Dodoma: The capital city that never really took off

The debate on the town best suited for Tanzania’s capital city started soon after independence. There were those who argued that Dar es Salaam, all the way at the Coast, was not easy to access and it would be difficult to connect it to all zones of the country.
Parliamentary proceedings and media reports were dedicated to arguments for and against, but Dodoma eventually appeared to be good enough for the majority.
The matter was finally resolved in 1972, when a TANU opinion poll showed 18 regions in favour of Dodoma and three against. A total of 1859 party branches wanted Dodoma to be the seat of power while 842 rejected the idea.
Following the results, the Capital Development Authority was established in 1973. The Ministry of Capital Development was established early in 1976 to administer the process of planning and administering the project to transform the town in central Tanzania and give it the look of a capital.
 “To start with, CDA employed a Canadian-based company, Project Planning Associates, to prepare a city plan for Dodoma which would accommodate the central government in the new city,” says Mr Martin Kitila, head of the authority.
But 38 years after the approval of the new capital, only Parliament, the Local Government Ministry, the University of Dodoma and other institutions of higher learning are based in the city. The central government is still in Dar es Salaam, begging the question: What went wrong?
Mr Kitila says: “The actual work started in 1974. In 1976, the government passed the project, which was put into place until 1988, when major changes in the policy, administration and economy took place.”
These changes led to a drop in funding, privatisation and job cuts in public corporations. Many projects were hard hit, among them the Dodoma move. “We are now working hard to implement the projects that were not accomplished,” Mr Kitila adds.
In 2010, CDA contracted a Korean firm, Saman Corporation, and Tanzania Human Settlement Solutions to review the 1976-1988 project plan and develop a new one.
 “CDA, along with the prime minister’s office, is now preparing a Bill which will cite Dodoma as a capital city, and that will help to legally enforce the transformation.”
According to retired Major-General Muhidin Kimaryo, who is a former director of CDA, the relocation of the capital has yet to succeed because there is no political will.
He says:  “When I was still in office, I urged the Government not to build new accommodation for civil servants in Dar es Salaam. They ignored my advice and later sold the houses to each other.
“We went wrong from the beginning. We were talking instead of walking the talk. Our leaders didn’t set examples. For instance, if Nyerere had shifted to Dodoma, no one would ever have opposed the migration. We don’t have the political will.”
He is pleased, though, that the Government has built the University of Dodoma (UDOM), which he considers a major inspiration and boost for the relocation process.
 “President Kikwete has opened our eyes,” he says. “UDOM is a big university.
It is expected to accommodate 30,000 students. That is a big number. If the capital development law is passed soon, it will surely boost the transformation.”
The CDA has undergone numerous changes in leadership and administration since its inception. From 1976 to 1986, it was under the Ministry of Capital Development. It was then placed under the premier’s office until 1990 and shifted to the Ministry of Works until 2001, when it was again put under the premier’s office.
Sir George Kahama was the founding director of CDA and served from 1973 to 1980. He was succeeded by Mr Joshua Minja, who left in 1987. Dr George Mlingwa took the helm until 1990 and was replaced by Major-General Muhidin Kimaryo, who held the fort from 1991 to 1996. Mr Evarist Kweba took up the job in 2001 and stayed on until 2004, and Mr Kitila assumed responsibility in 2007. 
Every now and then, questions are raised as to whether to continue with the strategy to make Dodoma the capital city. The doubts centre on the fact that it has taken a long time to establish the project. Some reckon it might be a better idea to keep Dodoma as it is—a city that houses Parliament but which is also developing nicely as a university town.
This debate has been sparked not only by the time factor but also by the costs associated with setting up a new capital.  Only one ministry (the Prime minister’s office, Regional Administration and Local Government) has shifted to Dodoma so far.