The Tanzanian government has announced that all local government councils will be formally dissolved on June 20, 2025, in preparation for the country’s upcoming general elections will take place in October.
The announcement was made during an official briefing on Sunday by Mohamed Mchengerwa, Tanzanian Minister of State at the Presidential Office for Regional Government and Local Government (TAMISEMI). The minister also confirmed that all standing committee meetings have been suspended from that date.
Minister Mchengerwa referred to Section 178 of the Local Government (District Authorities) Act, stating that the law empowers him to dissolve local councils seven days before Parliament is dissolved on June 27, 2025.
“Both Parliament and local government councils must be dissolved in order to proceed with the general elections,” he said.
To formalise this move, two official proclamations were signed, one for the District Authorities and the other for the City Authorities. The proclamations, which will soon be published in the Official Gazette, clearly state that all council and committee meetings must end by June 20. Any meetings held after this date will be considered illegal and the relevant council directors will be held accountable.
After the dissolution, the council directors will take over the day-to-day running of the local government as interim chairmen and will be supported by the department heads as committee members. However, Mchengerwa stressed that the directors are prohibited from initiating new projects or changing existing decisions during the transition period.
“Failure to comply with these directives or abuse of power will result in personal legal liability for the directors,” the minister warned.
He also directed all council directors to prepare comprehensive reports on decisions and operations during the transition period and submit them to the first meeting of the newly elected councillors.
Mr Mchengerwa called on public servants and Tanzanian citizens to support the transition process by upholding good governance, public service ethics and compliance with legal frameworks.