Election Campaigns and Water Supply Politics in Tanzania

After three months of intensive election campaigns, Tanzanians will be casting their votes on the 31st of October 2010 to elect the President, members of Parliament, and Councilors for the United Republic of Tanzania and House Representatives for Zanzibar Revolutionary Government. Throughout the campaign period both print and electronic media reported that water supply was among the main topical campaign issues.

Published on 27 October 2010 in ISS Today

Donald Anthony Mwiturubani, Senior Researcher, Environmental Security Programme, ISS Nairobi

After three months of intensive election campaigns, Tanzanians will be casting their votes on the 31st of October 2010 to elect the President, members of Parliament, and Councilors for the United Republic of Tanzania and House Representatives for Zanzibar Revolutionary Government. Throughout the campaign period both print and electronic media reported that water supply was among the main topical campaign issues.

Other major issues that dominated promises during the campaign rallies were the quality of health services, especially in rural areas, the fight against corruption and the provision of quality education. Presidential as well as parliamentary contestants from major political parties namely the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the main opposition parties Chama Cha Democrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) and the CIVIC United Front (CUF) promised during their election campaigns that if elected, more national resources will be directed towards improving water services in the country.

This is in line with parties’ manifestos 2010 – 2015 that put sustainable water supply projects among the top priorities to implement in their first two years, if given opportunity to lead the government. The ruling CCM’s manifesto indicates that during the first term under President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete water supply systems have improved tremendously and that the uncompleted projects will be concluded in the second term. Meanwhile opposition parties’ manifestos blame the outgoing government for failure to allocate enough resources to improve the water supply situation in the country.

A section of CCM’s manifesto 2010 – 2015 reads, “In the past 5 years the governments continued with its efforts to ensure all Tanzanians have access to safe and clean water. Up to last year, 58.3 percent of rural families were able to access clean water compared to 80.3 in urban areas.” This indicates that both the government of the United Republic of Tanzania and Zanzibar Revolutionary government invested relatively more resources in water supply systems. In contrast however, a section of CUF party’s manifesto reads, “The water situation in the country for both domestic and industrial use is very poor. This is a surprising situation in a country with 6 percent of its total area endowed with water bodies.” This means that the outgoing government failed to invest enough funds to tap available water resources for different uses in the country.

As per the promises made during the election campaigns, CHADEMA’s presidential candidate, a former Roman Catholic priest Dr. Wilbroad Slaa, has reiterated that, if elected, he will direct more funds to the water sector to improve its supply. On his part, CUF’s presidential candidate for the United Republic of Tanzania, Professor Ibrahim Lipumba, insisted that if elected, he will overhaul all water supply systems and introduce new ones informed by available and imported technologies. This will, according to him, enable sustainable development of river basins and exploitation of ground water resources. CCM’s presidential candidate, the incumbent President Kikwete, was not to be left behind regarding this issue. During his campaign rallies he promised to increase investments in the water sector in order to improve water supply situation in the whole country.

However, with all these promises in place, there are still some challenges and unanswered questions. For example, why has water supply become such a topical campaign issue during the 2010 election campaign in the country? Do these promises signify political will towards addressing this historical problem in Tanzania? And probably more important, are these promises informed by policies and legislation for smooth implementation? Obviously answers to these questions will vary significantly, but with two things in common. Firstly politicians are very keen in reading the signs and take advantages of existing problems amongst a population from whom they are soliciting votes. In this case the water supply situation in the country is poor, with the majority of the population, especially women, walking long distances to fetch water for domestic use. This situation might have been caused by, among other factors, lack of political will in implementing water development policies and projects in the country.

Politicians therefore recognized that their expected voters would be attracted by promises, which in most cases turn out to be ‘empty promises’, to improve the water supply situation. Secondly it is clear that the country has failed to implement water development policies and legislation over time. For instance, a 20-year water supply programme of 1971/72 stated that each Tanzanian would have access to clean and safe water within 400 metres from their homestead by 1990. This target was not realised and in 1995 the first ever national water policy was formulated, which extended the target of water accessibility within 400 metres to the year 2000. This target was not met either, hence the formulation of the current national water policy in 2002. In general, many targets set to achieve sustainable water supply systems for both rural and urban population have recorded failures ever since the country attained independence in 1961.