By Mutayoba Arbogast
Advocate Halord Sungusia, a High Court lawyer with nearly three decades of experience at the Bar and expertise in human rights, governance and peacebuilding, recently participated in an online public discussion aimed at broadening the understanding of participants in a two-day workshop held in Mwanza, Tanzania, at the end of August 2026.
The workshop focused on the concept of good governance in local government as an important foundation for achieving Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2050.
Participants from different parts of Tanzania included leaders of civil society organisations, local government officials, professionals, entrepreneurs and journalists. Guided by experienced facilitators, they discussed a range of issues they considered essential to ensuring the effective implementation of Vision 2050 and the achievement of its intended goals.
The workshop was organised by the Mwanza-based non-governmental organisation, Action for Democracy and Local Government (ADLG), with support from its German partner, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS).
Over the two days, participants listened attentively to presentations by three speakers: Joanitha Balthazari, Principal Human Resources Officer at Ilemela Municipal Council; Patrick Kulangwa from the Mwanza Regional Commissioner’s Office, responsible for Industry, Trade and Investment; and Nicholaus Luhende from Youth VDT, a civil society organisation based in Shinyanga Region.
Following the presentations, participants engaged in discussions and shared their views on the most effective ways of implementing Vision 2050 to ensure that it delivers the anticipated results.
The participants later had an opportunity to learn about the concept of good governance in local government from Advocate Sungusia and to engage him in an interactive question-and-answer session.
Public Participation in Local Government
One of the concerns raised by participants was that ordinary citizens are not allowed to attend Ward Development Committee (WDC) meetings openly. At the same time, they are legally permitted to attend full council meetings at district councils, which are often held far from many rural residents.
Responding to the concern, Advocate Sungusia said that full council meetings represent an important democratic space that citizens have not sufficiently utilised.
“Full council meetings are extremely important because they are responsible for passing resolutions, approving by-laws and making many important decisions,” he explained.
“The major problem is that we, as citizens, tend to ignore full council meetings, even though they are legally recognised forums. Section 69 of the relevant local government legislation provides that these meetings should be open to the public.”
He explained that Ward Development Committees are committee meetings rather than meetings of the local council as a whole, such as village, district, municipal or city councils.
According to him, Section 32 of the relevant legislation outlines the responsibilities of Ward Development Committees. Each ward has such a committee, chaired by the elected councillor for that ward. Its members include chairpersons of villages within the ward, as well as any member of a district or city council who resides in that particular ward.
However, Advocate Sungusia pointed out that there are opportunities for citizens that are often overlooked.
He explained that the relevant legal provisions allow committees to invite other individuals to participate in their meetings. This may include representatives of non-governmental organisations and civic groups involved in development activities within the respective ward. Such invited participants may contribute to discussions, although they do not have voting rights.
“I believe this is an important space that citizens can utilise,” he said.
He added that progressive councillors and local leaders often invite individuals who can contribute ideas, expertise and solutions that improve development within their wards.
Access to Public Information
Participants also raised concerns about the difficulty of accessing public information, including reports on local government revenue, expenditure and other important council matters. They noted that such information is sometimes displayed only on noticeboards located at district council offices, making it difficult for ordinary citizens, particularly those living in remote areas, to access it.
Advocate Sungusia noted that Tanzania has the Access to Information Act, which provides a legal framework for citizens to obtain public information.
“The law is good if it is implemented as intended,” he said. “Our problem is not necessarily the absence of laws. The greater challenge is ensuring that the laws already enacted by Parliament are properly enforced.”
He stressed the importance of taking action against government and public-sector officials who unnecessarily obstruct citizen participation or deny the public access to important official information relating to development.
The Call for a New Constitution
Addressing concerns expressed by some participants regarding the safety of individuals who actively advocate for a new constitution, Advocate Sungusia emphasised that the demand for constitutional reform should not be regarded as the concern of a single individual or group.
“The issue of a new constitution is a national issue,” he said. “It is reflected in the implementation framework of our National Development Vision.”
He argued that Tanzania cannot realistically achieve its ambition of becoming a trillion-dollar economy without strong legal institutions, good governance and effective systems supported by a modern constitution capable of facilitating development at the desired level.
“Therefore, people should not assume that the situation is necessarily getting worse,” he said. “According to the long-term development plans, Tanzania is expected to have a new constitution by 2028, followed by reforms to other laws to ensure that they are consistent with the new constitutional framework.”
He added that, in some cases, people encounter difficulties because of the manner in which they present their arguments.
“I would like to assure you that the situation is not necessarily bad. However, when expressing your views, do so in a manner that does not violate existing legal procedures or the Constitution currently in force. Speak objectively, with the intention of building society rather than inciting violence or creating conditions that could cause instability.”
Advocate Sungusia emphasised that discussing constitutional issues is a fundamental right of every citizen.
“Article 18 of the Constitution provides strong protections for freedom of expression, including the freedom to express one’s ideas, seek information and disseminate information,” he said.
Bringing Power Closer to the People
Speaking about the devolution of power to citizens, Advocate Sungusia referred to Articles 8 and 146 of the Constitution, which recognise that the foundation of state authority and power lies with the people.
He emphasised that development planning should begin with citizens at the grassroots level and move upward through the different levels of government for implementation.
“This means that citizens must participate in planning their own development and in implementing their development plans,” he explained.
Such participation, he added, empowers citizens to make decisions that can promote development and improve social welfare within their communities.
However, he observed that Tanzania still lacks a sufficiently strong constitutional foundation to clearly protect the rights, authority and autonomy of local governments.
He argued that local governments should remain genuinely local governments, while the central government should retain its own clearly defined responsibilities.
“There should be a clear separation of powers between central and local government,” he said. “Local governments should understand the limits of their authority and be able to exercise their responsibilities without excessive interference.”
He further noted that the issue of whether local government leaders should primarily be accountable to the central government or to local communities requires clear legal interpretation and guidance. This would help avoid situations in which leaders are accused of violating procedures or disregarding directives without clear legal standards governing their responsibilities.
Advocate Sungusia also reflected on longstanding challenges relating to human and financial resources within local government authorities.
“Over the years, particularly when it comes to human and financial resources allocated to local governments, there have been times when local authorities have felt marginalised or unfairly treated,” he observed.
Although some reforms have already been undertaken, he said there is still a need to further improve local government laws and institutions.
These reforms should enable local governments to operate more effectively, improve public service delivery and ensure that citizens benefit from the social services administered at the local level.
“Citizens should be able to live happily in their country and actively participate in promoting development at the grassroots level,” he said.
“If development is successful at the local level, it ultimately contributes to national development, because the majority of citizens live and interact with government institutions at this level. Many decisions that directly affect people’s lives are also made at the local government level.”
A Call for Greater Citizen Engagement
In his concluding remarks, Advocate Sungusia encouraged workshop participants to study the National Development Vision, the National Five-Year Development Plans and the Long-Term Perspective Plans.
He urged every participant to identify their individual role in implementing the National Development Vision and contributing to the country’s broader development goals.
Jimmy Luhende, Co-Director of ADLG, thanked Advocate Sungusia for his presentation, saying that it had significantly improved participants’ understanding of their responsibilities in contributing to the successful implementation of Vision 2050.
Meanwhile, Damas Nderumaki, a Project Manager at KAS, said that his organisation strongly believes in good governance and genuine democracy. He explained that KAS supports initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacity of communities to contribute meaningfully to the achievement of national development goals.
He also promised to convey the participants’ greetings to the KAS Resident Country Representative, Peter Koch. He expressed satisfaction that the organisation’s support for the workshop would not be in vain, as the knowledge and ideas generated during the workshop would ultimately reach and benefit the wider community.
Equitable Resource Distribution for Sustainable Peace
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Lucia Lawrence from Girls Talk Organisation in Mwanza emphasised the importance of equitable resource distribution in maintaining peace and stability as Tanzania works towards achieving the goals of Vision 2050.
She criticised the tendency of some wealthy individuals to isolate themselves behind high walls and heavily fortified gates in an effort to protect themselves from theft and insecurity.
She argued that if those with greater financial resources were willing to contribute modestly towards broader community development, such resources could, for example, help create employment opportunities for young people and strengthen community security.
Rather than focusing solely on individual protection and personal interests, she urged citizens to embrace collective responsibility and shared investment in the well-being of society.
Such an approach, she suggested, would contribute to a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous Tanzania as the country moves towards the aspirations of Vision 2050.
