Local Government Management

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Start date: 2020End date: 2023

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    Leadership effectiveness of the executive directors of local government authorities in Tanzania
    (Groningen University, 2023) Igulu, George Romanus
    In the Tanzanian administrative system, the local government authorities (LGAs) are seen as an important layer of government that is responsible for the provision of social services such as education and health services. In the LGA the executive director is the highest civil servant who is seen as an important figure. This dissertation answers the question ‘what managerial roles and leadership behaviour the executive directors display in LGAs and to what extent and in what ways such roles and leadership behaviour explain the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of the LGAs?’ The study concludes that the administrative behaviour of the executive directors is primarily bureaucratic in applying general instructions from the central government with little room for manoeuvring. The main activity is informational, meaning that the director provides instructions to the subordinates and provides reports to the central government. The dominant leadership behavior is transactional and Ubuntu, meaning that the societal position of the director is very important. The study suggests enhancing the role of the LGA council to improve the role of the executive director. This dissertation is part of the project Capacity Building for the enhancement of Decentralisation by Devolution in Local Government Authorities in Tanzania: a collaboration between Mzumbe University (Tanzania), the University of Groningen and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands) and funded by NUFFIC.
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    Whom are you speaking for? Obstacles to participation encountered by special-seat councillors in Tanzanian Local Councils
    (Gender and Women Studies, 2023) Swai, Idda; Zeegers, Nicolle
    Abstract With the implementation of the special-seats programme at the local level of the Tanzanian government, special-seat representatives experience obstacles similar to those experienced by their counterparts in the Tanzanian parliament – the national level. It was established that because of these obstacles, the participation of these women councillors – defined as the attempts they make to affect decisions – is rather low compared to elected male and female councillors. This article focuses on the context in which special-seat councillors have to do their work and how this could partly explain the low participation. It addresses how the special-seat councillors function in practice, and how this compares to the functioning of councillors elected from the wards. The insights into their functioning are derived from data collected from four councils, observation of the meetings, and interviews with councillors between 2012 and 2014. The authors conclude that an improvement of accountability mechanisms would be important for increasing the participation of the special-seat councillors and propose three changes in the organization of the special-seats programme to bring this about.
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    Conflicts among councillors in the local government authorities: A tale of Msalala District Council
    (African Journal of Governance and Development, 2023) Swai, Idda Lyatonga; Uhahula, Faraja Cosmas; Ndesekio, Vicent Evarist; Nyakega, Chacha Timasi; Igulu, George
    This paper focused on conflicts among councillors in Tanzania's Local Government Authorities, where qualitative approaches were employed in data collection and analysis. The study focused on understanding the causes and effects of conflicts in the Local Government Authorities where Msalala District Council in Shinyanga Region was used as a case study. A sample of 22 participants was interviewed through mobile calls. Various local government documents, including the minutes of meetings and reports, were reviewed. The study found three types of conflicts at Msalala District Council. The conflict between the elected councillors themselves, conflicts between the District Council Chairperson and other councillors and conflicts between elected (Ward) councillors and special seat councillors. It was further found that the conflicts were contributed by the low level of education among councillors, personal interest and selfishness, poor communication, conflicting roles and unequal distribution of resources. The study found that the conflicts among the councillors affected the implementation of projects in the council, reduced the morale of the special seat councillors and increased unnecessary costs to the council. Different mechanisms have been adopted to resolve conflicts, like collective bargaining and cooperativeness, which are emphasized for the growth of local government authorities, and this reduces the rate of biased decisions. This study recommends training for councillors immediately after being elected to provide awareness of their roles and duties in the local government authority.