A Tanzanian family is urgently seeking help for their 28-year-old son and brother, Anold Joshua Mwacha, a 2024 Cambridge University graduate who has reportedly been held at Lutindi Mental Institution in Tanga for approximately four months.
Anold’s younger sister, Teresah, reached out to TUKO.co.ke to raise awareness about his situation and to call for his rights, dignity and well-being to be respected.
How Priest’s Concern Led to Admission
According to the family, Anold’s troubles began when his mother took him to their priest because he had chosen to wear ear studs.
The clergyman allegedly concluded that the young man had a mental health problem based on the way he chose to live his life.
“Anold’s decision to wear ear studs, a personal choice, was interpreted as troubling behaviour within the church community,” Teresah lamented.
The distressed sister added that the family believes his admission to the facility was driven by a misreading of his character rather than genuine medical necessity.
Family Demands Transfer and Fresh Assessment
The family is now questioning both the circumstances of his initial admission and the continued justification for keeping him at the institution.
Central to the family’s appeal is their request for transfer documentation, which they say the facility has allegedly withheld.
They are seeking to have Anold transferred to a psychiatric facility in Kenya, which they describe as one of the country’s top three such institutions.
Their stated reasons are threefold: to obtain an independent psychiatric assessment, to confirm whether his diagnosis and treatment have been appropriate, and to access different specialists and alternative treatment approaches if needed.
Anold Described as Kind-Hearted
Beyond the medical and legal questions, Teresah’s appeal offers a glimpse of the brother her family deeply misses.
Anold, known affectionately as AJ, is described as a son to Nancy and Romanus, and a sibling whose warmth left a lasting impression on those around him.
“To his friends and everybody else, he is AJ, the guy with the biggest heart,” the family says.
His family is now asking members of the public to help amplify his story while holding out hope that independent scrutiny will finally bring answers.
