APPEALING to an end to incidents of abductions, disappearances and killings surfaced at social media pre-Christmas messages by three bishops yesterday.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Benson Bagonza of the Karagwe Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) appealed for urgent action on these matters.

The Rt. Rev. Dr Msafiri Mbilu, bishop of the ELCT Northeast Diocese urged Tanzanians to celebrate Xmas by praying for the country, particularly for the upcoming 2025 general elections, featuring presidential, parliamentary and local council elections.

Bishop Emmaus Mwamakula of the Redeemed Moravian Church asked religious leaders to condemn abductions and disappearances as evils, even if it risks their lives.

Bishop Oscar John Olotu, presiding bishop for the Lutheran Church in East Africa., underlined that society has to understand that the shedding of innocent blood always demands justice.

"Let us celebrate Christmas by performing acts of mercy, helping the vulnerable in our communities, such as orphans, widows, the sick and prisoners," he said in his social media message.

He also urged motorists to observe road traffic regulations to avoid accidents that result in loss of life, harming wide portions of society and impairing lives for years to come. 

Bishop Bagonza addressed various social issues including abductions and disappearances, asserting inter alia that “the poor enriching the rich is not new to us. We have seen poor farmers enriching the wealthy, poor congregants enriching preachers, and poor motorcycle riders making the sellers of bikes and traffic police wealthy," he declared.

Similarly poor voters create wealthy leaders ‘but we do not see the wealthy enriching the poor,’ he said.

In his Christmas and New Year 2025 message, Bishop Olotu urged society to stop acts of abuse, violence, hatred and enmity, underlining that murder, disappearances and killings deeply pain the hearts of many in the community.

"Let us think carefully. If your brother went missing or was killed, how would you feel, dear one? What if it were a father who had gone missing—how would his children or wife feel? Try putting yourself in their shoes and imagine how it would feel," he said.

Bishop Mwamakula's message likewise dwelt on abductions, disappearances and killings of innocent citizens, the chronic problem of unemployment, the rising cost of living and high costs of healthcare.

"We are entering Christmas at a time when many of our people are in great distress, fear and even despair due to numerous challenges," he stated.

The security situation concerning people's lives and property has significantly deteriorated, with abductions and killings putting Tanzanian society on edge, as several people have been killed by unidentified individuals, he asserted.

"Many of our young people who were abducted in the past six months are still missing. Additionally, the security level of buildings in the country is alarming, with fires destroying buildings while others collapse, and the capacity for rescue is very limited," he lamented.

He also highlighted the dangers posed by counterfeit goods, which threaten public health, and fears surrounding expired products in stores.

He decried the lack of jobs in the country as it is becoming a crisis, with many young people who graduate from schools, colleges and universities resorting to various forms of misconduct, including cybercrime.

"Political crime seems to be legitimized, leading to incidents such as murders during this year's local government elections, which have discouraged many young people," he said.

The cost of living has risen, driven by the increase in prices of goods, while incomes have not risen accordingly, and the cost of healthcare in some hospitals is unaffordable for many citizens, he further noted.

The quality of education in government schools is wanting, unsatisfactory, requiring more efforts to improve it, he added.