Incumbents in Singida Urban, Ilongero, Singida East, and have their intrays full, and now have been busier scrawling letters to the higher CCM echelons ridden with complaints after complaints about newcomers who are determined to wrestle the constituencies from them.
The incumbents in those constituencies who are Hon. Musa Sima for Singida Urban and Ramadhan Ighondo for Ilongera. Those who are chasing them out include:
For Singida Urban Constituency are Director of Bees Village, Philemon Kiemi, Director of gin factory, Sajjad Haider, Singida Urban Mayor, Yagi Kiaratu and Chemist Japhar Said who is Principal Medical Controller with Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA).
Others are Charles Kisuke, Juma Kilimba who is the retired CCM Singida Region Chairperson, Hassan Mazala, Halima Sadi, Martin Lissu, Ibrahim Wawa.
In Ilongero Constituency names that are being favourably mentioned include:
Former minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu, a business mogul owning mattresses manufacturing factories, Haidary Gulamali and Maulid Sombi.
Nyalandu may find the going tough knowing he had crossed CCM to Chadema, and returned. This will be perceived as opportunism. Moreover, he moved to Arusha and built a home there in a forlorn hope of running for Arusha Urban before his dreams were shattered by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s preferred choice in the Arusha Regional Commissioner Makonda cakewalk in the Arusha Urban race.
Others on the heels of the incumbent Hon. Ighondo include Alfred Ringi, Japhet Mungwe, Mercy Mumbee, Abdallah Haji, Chrisogone Mangi, Hashim Ntandu, Gloria Nkungu, Musa Kuji, Juma Sima, Rehema Majii, Amani Nyekele, Huruma Kilakuno, Baraka Mussa, Sabasaba Manase, Juma Ng’imba and Dk.Khalid Salla.
In Singida East names that are being floated include:
Miraji Mtaturu the incumbent MP bristles against a number of rivals who seek his job. Those who want to sack him and get the coronation for themselves include;
Thomas Mgonto who is a businessman working at Dar-es-salaam port. Others are Hon. Nusrat Hanje who has shifted allegiance to CCM after Chadema boycotted the election. Nusrat Hanje is a current Chadema women special seat.
Chadema accuses her and 18 other MPs on Chadema special seats for women of “forging documents” to secure five year women special seats, a dispute still being litigated in the Appeals Court. It will be a tall order for Nusrat Hanje to win this seat given the Magufuli preferential treatment of opposition turncoats no longer an overriding factor like it was in the 2020 elections.
Her Constituency stab will be regarded with suspicion given her record of shortcorcuiting the process to secure her own selfish ends. She will also have to brave the fatigue of the “incumbency” which is turning out to be a decisive factor in the majority of CCM primaries save for CCM headquarters meddling in local elections.
In Manyoni Constituency now headed by Dk.Pius Chaya, there is a retired Singida Regional Administrative Secretary, Doroth Mwaluko, who will be looking for a new job. Others are Jamali Kuigwa and a former MP of the same constituency Daniel Mtuka.
Here are the elections calculus for all the contenders as I see them.
What are the determinant parameters in these constituencies and why is the field so crowded?
Based on the detailed political dynamics in Singida Region and analysis of the upcoming electoral landscape, here are the four constituencies where CCM incumbents face significant threats, along with key challengers and contextual factors:
🏛️ 1. Singida Urban Constituency.
– CCM Incumbent: Hon. Musa Sima
– Key Challengers:
– Philemon Kiemi (Director of Bees Village)
– Sajjad Haider*l (Gin factory director)
– Yagi Kiaratu (Singida Urban Mayor)
– Charles Kisuke, Juma Kilimba (retired CCM Singida Region Chairperson), and Martin Lissu (notable surname linked to opposition influence).
– Threat Analysis:
– Urban constituencies historically show volatility due to youth unemployment and service delivery demands.
– Economic influencers (e.g., factory directors) leverage local job creation as a campaign pillar, resonating with voters frustrated by economic stagnation.
– Mayor Kiaratu’s grassroots administrative experience poses a direct challenge to Sima’s incumbency.
📊 2. Ilongero Constituency (formerly Singida North).
– CCM Incumbent: Hon. Ramadhan Ighondo.
– Key Challengers:
– Lazaro Nyalandu (Ex-Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, business mogul).
– Haidary Gulamali (Mattress factory owner).
– Maulid Sombi, Alfred Ringi, and Gloria Nkungu (diverse business/community figures).
– Threat Analysis:
– Nyalandu’s defection to Chadema and return to CCM is perceived as opportunistic, weakening his credibility despite his resources.
– Gulamali’s economic influence through manufacturing could attract voters seeking industrial growth.
– Ighondo’s vulnerability stems from dissatisfaction with rural service delivery (e.g., water access and affordability) – a gap challengers emphasize.
⚖️ 3. Singida East Constituency.
– CCM Incumbent: Hon. Miraji Mtaturu.
– Key Challengers:
– Thomas Mgonto (Dar es Salaam port businessman).
– Nusrat Hanje (Defected from Chadema amid legal disputes over “forged documents” for special seats) .
– Threat Analysis:
– Historical opposition stronghold:
Formerly held by firebrand opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who mobilized voters against CCM’s “michango” (forced taxation).
– Hanje’s party switch and ongoing litigation undermine her trustworthiness; voters may reject “turncoat” candidates without Magufuli’s preferential backing.
– Mgonto’s port business ties appeal to voters prioritizing economic connectivity and job creation.
💎 4. Singida West (Renamed Itigi).
*Note: While not explicitly named in your query, Itigi is the fourth critical constituency based on INEC’s renaming.
– Context:
– Renamed from Singida West to Itigi in 2025 to reflect administrative restructuring.
– Incumbent:
Likely faces similar challenges as other Singida incumbents due to:
– Persistent discontent over “michango”-style policies.
– Opposition inroads in rural areas once considered CCM bastions.
🔑 Why These Constituencies Are Vulnerable.
1. Anti-Incumbency Sentiment:
– Rural grievances over coercive taxation and poor service delivery persist since Lissu’s 2010-2015 tenure.
2. Economic Power of Challengers:
– Factory owners (e.g., Gulamali, Haider) frame themselves as job creators – a potent message amid poverty.
3. Party Defections & Credibility Crisis:
– Nyalandu and Hanje’s party-hopping alienate voters seeking ideological consistency.
4. Electoral Tactics:
– Mass disqualification of opposition candidates (95% in Dar es Salaam) fuels perceptions of unfairness, potentially mobilizing anti-CCM turnout.
💎 Conclusion: A Battle Ground Redefined.
Singida epitomizes Tanzania’s shifting political landscape: once-impenetrable CCM strongholds now face existential threats from “economically empowered challengers” and “legacy opposition tactics”.
The incumbents’ survival hinges on addressing rural poverty and distancing themselves from past abuses – or risk being swept aside by a wave of strategic newcomers.
Read more analysis by Rutashubanyuma Nestory
