Mwenge Catholic University becomes Tanzania’s latest university

The Tanzania Government’s Commission for Universities (TCU) has granted full university status to Mwenge University College of Education which has previously been a constituent college of Tanzania’s Catholic University, the St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT). The new university is called, Mwenge Catholic University. 

The development and change in status means that students being admitted for the academic year 2014/2015 will undertake their studies under the new Mwenge Catholic University.

Mwenge Catholic University has up until now been a secular and private institution of higher learning under the ownership and management of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC). It is situated in Moshi, the Kilimanjaro region of Northeastern Tanzania, in East Africa..  Established in 2005 as a constituent College of St. Augustine University of Tanzania, the institution was founded as St. Joseph’s Teachers College in 2001offering the national teachers’ diploma in education.

During the inauguration of the new university’s academic year 2014/2015 on 22 September, Bishop Isaac Amani Massawe of Moshi Diocese who has been the Chair of the college’s governing board announced that Fr. Dr. Philbert Vumilia would be the Vice Chancellor-elect of the new Mwenge Catholic University. 

Bishop Amani said that the transformation of Mwenge University College of Education into a fully-fledged university was a big step forward for the whole community of Mwenge.  He urged the administration, academic staff, students and all stakeholders to work hard and ensure the integral development of Tanzania.

The Vice chancellor-elect, Fr. Dr. Philbert Vumilia thanked the Tanzania Commission for Universities for upgrading Mwenge college to university status.  He congratulated the staff and students for contributing towards the new milestone. 

“Let us keep up the spirit for the development of Tanzania and for the service of the people of God,” said Dr. Vumilia who has worked to implement the requirements of TCU for Mwenge to become a university. The Vice Chancellor-elect, Dr. Vumilia, was previously the Principal of the university college now turned university. 

(By Sr. Bridgita S. Mwawasi, ssj in Tanzania)