Decentralisation and Urban Governance: Trends and Lessons from Cities in Tanzania
In an endeavour to enhance good governance, over the last two decades, the Government of Tanzania has been implementing a programme aimed at reforming local government through decentralisation by devolution (D by D) At the centre of the D by D lies the need to build the capacity of the local (urban) governments to discharge their service delivery functions more effectively and efficiently. Other critical features of the programme, which also match the cardinal principles of good governance, include enhanced stakeholders' participation, improved partnership with non state actors and enabling the lower level administrative units of the local government to implement locally conceived and prioritised projects. Based on empirical data and information drawn from eight urban centres in Tanzania, this paper discusses how the D by D has been operationalised by the authorities with respect to the three aforementioned good governance attributes. It is argued that there has been a notable achievement in terms of stakeholders' participation; implementation of priority projects evolved by grassroots units and enhanced partnership in the delivery of basic services such as solid and liquid waste management and street cleaning. However, overdependence by local governments on central government grants and ineptitude among the local and central government staff in discharging their responsibilities, coupled with other institutional deficits, are real threats to meaningful implementation of D by D and improvement of urban governance in Tanzania.