IRINGA MUNICIPAL PROFILE
INTRODUCTION
This profile has the objective of describing the physical, economic, social and political
features of Iringa Municipal, which is found in Iringa Region. Iringa became a municipal
on 1 July 1988. As wish all other towns aspiring to be municipals, Iringa met various
criteria such as a minimum population, capability to fund its services to residents and a
communication network to allow movement of goods, people and vehicles.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
The municipality is located in Iringa Region. Iringa is the administrative capital of Iringa
Region. The name is derived from the Hehe. The region is bordered in the North by
Singida and Dodoma Regions, Morogoro Region to the East, Ruvuma Region and Lake
Nyasa to the South and Mbeya Region to the West. Iringa name comes from the
Wahehe word lilinga, meaning fort.
The municipal stretches along a hilltop overlooking the Ruaha River to the south, and
spreads along ridges and valleys to the north. Iringa municipal is situated on a plateau
that ranges from 1,500 metres to 2,500 metres above sea level. Significant geological
features include numerous steep, rocky hills that punctuate the landscape and the Little
Ruaha River that runs through the municipality. The months of June, July, and August
can see low temperatures near freezing. The Tanzam Highway passes through the valley
below the municipal. The highway distance from Iringa to Dar es Salaam is 502
kilometers (312 miles).
The municipal lies along latitude 7o South of the Equator, and longitude 34o East of the
Greenwich Meridian. The municipality covers an area of 162 square kilometers. The
municipality has one division, 14 wards and 162 mitaas. The size of the wards varies
significantly. Ward Development Committees (WDC) administers wards. WDCs comprise
the Ward Executive Officer (WEO) and mtaa leaders. The 14 wards are: Kihesa,
Mkwawa, Mwangata, Kitwiru, Ruaha, Mtwivila, Ilala, Makorongoni, Mivinjeni, Kitanzini,
Mshindo, Gangilonga, Kwakilosa and Mlandege.
Iringa was built during the 1890s by the German Army as a defensive base to be used
against the Hehe uprising lead by Chief Mkwawa. The fortress and headquarters of Chief
Mkwawa was situated in the nearby village of Kalenga in Iringa Rural District.
VISION AND MISSION
Vision
“Iringa Municipal Council, in collaboration with its stakeholders is dedicated to facilitate
is residence to raise their income for better and sustainable living standards.”
Mission
Iringa Municipal Council intents to continue collaboration with the stakeholders in its
commitment to identify plan and implement its people’s socio-economic activities in
order to raise their per capita income.
POPULATION
Basing on the projection of the 2002 census, Iringa Municipal has a population of
146,762 people by 2009 of which 76,429 are females and 70,333 are males. Out of this
population children of five years under are 22,675. The population is increasing at an
annual rate of 1.6% with population density of 916 and 34,010 households.
The indigenous inhabitants are the Wahehe. However, the municipality is by and large
cosmopolitan even though the Wahehe are still a sizeable majority. The current
population now consists of people from different districts of the region such as the
Wabena, Wakinga, Wapangwa, Wawanji, and other regions of Tanzania such as
Tabora, Kigoma, Dodoma, Mbeya, Morogoro, and Kilimanjaro a few to mention.
ADMINISTRATION
The Iringa Urban District leadership comprise of the central government officials led by
the District Commissioner on the one hand, and the Local Government officials led by
the Honorable Mayor. The District Commissioner reports to the Regional Commissioner.
The District Administrative Secretary and other functionaries assist him/her. On the
other hand, the Municipal Director manages a directorate of eight departments. The
directorates are Finance and Trade; Works, Fire and Rescue; Community, Development
and Social Welfare; Education and Culture; Human Resources and Administration;
Health and Sanitation; Agriculture, Livestock and Co- operative; and Urban Planning,
Land and Natural Resources.
Iringa Municipal comprises fourteen elected councilors who all belong to Chama Cha
Mapinduzi (CCM). Accordingly, all the five special seats are also occupied by CCM. The
Member of Parliament belongs to CCM. Both the Councilors and the Member of
Parliament are elected or nominated from nominated candidates through different
registered political parties. The Member of Parliament is also a member of the council.
SOURCE OF REVENUE
The Municipal Council receives its revenue from seven main sources:
(a)
Property tax
(b)
Hotel levy
(c)
Market dues
(d)
Sewerage and septic tanks fees
(e)
Business licenses
(f)
Central government subsidies
(g)
Donor support
In 2003 Iringa Municipal Gross Domestic Product was Tshs. 19,553,230 409/=. On the
basis of the income, the per capita income was Tshs. 183,309/=
PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Air Transport
The municipality of Iringa is served by a small airstrip, which basically handles small
aircrafts. It lacks regular commercial flights compared to other municipals in the
country. The airstrip is situated at Nduli.
Roads
Iringa is connected to the outside world by major roads that include the Dar es
Salaam/Morogoro/Mbeya/Zambia road. This road is tarmac and thus all
weather. Additionally, there is road that links Iringa to Dodoma which is gravel and
passable with difficulty particularly by rain season. There are regular bus service and
trucking to Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Songea, and Dodoma.
The municipal has a total of 346 km of road network. Out of these, 53.665 km are
tarmac, 72.50 km are gravel and the remaining 230 km are earth roads. Many of the
roads are in a poor state and the municipal has requested funds from the central
government to meet repair and maintenance.
Telecommunications
Iringa municipal has good telecommunication facilities. These include a modern
exchange operated by the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd. (TTCL). Iringa
residents can call anywhere without any difficulty. Other national mobile service
providers include VODACOM, ZAIN, TIGO and ZANTEL. There is a post office and several
mail couriers which operate in the municipality. Additionally, Internet facilities are
available.
SOCIAL SERVICES
Social services include education, health, water supply and sanitation, power, library
services, law and judicial services.
Education
Just like most urban areas in the country, Iringa has several education establishments
ranging from nurseries to University Colleges. The general picture in Iringa municipality
is one of a glass half empty and half full. There is some progress but there is more to be
done.
Nurseries
The municipality boasts of 41 nursery schools. The total intake in 2009 was 2455
children of whom 1826 were boys and 629 were girls. Most of them are privately owned
nursery schools.
Primary School Education
Iringa municipal has 43 primary schools. Out of this number 36 are public schools while
the remaining seven are private schools. The total number of primary school students in
the municipal is 23,476. Of these 11, 576 are boys and 11,900 are girls. There are a
total of 806 teachers. Of these 506 are women, and 211 are men.
As far as classrooms are concerned, Iringa Municipal has a shortage of
classrooms. Currently there 406 classrooms while the required number is 600. The
municipal has 7,289 desks compared to the required number of 8,240 desks. It is even a
sober predicament when the issues of teachers’ houses are concerned. Currently there
77 houses while the needed total is 715 houses.
Secondary School Education
Iringa Municipal has 22 secondary schools. Out of these 13 are public schools and five
are private schools. The total number of secondary school students in the Municipal is
7,558. of these 3,126 are boys and 4, 432 are girls.
The municipality has a total of 413 secondary teachers. Out of these, women are 169
and the remaining 244 are men. According to municipal records, only 30.8% primary
school pupils are lucky to join secondary schools. Bearing in mind these statistics, it is
obvious that there is a shortage of secondary schools.
Colleges
There are three colleges namely Klerruu Teachers College, VETA and Ruaha
Development Community College.
Universities
Iringa Municipal prides itself for having four universities: Mkwawa University College of
Education, Ruaha University College, Tumaini University College, and Open University of
Tanzania which has a center in the municipality.
HEALTH
Health facilities in Iringa Municipal include two hospitals and dispensaries, which are in
most cases paired with MCH clinics. Currently, there are two hospitals, and three health
centres (two government owned and one private). The municipal has 20
dispensaries. Of which seven are government owned while the rest are private. The
municipal has 23 medical doctors, 123 nurses, 123 clinical officers and 70 traditional
healers. In total, there are 365 hospital beds in the municipal. There is one doctor per
2099 people in the municipality. According to municipal records infant mortality for
children under five years is 47 out 1000 and the mortality rate is 705 out of 100,000.
The target is to reduce this to 643 out of 100,000 by the end of 2009.
Another major health issue in Iringa municipal is the pervasiveness of HIV/AIDS. The
first case of HIV, the virus that cause AIDS was recorded in 1985 in the municipal and
since then Iringa Region as whole is said to have some of the highest HIV/AIDS cases in
Tanzania.
The figures from Iringa Municipal indicate that HIV/AIDS cases increase on an average
of 13.7% per year. Overall 39.8% men are infected compared to 60.2% of women. The
deadly disease is shaping the demographic structure. Women have a greater probability
of contracting the infection and more likely to die from it earlier. Additionally, it should
be also noted that on average 24.5% of those infected die annually. The death rate for
men and women is 9.8% and 14.7% respectively. The following table provides a
summary trend of HIV/AIDS in Iringa municipal.
TABLE 1: HIV/AIDS TRENDS IN IRINGA MUNICIPAL
Source: Iringa Municipal Profile, 2006.
HIV/AIDS INFECTION
DEATH
YEAR
FEMALE
MALES
TOTAL
FEMALE
MALE
TOTAL
1996
169
73
242
46
31
77
1997
133
56
189
32
38
70
1998
286
165
451
37
30
67
1999
271
313
584
103
111
214
2000
341
261
602
112
94
206
2001
156
97
253
26
14
40
2002
943
559
1,502
120
63
183
2003
698
598
1,296
271
193
464
2004
748
596
1,344
110
106
216
2005
801
664
1,465
135
97
232
2006
1,114
610
1,724
27
12
39
TOTAL
5,660
3,992
9,652
1,019
789
1,808
The question here is what explains this trend of HIV/ADIS in Iringa municipal? Officials
in municipal cite several reasons for the situation. First, Iringa municipal lies on the main
road from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya and beyond to neighboring countries of Malawi,
Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a centre of truck drivers. Second, the
municipal is also a centre of fish traders from Mtera Dam. Thirdly, there are a lot of
immigrants from rural areas looking for green pastures. Fourthly, because of poverty, a
lot of young women have joined prostitution to earn an income. To be sure unequal
power relationships do disadvantage women and young girls are particularly vulnerable.
Fifthly, local beliefs such as engaging sex with young girls can lead to richness has
exposed a lot young girls to unsafe sex. And finally, there is lack of education to create
awareness among the population on aids.
Opportunely, Iringa Municipal has in stock a number of strategies to address HIV/AIDS
in the municipality. The municipal has designed a programme outlining several measures
to be pursued. First, the municipal intends to provide education to the public. This
includes printing and displaying posters at strategic places (bars, markets, school
etc). Second, the municipal intends to continue working with numerous NGO’s involved
in health and community development activities. Third, to work with hospitals,
dispensaries and health centres in the provision of education on aids. Fourthly, the
municipality is planning to embark on workshops and be more open about sex and local
beliefs.
WATER SUPPLIES AND SANITATION
Water Supply
At the present water supply system depends on Ruaha River and Kitwiru
springs. According to municipal records, 102, 015 people out of the total population of
146, 762get clean water. This translates to 90% of the total population. Existing water
supply is 11,500 cubic metres while the demand is 14,000 cubic metres per
day. Additionally, there are two reserve tanks with a capacity of 7,280 cubic metres.
Sanitation
Overall sanitation is a big challenge in Iringa Municipal. The overall picture is that total
production of sewerage is 5.1 million litres. There is a sewerage system running 24.6
km, which disposes 1,296,000 litres per day. Additionally, households depend on
individual septic tanks. This waste is disposed in two tanks at Frelimo with a capacity of
928,000 litres and another tank with a capacity of 1.2 million litres that takes care of
Gangilonga, Wilolesi, Mtwivila and Mkimbizi areas.
POWER
Iringa Municipal is served by the national grid system supplied from Kidatu power
station and supplemented by Mtera power station. In normal situation there is no power
shortage in the municipal. However, in times of drought as experienced nationwide in
2006, Iringa experienced electricity rationing. Fuel wood particularly charcoal is also
used. Presently, solar energy is used in on a small scale in few religious institutions.
SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS
As in all major urban areas in Tanzania, there is a security, law and order presence in
Iringa Municipal. The municipal serves as the regional headquarters for all law
enforcement agencies in Iringa Region.
The organization of the police force in Iringa municipal is an archetype of what is seen
all over the country. The administrative distinct of Iringa urban is commended by the
Officer Commanding District who heads the four key departments of the police force
namely traffic, criminal investigation (CID), Field Force Unit (FFU) and general duties.
The judiciary is also well represented. There is a Resident Magistrate Court and one
Primary Court in the municipality.
Other Social Services
The municipal has one public library, which caters for the entire population in the district
and surroundings. Of interest to visitors in the municipal is the Isimila Stone Age Site
which lies about 20 km to the southwest. It contains archaeological artifacts, especially
stone tools about 70,000 year ago.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Iringa urban economy is dependent on agriculture and livestock, industry and
commerce.
Agriculture
Almost 40% of the population of the municipality depends on agriculture and livestock in
the fringes of Iringa municipality. About 72, 000 hectres out of 162, 000 within the
Municipality are suitable for both agriculture and livestock activities.
The crops that cultivated are maize, beans, potatoes, tomatoes and vegetables. All these
are for both food and cash. Overall ads indicated in the above table, there was an
increase in output in 2006 compared to 2005.
Livestock
Livestock keeping is another economic activity in the municipal. According to Municipal
figures, there are 2,459 cattle, 568 goats, 467 sheep and 22,288. At the present there
is dairy farming and the district has 2,009 dairy cattle.
Cooperatives
Cooperative activities are not as active as one would expect. There are 21 cooperative
societies in the municipality with a membership of 2,833. These societies are of three
types: consumer cooperatives (2), industrial cooperatives (4) and savings and credit
societies (15).
According to municipal officials, cooperative undertakings are facing problems. First, is
the low income of Municipal residents. Secondly, is lack of education on the benefits to
be gained in participating in cooperatives. Thirdly, there is detest of cooperative
societies because of past history where a lot of members lost their money because of
corruption and bad governance.
INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE
To be sure Iringa is not a hectic centre of industrial activity. There are two types of
industries namely medium and small scale. There are 120 small scale type industries
engaged in various activities including brick making, carpentry, local brewing and
metallworks. In the medium category there are six industries engaged in food
processing. These are Ivory (biscuits), ASAS dairy, Dabaga Vegetables, ASK Bakery and
Iringa Plastic.
Iringa municipality has seen a trend of closing down industries. Some of the important
industries that closed down include Tanzania Diamond Cutting Company, Cotex, Vaculag rubber industries and leather industries. The closure of these industries was due to
market liberalization policies, financial constraints and the streamlining of government
role in the economy.
In 2006 there were 21 wholesale shops, 350 medium shops, and 527 small traders
registered with the municipality. As with all urban areas in Tanzania there is a increase
in petty trading in the municipal. The municipal has 68 guest house, 48 restaurants and
12 bars.
POLITICS
Political Parties
There are four political parties that are active in the municipality. These are Chama Cha
Mapinduzi (CCM), Tanzania Labor Party (TLP), Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo
(CHADEMA), Civic United Front (CUF) and National Convention for Construction and
Reform (NCCR-Mageuzi). Other parties are around but by and large become visibly
active during elections. These are United Democratic Party (UDP), National League for
Democracy (NLD), Democratic Party (DP) and TADEA. During the 2005 general
elections, 10 parties contested for the presidency and parliament.
Electoral Performance of Political Parties
In the 2005 general elections, seven political parties participated in the parliamentary
elections while ten political parties contested for the presidency. Political parties that
contested for the Iringa urban seat were CCM, CHADEMA, CUF, DP, MAKINI, NCCR-
MAGEUZI, NLD, PPT-MAENDELEO, SAU and TLP. The total number of registered voters
was 51,986. However, the actual number of who voted was 33,747. From the outcome
of the voting it glaringly clear that CCM dominates the political landscape of Iringa
Urban.
Key Political Issues
There are several political issues in Iringa urban politics. The first is poverty. There is a
lack of resources to meet the growing urban population. In various political discussions,
the issue of poverty is hotly debated.
The second issue is the poor state of roads in the municipality. According to municipal
officials the pathetic state of roads cannot be addressed successfully without the support
of the central government.
The third issue is health. As already mentioned the HIV/AIDS pandemic is threat in
Iringa. But overall, it is the insufficiency of health facilities in the municipality. The
situation is more exacerbated by the surrounding rural population who flock to the
municipal to seek medical care. Education is another issue particularly secondary
education. The mood is that the number of secondary schools available is not sufficient
to meet the rising primary school enrollment. Due to this fact, municipal residents feel
that the municipal should construct more secondary schools.
Another issue is that although Iringa Municipal had a master plan for the period 19882000 it did not guide urban development adequately and unplanned settling continued.
The environmental profile available for Iringa shows that a large proportion of the
population resides in unplanned settlements estimated at 60%. All in all there are 19
well-known unplanned settlements in Iringa. This situation has led to environmental
degradation within the municipality.
RELIGIOUS CONFIGURATION
The main religions existing in Tanzania are present in the municipality. As far as
Christianity is concerned, the dominant religion is Roman Catholic, followed by Lutheran.
Islam is also well represented in the municipality. An estimate on the population of
Moslems and Christian in the municipality varies depending on whom you ask. A general
feeling is that their numbers are more or less the same. There are also a few Hindus
and Africans who profess indigenous beliefs.
MEDIA PRESENCE IN THE MUNICIPAL
Even though Iringa cannot be compared to Dar es Salaam or even Arusha, it has an
average media presence, which keeps the municipality informed on various events. The
state run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC1) has a resident bureau in the
municipality. In addition, the Independent Television (ITV) broadcast from Dar es
Salaam is on the air. Also ITV’s Radio One and Radio Free Africa are heard. As far as the
local situation is concerned, the municipality boasts three local radio stations: Ebony FM,
Radio Maria and Country FM, and Qibra Ten FM. All the four are privately owned.
Notably, there is a new Iringa Municipal Council Television at present.
As far as the print media is concerned, the municipality does not publish any local
newspaper. It gets all newspapers published in Dar es Salaam on the same day. Habari
Leo published by Tanzania Standard Newspapers that also publishes Daily News has a
reporter Frank Leornard based in Iringa.
Another important media presence in Iringa is the existence of Iringa Press Club. This
was founded in 1998 but really took off in 2000 after registration. It has 48 listed
members although only 35 members are active. It is currently under the chairmanship of
Kenneth Simbaya and the secretary is Frank Leornard who is the bureau chief of Habari
Leo. Most of others members are freelance journalists searching for news to feed
different news organizations.
A still more important factor in Iringa municipality with respect to media is the founding
of Tumaini University School of Journalism. Although not very active, it does provide
some resources particularly during press club deliberations.
EXISTENCE OF CIVIL SOCIETY
Numerous civil society organizations are active in Iringa. The first type are the
cooperative organizations. The second type are the civil society groups.
These include youth, women religious and multipurpose grassroots organizations. In
general the municipality has been active in mobilizing and supporting civil society
groups. According to Municipal data there are 40 Non Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) in Iringa Urban.
AREAS OF COOPERATION WITH MUNICIPALITIES ABROAD
The first area of cooperation is about poverty eradication. There is a lack of resources to
support entrepreneurs in various business and agricultural ventures.
The second issue is the poor state of investment opportunities in the municipality.
Investment opportunities available in the municipality include tourism, manufacturing,
mining, industries a few to mention. Despite the fact that the Iringa Municipal Council
has open areas for developing investment facilities, the challenge is financial constraints
facing the public and private sector.
The third issue is health service provision. As already mentioned in the profile the
HIV/AIDS pandemic is threat in Iringa. In general there is insufficiency of health
facilities, medical equipment, as well as hygiene and sanitation facilities in the
municipality. The situation is more exacerbated by the surrounding rural population who
flock to the municipal to seek medical care, business opportunities.
Education is another issue particularly secondary education. The mood is that secondary
schools facilities and infrastructure available is not sufficient. For example, science is not
well studied due to lack of science teachers and science facilities such as laboratory and
teaching materials. As a result there is poor performance in secondary education.
Urban planning is another area of concern. Although Iringa Municipal Council has a
master strategic plan, it does not lead to urban development adequately due to the
existence of large area of unplanned land. The environmental profile available for Iringa
shows that a large proportion of the population resides in unplanned settlements
estimated at 60%. All in all there are 19 well-known unplanned settlements in Iringa.
This situation has led unlawful residency as well as environmental degradation within
the municipality.
Media is another issue. Media plays indispensable role in enhancing political, social, and
economic development of the people. Iringa Municipal Television is new and in the
toddler’s stage. It has very few and poor media equipments. Its coverage is so narrow.
There is a need to cooperate with partners from Finland in the areas mentioned above
to fulfill its mission, vision, and objectives.
CONTACT
IRINGA MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
P. O. Box 162, IRINGA – TANZANIA.
TELEPHONE: +255 262702647. FAX: +255262702203
CONTACT PERSON
TITO YARED KILALE, (BD, MBA – MARKETING)
MARKETING OFFICER
MOBILE: +255 767 814
EMAIL: Kilale@gmail.com