Dodoma: Why relocation of capital faced resistance

Dar es Salaam. Right from the onset of the project of relocating the capital to Dodoma, it was obvious that it would face resistance both internally and from outside.

As odds reared their ugly heads with the financial constraints of the time biting even harder, a new problem emerged. Foreign governments and international agencies did not share Tanzania’s dream and vision of new capital. To them, it was an unnecessary expenditure to a country that was in urgent need of more directly productive development projects.

Those who were against the project included some countries that had themselves relocated their capital cities a few years ago. Diplomatic missions were equally reluctant despite efforts to encourage them to move their embassies to Dodoma.

Though this was frustrating in many ways, Sir George Kahama made it a personal mission to lure them to Dodoma. He invited missions to visit Dodoma and the President provided indirect support by stating that he intended to spend more time at the new State Lodge at Chamwino some 25 kilometres from Dodoma town.

Despite all these efforts and guarantees, foreign missions remained in Dar es Salaam and the status quo has not changed to this day.

Some have actually opened consulates in Zanzibar and Arusha but not the state’s capital.

Government entities resist

This was undoubtedly a major setback because the lack of enthusiasm by foreign missions and international agencies was, though not a main factor, contributed to the slowness in the movement of government ministries.

“At the beginning of the project, some divisions of ministries that were relevant to Dodoma were supposed to move to the new capital. By the end of 1974, CDA had expected to install sections of survey and mapping, works, forestry and wildlife, and water development departments in temporary but adequate buildings in Dodoma,” writes Sir George Kahama. Even with the preparations of all these facilities the divisions never transferred with many citing lack of housing as the reason for the delay.

Many senior officers considered Dodoma to be remote and unable to provide the comfort that they enjoyed in Dar es Salaam.

“Although this was always disguised as facilities required for their operations, it was quite clear that the underlying cause was the perceived lack of comfort and opportunities both on the social and cultural fronts that the old capital offered,” says Sir George.

The lack of enthusiasm had far-reaching effects and was a major cause of frustrating delays in the approval of releasing of payments of goods and services delivered under the CDA contracts.

As sir George further notes, there was a deeper malaise lurking under the surface whose root appeared to have been the envy of a special position that CDA enjoyed and the easy access that the DG had to the President. Since the CDA was established under the office of the President many did not see it as an agency serving the needs of all government agencies, instead, it was seen as a body that had the mandate to impose requirements on them.

The fact that CDA had to rely on Mwalimu’s enthusiasm for the Dodoma project and called upon his support to breakthrough bureaucratic obstacles reinforced the belief that the Authority was a sacred cow that was funded and supported at the expense of other areas of government.

And because of this relationship, there were murmurs of discontent and to a certain extent covert suggestions of corruption and a campaign to discredit Sir George and the entire team.

Most of these accusations came to the surface after Sir George was transferred from the project in 1983.

But even then public perception of the new capital too was a problem that was difficult to overcome.

“The common perception of what the new capital should look like included a multitude of high-rise buildings and imposing boulevards .”

This according to Sir George was quite the opposite of some of the newly created capitals such as Washington DC and Canberra.

The lack of skyscrapers resulted in a degree of public disenchantment especially as the economic conditions in the country continued to deteriorate.