during the reign of these Fathers, three dioceses have been born from DWT namely; Tabora, Lake Rukwa and Kibondo. Bishop Musa Kahurananga and Bishop Gerard Mpango have been called to heaven but their works still speak within DWT and the State in general. We pray for Bishop Makaya and Mama Editha as well as Mama Rose that God will continue to take care of them as their wisdom and advice are still needed for DWT members.

After the resignation of Bishop Sadock Makaya in 2021, Emmanuel Bwatta was elected as the Bishop of the Fourth Phase, by the grace of God, he continues and honors all the things that are good and with good intentions for the building of the body of Christ in the Diocese of Western Tanganyika that was done by his predecessors.