Councillors and senior officials from Nyasa District Council have visited Kibaha Municipal Council to study its approach to revenue collection and the use of locally generated funds to finance development projects.
The visit was intended to give the Nyasa delegation practical lessons on how Kibaha has strengthened domestic revenue collection, improved oversight and channelled funds into projects aimed at improving public services.
Nyasa District Council Chairman Stewart Nombo said the delegation had gained new ideas on how to improve the council’s operations through closer cooperation between councillors, technical officials and departmental heads.
He thanked Kibaha Municipal Council for hosting the delegation and sharing its experience, urging the two councils to maintain the exchange of knowledge.
“We have gained new ideas and learned better ways of running a council. We ask Kibaha to continue working closely with us,” Mr Nombo said.
Nyasa District Council Director Khalid Khalif said Kibaha’s experience in revenue collection and development projects provided useful lessons for other councils seeking to improve their financial management.
He said the visit was particularly focused on understanding how the municipality collects revenue and ensures that the money is directed towards development priorities.
“The purpose of this visit is to learn from councils that have made progress, particularly in revenue collection and the proper use of those revenues for development,” Mr Khalif said.
Kibaha Municipal Director Dr Rogers Shemwelekwa said the municipality’s performance had been supported by cooperation between elected leaders and technical officials in revenue mobilisation and expenditure oversight.
He said councillors had played a role in monitoring revenue collection and ensuring that the process was not undermined, while also following up on how the funds were used.
According to Dr Shemwelekwa, Kibaha ranked first nationally in revenue collection in the 2024/25 financial year and second in 2025/26.
He said the municipality had collected 41 per cent of its target by September in the current financial year, adding that locally generated revenue had enabled it to implement major projects.
“Over the past two years, we have implemented many major projects as a result of strong domestic revenue collection. In July and August alone, we allocated TZS2.6 billion to ward-level projects,” Dr Shemwelekwa said.
He said projects financed through locally generated revenue were normally completed by February or March, allowing the municipality to channel resources to new priorities.
The Nyasa delegation visited several projects, including the Misugusugu parking facility, the Kongowe and ATN commercial project, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere English-medium Primary School and the Kibaha Shopping Mall commercial project.
The visit comes as local government authorities continue to face pressure to strengthen domestic revenue collection while ensuring that public funds translate into visible improvements in services and infrastructure.