Political considerations and private individual interests are said to often overshadow genuine efforts to ensure fair representation of citizens in Parliament.
In many cases, influential politicians are claimed to sway decisions on splitting constituencies to retain their parliamentary seats rather than enhancing democracy.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has provided clear guidelines for creating new constituencies — focusing on population size, geographical area, communication infrastructure, and the existing capacity of the Parliamentary Chamber, which currently accommodates 393 members with 113 special seat MPs.
INEC created 26 new constituencies in 2015, but glaring anomalies remain. For example:
- Kigoma Region, with 2.4 million people and an area of 46,000 sq km, has 8 constituencies,
while - Mtwara Region, with only 1.6 million people and a smaller area of 16,700 sq km, has 10 constituencies.
This imbalance must be addressed before creating new divisions. It’s time for honesty, transparency, and fairness in our electoral processes.
