Malasusa reelected as head of ELCT

Arusha. Bishop Alex Malasusa has been re-elected the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), succeeding Bishop Fredrick Shoo, who has completed his leadership tenure.

Bishop Malasusa, who leads the Eastern and Coastal Diocese of ELCT, once held the position from 2007 to 2015 and then passed on the responsibilities to Bishop Shoo. His re-election has sparked discussions on social media platforms.

However, during the election, two bishops, Dr Benson Bagonza of the Karagwe Diocese and Bishop Ambele Mwaipopo of the Lake Tanganyika Diocese, were not allowed to attend the ELCT general assembly meeting that elected Malasusa.

Bishops Bagonza and Mwaipopo were suspended from attending four regular sessions of the executive committee in May of last year due to disagreements with Bishop Shoo over how to address the conflict within the Konde Diocese.

Nevertheless, during the executive committee meeting held prior to the election, bishops Bagonza and Mwaipopo were granted forgiveness on the condition of writing an apology letter, a requirement they fulfilled within a short period of time.

Reports indicated that Bishop Shoo, who presided over the election, stood his ground and maintained that the bishops were suspended from attending four regular sessions.

In the election, a reliable source told The Citizen that Bishop Abednego Keshomshahara led with 32 votes, followed by Bishop George Fihavango with 20 votes, Malasusa with 16 votes, and Bishop Andrew Gulle with 15 votes.

With those results, the names of Bishop Malasusa, Bishop Keshomshahara, and Bishop Fihavango had to be voted for by the members of the ELCT executive committee, and ultimately, Bishop Malasusa emerged as the winner.

The election had to be repeated three times as the required votes were not met. In the first round of voting, out of 253 votes cast, Dr Malasusa bagged 90 votes, Dr Kesho Mshahara won 83 votes, and Fihavango garnered 69 votes, while 11 votes were spoiled.

According to the ELCT constitution, a two-thirds majority was not achieved to determine a winner, prompting a second round of voting between the top two candidates, Bishop Malasusa and Bishop Keshomshahara.

However, in the second round, the two-thirds majority was still not achieved, as Dr Malasusa won 142 votes and Keshomshahara garnered 96 out of the 239 votes cast. Consequently, a third round of voting was announced.
In the third round of voting, Bishop Malasusa got 167 votes, equivalent to 69.3 percent of the 241 votes cast, while Keshomshahara collected 73 votes, equivalent to 30.3 percent. Thus, Bishop Malasusa was declared the newly elected head of the church.
Speaking after the election, Bishop Shoo congratulated Bishop Malasusa on his election and acknowledged the passing of the leadership baton just as it had been done to him in 2015.
of the Church.

Speaking after the results, Bishop Shoo, who is also the head of the Northern Diocese, congratulated Bishop Malasusa on his re-election and acknowledged the passing of the leadership baton just as it had been done to him in 2015.
"Father Bishop, know that just as you handed it over to me in 2015, I will do the same, and through prayers and advice, I will be close to you as you have been to me. May God lead you and enable you," said Bishop Shoo.

For his part, Bishop Malasusa said, "I am greatly overwhelmed because I marvel at God. His ways are unfathomable. I would like to thank God for His grace in calling me again to serve with you."

"I am absolutely certain that the same God, who enabled Bishop Shoo to do great work and accomplish significant things, especially through this assembly, will empower us as well. I thank you, Father Bishop," said Bishop Malasusa.

The former General Secretary of ELCT (1988-2005), Amani Mwenigoha, stated that the ELCT constitution has no limit of any kind for the position of the Church head, saying that even Bishop Shoo could have been reelected.

“The head of the Church can be reelected unless he is unable to fulfill his duties due to health reasons or death," said Mwenigoha.
Reported by Daniel Mjema, Janeth Mushi and Florah Temba