Tanzania defence budget soars by 10 percent amid debate on recruitment policy

Dodoma. The government has proposed a nearly 10 percent increase in the defence budget for the 2025/26 financial year, aiming to modernise the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) and improve conditions for personnel.

Presenting the ministry’s budget estimates in Parliament, Defence and National Service minister Stergomena Tax requested Sh3.646 trillion for the next financial year, up from Sh3.326 trillion in 2024/25.

The funds will cater for acquisition of modern equipment, infrastructure upgrades, training, staff welfare and health services.

“This budget will allow us to continue equipping our forces with modern tools and ensure their readiness in line with contemporary security demands,” Dr Tax told lawmakers. “We are also committed to improving living and working conditions for our personnel, including housing, training, healthcare and other entitlements.”

Part of the budget will also go toward strengthening the National Service, popularly known by its Kiswahili abbreviation as JKT, to train more youth under patriotism and employability programmes.

The budget includes Sh318.79 billion for development expenditure and will also support strategic project security, civil-military cooperation and defence diplomacy with international and regional bodies.

While tabling the budget, Dr Tax addressed ongoing controversy over the military recruitment process. The issue emerged earlier this month after the TPDF announced new job openings requiring applicants to have completed JKT training.

The condition reignited parliamentary debate, with lawmakers accusing the military of defying a previous House resolution that removed such requirements.

Speaker Dr Tulia Ackson directed the government to explain why the condition had been reinstated. On April 30, 2025, acting TPDF Information and Public Relations Director Colonel Gaudentius Ilonda announced vacancies for candidates in various professions, stating that all applicants must have undergone JKT training and obtained certification.

On May 8, 2025, Mbozi MP George Mwenisongole (CCM) sought clarification from the Speaker, arguing the move contravened a 2024 parliamentary resolution that eliminated JKT training requirements in security sector recruitment.

Dr Tulia ordered minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament and Coordination), Mr William Lukuvi, to respond. Mr Lukuvi acknowledged that while the parliament had passed such a resolution, it did not explicitly bind the TPDF.

Dr Tulia, however, insisted that recruitment should comply with the spirit of the resolution and advised that candidates could be recruited and later taken through JKT, rather than having prior training as a precondition.

But on Tuesday, Dr Tax defended the policy, citing legal provisions under the National Service Act and the National Defence Act which give the military discretion to define recruitment criteria. She emphasised that TPDF operates under the Commander-in-Chief’s authority, and its laws and regulations are subject to presidential approval upon advice from the Defence Council.

She cited Section 3(2)(b) of the National Service Act and Section 29(1) of the National Defence Act, which allow the military to set its own recruitment criteria. “The law empowers us to ensure that candidates are properly prepared for military service,” she said. “Among the qualifications are good character, mental and physical fitness, and having met any criteria determined by the Chief of Defence Forces.”

Dr Tax reiterated that TPDF operates under the Commander-in-Chief, and its decisions reflect national interests.

“Let me remind this House that the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces take orders from the Commander-in-Chief—and not from any other source,” she said. “Since its establishment in 1964, the force has demonstrated utmost discipline and professionalism in fulfilling its constitutional duties.”

Dr Tax also briefed MPs on land dispute resolutions under the 2020/21–2024/25 Land Conflict Resolution Plan. She reported that most known disputes had been resolved through boundary demarcations, land surveys, and compensation payments.

In 2024/25, Sh15.34 billion was paid out in compensation for nine areas including military camps and educational institutions across nine regions.

An additional Sh39.89 billion worth of claims remain pending with the Treasury, covering areas in Songwe, Morogoro, Kigoma, Mwanza, Arusha, Dodoma, Pwani, and Zanzibar.

Deputy Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Geofrey Pinda, urged caution around military land, noting the danger posed by leftover military materials, including unexploded ordnance.

Zahor Mohammed Haji, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security, called on the Defence Ministry to collaborate with the Health and Finance Ministries to procure medical equipment for the military referral hospital in Msalato, Dodoma.

He also recommended joint planning between the Defence, Works, and Finance Ministries to construct and rehabilitate border security roads. Minister Tax responded that a taskforce comprising four ministers has already been formed to review funding options and address the longstanding issue. The taskforce is expected to present its report by the end of May 2025.