Dodoma — ALL Municipal and District Council Assemblies, along with their standing committees, will be officially dissolved effective this Friday, the government has announced.
This announcement was made public on Sunday by the Minister of State in the President's Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa.
Following the dissolution, Municipal and District Executive Directors will no longer have the authority to initiate or amend any projects or investments. Any violations of this directive will result in personal legal accountability for the responsible directors.
The announcement comes as the nation prepares for the General Election scheduled for October this year, which will see the election of the President, Members of Parliament, and Councillors.
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President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to address Parliament on Friday next week prior to the dissolution of the legislative body, as stipulated in the Constitution.
Citing the Local Government (Urban Authorities) Act, Chapter 288, Section 84A and the Local Government (District Authorities) Act, Chapter 287, Section 178A, Minister Mchengerwa said that he is legally empowered to dissolve local government assemblies seven days before the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the General Election.
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"In line with the authority granted to me by law, I have signed two official notices regarding the dissolution of Council Assemblies in preparation for the 2025 General Election," said the minister.
The two notices are titled: Notice on the Dissolution of Council Assemblies in District Authorities, 2025 and Notice on the Dissolution of Council Assemblies in Urban Authorities, 2025.
Mr Mchengerwa confirmed that the notices will be published in the Government Gazette in the coming days.
He stressed that any Council or Committee meetings held after June 20 will be in violation of the notices, and the responsible council directors will be held accountable.
During the interim period, all executive matters will be overseen by the council director, who will act as interim chairperson, supported by department heads serving as committee members.
However, during this transitional phase, directors are prohibited from launching new projects or investments or making amendments to already approved initiatives, until new councilors are elected.
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"Any abuse of authority or failure to fulfill administrative responsibilities under these notices will result in personal legal consequences for the council director," Mr Mchengerwa warned.
He added that council directors will be required to submit a report on all management decisions and actions taken during the interim period at the first meeting of the newly formed council assemblies after the election.
Minister Mchengerwa also called upon citizens, government leaders, development partners and all council officials to maintain good governance, adhere to public service ethics and follow legal procedures during the transition.
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"I take this opportunity to sincerely thank and congratulate all outgoing councillors for their invaluable contributions to the development of Local Government Authorities," he said.
