CROSSROADS : So, what happens to Dar es Salaam City?

Central government workers based in Dar es Salaam must have had a difficult week as they stomached Prime Minister’s decision to move to Dodoma starting September.

PM Kassim Majaliwa made the announcement after President John Magufuli declared that in the next four years, the government would shift its operations to Dodoma. It seems the Premier was waiting for the directive, and decided he would move with speed.

For civil servants who might move to Dodoma, it is a battle of the wills, as some have invested so much in Dar, especially in terms of houses and household education. For permanent dwellers of Dodoma, they must have been very happy. Finally, their dream would come true, to see their city, becoming the centre of power in Tanzania, thus bringing the economic benefits that could come with the decision.

It should be noted that back in 1974, Dar es Salaam lost its status as Tanzania’s capital. The honour was bestowed to Dodoma and after so many decades, the move is to be completed under the 5th phase government.

In history and geography books, Dar es Salaam is referred to as the country’s business capital, but in essence it has been more than that as the entire central government’s bureaucracy remained here. The only important State pillar that had moved to Dodoma was Parliament.

Now that the Executive is about to follow suit, let’s wait and see whether the Judiciary would make a similar announcement.

What happens to Dar es Salaam, the haven of peace? The city, which Sultan Majid bin Said of Zanzibar began building in 1866, and named it Dar es Salaam, will it become a ghost city, abandoned with little population and no business in future?

No way. I can comfortably say, the business capital will retain its importance as the place where money changes hands at the blink of an eye. Property prices won’t fall, nor would industries move out.

From 1891, when German East Africa relocated its capital from Bagamoyo to Dar es Salaam, the city has been registering marked growth, and it has continued growing even after Mwalimu Julius Nyerere declared Dodoma as the country’s capital in 1974.

Look at the Members of Parliament, despite their main office being in Dodoma, most live in Dar, probably due to a number of reasons-the largest city, and an economic centre of Tanzania.

In terms of population, Dar es Salaam is the most populous city in East Africa. It has the most developed infrastructure and building architecture in the country. More so it’s a coastal city, and with the country’s main port in its wing, the authorities just need to improve the business environment.

If the business climate will be ok, for the offices that will be left by the ministries, the private sectors may take them on rent or purchase. There is need to have a clear road map for the move to Dodoma, that will ensure the central government gains economically and politically from the move.

To me, Dar es Salaam is the heart of the East African coast and has always played an important role in evolution of Kiswahili, our national language. Its regional leaders should not be silent as government moves to Dodoma, but should come out openly with a new vision to grow it, as the most important business hub in eastern and central Africa.

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB(, the city will reach 21.4 million people by 2052 and it is expected to achieve the mega city’s status (10 million people or more) by early 2030s. It is to our national interest that – Dar es Salaam, the fastest growing urban centre -- becomes the business capital of East Africa.

Saumu Jumanne is an assistant lecturer, Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE)