Dar es Salaam. Vice-President Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi has urged Tanzanians of all faiths to use their religious platforms to pray for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, stressing that her health, wisdom and security are directly linked to the nation’s stability, unity and development.
He also said there is a need to pray for the President to have loyal, honest and genuinely patriotic aides who place national interests above personal gain.
Dr Nchimbi made the remarks on Friday, February 6, 2026, during the installation of the fifth national leadership of the Tanzania Council of Pentecostal Churches (CPTC), held at the Agape Life Church auditorium in Dar es Salaam.
He said it is important for citizens to recognise the sensitive role of the President in running the country, noting that some people still do not fully grasp the weight of the office and its impact on the nation as a whole.
“Let me take this opportunity to ask religious leaders to pray for our country, but I also urge you to continue praying for our President. There are people who do not understand the importance of the presidential office. Some think that if the President faces difficulties, the country will not be affected,” said Dr Nchimbi.
The Vice-President recalled the words of the Father of the Nation, the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, who said: “You can shake any individual in society and the country may remain stable, but if you shake the President, the entire nation is shaken.”
In his address, Dr Nchimbi said prayers for the President are not optional but a national and spiritual duty, urging religious leaders to continue praying for the country as directed in the Bible.
“If the President is touched, the country is shaken. That is why we must pray for our President every day for good health and long life so that she can fully discharge her duties, and also pray for wisdom and sound judgement to guide her decisions in the national interest,” he emphasised.
However, he warned of individuals with ill intentions who might attempt to infiltrate leadership systems with bad advice or schemes, stressing the importance of prayers to protect the President from such people.
“Let us continue asking God to help her find loyal and honest aides—people who truly love our country, who are pained by its challenges, and who desire to see it transform for the better,” he said.
“Let us ask God to grant the President ‘eagle’s eyes’ so that she can see and identify bad people—troublemakers, schemers, liars, thieves and all those who are untrustworthy.
“Let us also pray that God shuts the gates of State House to wrongdoers. Through your prayers, anyone harbouring thoughts of theft, embezzlement, intrigue or even bloodshed should find State House completely inaccessible,” he said.
He added that people with bad intentions should not even desire to get close to the President or have the opportunity to mislead the country’s top leader.
“I want everyone who believes in religion to pray for our President. Let us shut the gates of State House so that bad people do not gain access to mislead her,” he said.
Commenting on the remarks, Bishop Dr Benson Bagonza of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), Karagwe Diocese, said the Vice-President’s call for prayers was important because the presidency is an institution that can attract both good and bad people.
“The presidency can cause blindness and deafness. It is therefore important to pray that God helps the President not to become blind or deaf, so that she can see and hear clearly. Bad people should not come near our State House. May God grant her the wisdom to recognise that where there are twelve, there is a Judas. Even within one’s own garments, there may be lice that trouble you, because the danger often lies within. The nation must be prayed for, and so must the President,” he said.
Bishop Bagonza said that despite all the prayers, the President ultimately stands alone before God to account for the nation, and cannot blame advisers or aides.
“It is the President alone. If she receives bad advice and accepts it, she has no defence. She is the one who took the oath, and she is the one who will give account before the Creator. She must be prayed for so that she understands this responsibility placed in her hands, not in those of advisers,” he said.
Political analyst Rashid Nkya said the call to pray for the President has roots in Tanzania’s history as a religiously cohesive nation. He stressed the need to combine prayers, moral values, strong governance systems and accountability to safeguard national interests.
He said the Vice-President’s message aims to strengthen national unity and remind citizens of the weight of the presidential office in maintaining stability.
“In a world facing security and economic challenges, encouraging faith-based solidarity is a way to strengthen hope and social stability,” he said.
Nkya said that, on the other hand, Dr Nchimbi’s remarks also carry a significant political message that requires careful interpretation.
He said the call to pray for the President to have loyal aides is an acknowledgement that major leadership challenges often arise not from the leader alone, but from the broader system of advisers and officials.
“However, prayers must go hand in hand with strong systems of accountability and transparency,” he stressed.
Political scientist Rehema Kitope said that while praying for the President is socially and spiritually positive, the foundation of good governance should not rest on prayers alone.
She said calls to protect the President from bad actors should be accompanied by stronger security and justice institutions, noting that national security is primarily built through solid legal and institutional frameworks.
“A strong democracy requires citizens who ask questions, independent institutions and accountability systems, alongside personal faith. If institutions function properly, the chances of schemes and bad advice are greatly reduced,” she said.
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