Kajula, Joshua Kamenya (1938–2016)

Joshua Kamenya Kajula was a minister, educator, and administrator for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tanzania.

Early Life and Primary Education

Joshua Kamenya Kajula was born in 1938 in Mbeya, Tanzania, to a polygamous father. His father was a builder and his mother a peasant farmer. His mother was blessed with five children in the following sequence: Ambonisye, Joshua, Wilfred, Stephen, and Mustafa. His father being a polygamist, Joshua had two brothers from his father’s second wife. Joshua spent his early life near the mountainous environment of Mbeya region caring for his father’s cattle. He spent the first six years of his education at Mbowo Adventist Middle School from 1950-1955. After he completed standard six, he transferred to Suji Adventist Upper School where he did classes seven and eight from 1956 to 1957. He later joined Ikizu Adventist Secondary School where he pursued classes nine and ten from 1958 to 1959.¹

Conversion to Adventism and Baptism

While shepherding his father’s flock, he was fascinated by Sabbath School programs on Sabbaths at Iganzo Adventist Mission. Being so interested in the Sabbath School programs, he was persuaded to visit the church on Sabbath and listen to the wonderful programs. When Joshua was older, a missionary at Iganzo Mission took him as a house boy in his home. As Joshua worked in the missionary’s home, he learned more about the Adventist faith. This led to his conversion to Adventism and his baptism in 1952. His baptism opened the door for the rest of the family to become Adventists.²

Family Life

Joshua attended Ikizu Teachers College and pursued a two-year diploma in teaching from 1960 to 1961. While working as a teacher from 1962-1964, he did a secondary correspondence course for form three and four. From 1964 to 1966 he took a Health Education Course at Heri Mission Hospital. On September 15, 1964, while pursuing the Health Education degree, he married Mary Justine Kimera. Mary was born June 26, 1947, at Suji in Kilimanjaro region where she spent her early life. Her father was a teacher and pastor and so moved to various work stations. Mary pursued her early education (class one to four) from 1953-1956 at Kibumai Primary School in Mara region and later at Suji Middle School where she did classes five and six from 1957-1960. The couple was blessed with three children: Gloria (1966), Enid (1969), and Suzzana (1978).³

Professional Life and Further Education

After completing the teacher training course at Ikizu in 1962, he taught at Masoko Adventist Primary School in Rungwe District, Mbeya. At the end of the year he was transferred to Iganzo Adventist Primary School where he served until 1964 when he left to take a health course at Heri Mission. In 1966 he resumed his work at Iganzo station. After working for a couple of months in 1966-1967, his long-time call to ministry was observed, and the church sent him to study theology at Bugema College in Uganda where he received a diploma in 1967. In 1968 he was stationed as a district pastor in Morogoro where he worked until 1971. From 1972 to 1973 he served as a pastor in Lindi and thereafter he was transferred to Songea where he worked for six months. At the end of 1973 he was transferred back to Lindi where he served until 1975.

After a successful six years of ministerial internship (1969-1974), Joshua was ordained to the gospel ministry in November 1974. In 1975 he experienced a very brief transfer to Zanzibar where he served for just one week and was then transferred to Magomeni, in Dar es Salaam. He served as a pastor at Magomeni from 1975 until 1977. In 1978 he was called to serve as Church Ministries department director and served there until 1985. He then left for further studies in India where he attended Spicer Memorial College and studied for a BA degree in theology from 1985-1988. This motivated him to continue with higher education and he went to the Philippines and studied for a Master’s degree from 1989 to 1991 before returning to Tanzania.⁴

In 1992 Joshua was called to be a lecturer at Tanzania Adventist Seminary and College where he served for six months before being appointed president of Mara Conference (1992-1996). He was then appointed to be Tanzania Union Mission Publishing Department and Global Mission director, where he served from 1996 to 2000. In 2000 he was called to be president of the South West Tanzania Field and served there until 2005 when he was called to be president of the Tanzania Union Mission until 2010.⁵

Later Life and Death

Joshua Kamenya Kajula retired from church employment in November 2010 and left Arusha from the union headquarters to his long-prepared home in Dar es Salaam. Even though he had retired, he loved to serve the church as needs arose. At his local church (Kunduchi) to which he transferred his membership, he engaged as a regular church member. He served as church elder, Religious Liberty leader, and a counselor to church elders in liaison with the pastor. Due to a prolonged illness in which his health deteriorated, on March 14, 2016, he breathed the last at Muhimbili National Hospital and was buried in Dar es Salaam. Joshua left a widow, Mary, and their three grown daughters.

Legacy of Pastor Joshua Kajula

Joshua’s missionary life was a blessing to the church in Tanzania. He was a courageous leader and administrator who feared no circumstances and encouraged young people in ministry.⁶ Pastor Kajula will be remembered for his commitment and support of the Church’s media institutions. During his tenure, Morning Star Radio was up-linked to satellite, thus enabling it to cover the entire territory of Tanzania and other parts of east and central Africa. It was also during his tenure that a proposal to start Morning Star Television, later renamed Hope Channel Tanzania, was written and submitted to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and the TV station was inaugurated in 2014.⁷

Notes

1. Mary Justin Kajula (the wife of Joshua Kamenya Kajula), interview by author, Tegeta, Dar es Saalam, March 12, 2019.↩

2. Ibid.↩

3. Ibid.↩

4. “Joshua Kamenye Kajula,” accessed April 9, 2019, https://pastorletta.adventistafrica.org/joshua-kamenye-kajula.↩

5. Filbert Mwanga, “A biography of Pastor Joshua Kamenya Kajula,” a eulogy delivered at Pastor Joshua Kamenya Kajula’s funeral, March 20, 2016.↩

6. Mary Justin Kajula (the wife of Joshua Kamenya Kajula), interview by author, Tegeta, Dar es Saalam, March 12, 2019.↩

7. Rabson Nkoko, Tanzania Union communication director under the leadership of Pastor Joshua Kajula, interview by author, Kusekwa Memorial Secondary School, Simiyu, April 17, 2019.

   Source

   “Joshua Kamenya Kajula.” Accessed April 9, 2019. https://pastorletta.adventistafrica.org/joshua-kamenye-kajula↩