Tanzania Civic and Legal Aid Organization Wants NEC to Release Timetable Leading to its By-Elections

TANZANIA Civic and Legal Aid Organization (CILAO) based in Arusha, Northern region of Tanzania is enquiring from the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Tanzania to release time table leading to by-elections expected to be held in three wards to fill the vacant seats of councilors in Kakesio, Eyasi and Endulen in Ngorongoro District Council.

The inquiry was contained in a letter by CILAO dated July 6, 2023, with Reference NO: CILAO/NEC/02/2023, signed by Odero C.Odero, Executive Director to the Director of the Elections at the National Electoral Commission in Tanzania.

Endulen ward councilor resigned in 2021 to vie for a Parliamentary seat through the Ngorongoro constituency. Since then, it has remained vacant apart from that elections were conducted in counties that had vacant seats.

They want the NEC to make available the by-elections timeline so they can commence preparing programs to mobilize the community to participate in electing their leaders, as per articles 5 and 21 of the Constitution.

The letter was copied to various organs including Regional Administration and Local Government, and Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

Fourteen wards in Tanzania’s mainland are expected to conduct elections this July 2023, according to the Director of Elections of the National Electoral Commissioner, Ramadhani Kailima but nothing is known about the aforementioned wards.

Wards in which elections are due include Ngoywa located in Sikonge District Council, Kalola in Uyui District Council, Sindeni in Handeni District Council, Potwe in Muheza District Council, Kwashemshi in Korogwe District Council, Bosha in Mkinga District Council, Mahege in Kibiti District Council and Bunamhala in Bariadi Town Council.

Others include Njoro and Kalemawe in Same District Council, Mnavira in Masasi District Council, Kinyika in Makete District Council, Magubike in Kilosa District Council, and Mbede in Mpimbwe District Council.

In June 2022, authorities in Tanzania started relocating the Maasai community from Ngorongoro to Msomera village in Handeni, insisting the process was voluntary and the priority is to preserve the ecology of the Ngorongoro and Loliondo areas for tourism activities.

By: Mutayoba Arbogast, K-NEWS Tanzania Contributor