GOVERNMENT FORM TWO CIVICS NOTES - GOVERNMENT CIVICS NOTES PDF

GOVERNMENT  FORM TWO CIVICS NOTES  - GOVERNMENT CIVICS NOTES PDF

Concept of government

Government is the group of people within the community who have the power and authority to perform administrative functions. Or Government is the group of people who are responsible in controlling the country or an organization. Usually the leaders of the government determine the way in which a country or a state is run. These include planning, making decisions and even the implementation of the policies.

Government creates the relationship between people with their institutions or organizations. The government can be obtained either by election, by force or even hereditary means.

Types of the government

There are two types of the government, namely;

a. Democratic government

b. Non- democratic government

A. Democratic government

Democratic government is the type of the government in which the political power and authority is determined by the popular election. This type of government, considers the people in making decision and get its legitimacy through free and fair election. Examples of democratic government are Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, etc.

B. Non-Democratic Government

Non-democratic government is the type of government where y, a leader come into power by force without considering the people's votes. This kind of government can be resulted from the military coup, manipulation of the election process or even changing the democratic state into dictatorship after the leader attain the power through election. In this type of government, only one person or group of people hold the power of the state. In this kind of government, the leader runs the government without considering the willing of the people in the country.

FORMS OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE WORLD

There are various forms of the government which exist in the world in the different countries. These are;

I. Republic Government

Republic government is the form of the government in which a country is ruled by an executive President who is elected by popular votes in general election.

Constitutionally, the President is given executive power and authority to be the head of the state. In this form of government the citizens have supreme power and they exercise that power by voting and electing representatives in decision-making organs.

There are two types of republic government, namely;

A. Presidential republic. This is the form of government which operates through a presidential system of governance. The President is the head of the state and the head of government as well. Tanzania is good example

B. Parliamentary republic. This is a form of government which operates under parliamentary system. The prime minister is the active head of the executive and also leader of government business in the parliament. Ethiopia is good example.

II. Union Government

This is the form of the government in which two or more countries are united to form one country. Examples of the union government are United Republic of Tanzania (union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar) and United Kingdom (union between England Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales)

III. Monarchy Government

This is the form of the government whereby, the head of the state is King or Queen and comes into power through inheritance. Example of monarchy government are Swaziland (Eswatini), Morocco, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia

There are two types of monarchies, namely;

A. Absolute Monarchy. This is the type of monarchy government, whereby a King or queen is the head of the state and head of the government. A good example Saudi Arabia and Eswatini under King Mswati.

B. Constitutional monarchy. This is the type of monarchy whereby, a King or queen is only head of the state. The prime minister is the head of the government after he or she elected. Examples of the countries that practiced constitutional monarchies are United Kingdom, Sweden etc.

IV. Federal Government/Federation Government

This is the form of the government in which the central government shares power with the members of small government. In this form, the government is formed when two or more states or provinces are joined together with each state or province having its own government which performs certain functions, but there is a single government which unites all states and share sovereignty with them.

Examples of the federal government are United State of America (USA), India and Nigeria.

V. Theocracy government.

This is the form of government that governs by using rules and principles which are derived from religion. In this form of government leaders are obtained from among the cleric of the concerned religion. The religious leaders claim to rule the country on behalf of God.

VI. Transitional Government

This is the form of the government which is created temporarily by the people within the country while waiting for general election or permanent government. This happens whenever there are quick changes of the government and leaders due to political instability within the country.

VII. Communist Government

This is the form of government whereby, there is no definite form of government. It is situation where there is no systematic form of administration legally authorized to rule a nation. It lacks a constitution and organized leadership. Only rival groups may exist fighting to take control of the state. Countries that experienced anarchy include Somalia and Myanmar.

Importance of the Government

i. To maintain peace and security in the country. Government maintains peace and security through its instruments such as legal institutions, armed forces and police force

ii. Provision of social services. Government provides social services to the people in the country such as health service, education, water, electricity and transport for the welfare of the people

iii. Human rights protection. Government protects the human rights and the freedom of the all people in the country

iv. Conflicts resolution. Government resolves the conflicts and disputes which may rise between institutions or international conflicts or among the people in the country

v. To increase national income. Government is responsible in raising revenues within a country for the development of the country.

vi. Designing policies. The government has the power to design policies in various sectors of the economy and viable development plans for the welfare of the nation.

STATE AUTHORITIES OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

State authorities refer to the organs through which government activities are being executed. According to the constitution of the united republic of Tanzania of 1977, there are three state organs, namely Executive, Legislature and Judiciary

A. Executive

Executive is the organ of the state that deals with administrative functions. The head of the Executive is President who is elected by all adult citizens in the country during the general election. The Executive of the united republic of Tanzania composed of President, Vice president, Prime minister, cabinet of ministers, ministers, deputy ministers and civil services.

I. President

President is the head of the state and government of the united republic of Tanzania. According to the constitution of the united republic of Tanzania, President is elected after every five years. When he or she died, the vice president takes the oath to become the president. Also, president is the commander in chief of the armed forces. Since independence, the united republic of Tanzania is headed by six presidents, Julius K. Nyerere, Ally Hassan Mwinyi, Benjamin William Mkapa, Jakaya M. Kikwete, John P. Magufuli and Samia Suluhu Hassan

Responsibilities of the President

The President of the united republic of Tanzania has many responsibilities which are grouped into three categories as follows;

a. He or she is the head of the state

b. He or she is the head of government

c. He or she is the commander in chief

A. As The Head of The State

i. He or she represents Tanzania abroad

ii. He or she signs treaties with foreign countries

iii. He or she is a symbol of national unity

iv. He or she assents or disapprove parliamentary bills

v. Has a special power to pardon or give respite to criminals convicted in courts

B. As The Head of The Government

i. Is the chairperson of the cabinet of ministers

ii. He or she can dissolve the parliament

iii. Takes last responsibility for all government plans and decisions

iv. Appoints civil services such regional and district commissioners, regional and district administrative secretaries, ministers, deputy ministers, directors, judges and many others

C. As The Commander in Chief

i. Appoints the officers of the defense force like Chief of Defense Force (CDF), Inspector General of Police (IGP) etc

ii. He or she can declare the state of emergency

iii. He or she orders the operation for the defense of the united republic of Tanzania

II. Vice President

The vice president is a principal assistance of the president who takes the office when the president is absent. Vice president can be obtained as the running mate of the president during the general election or by appointed by the president and be approved by the parliament with not less than 50% of all members of the parliament.

The current vice president of Tanzania is Philip Isdore Mpango who was appointed by the president Samia Suluhu Hassan when the previous vice president takes the oath to be the president after the death of President John Pombe Magufulu.

Responsibility of Vice President

i. Making follow up in today implementation of the union matters

ii. Promoting all duties assigned by the president

iii. He or she execute president's duties when the president is absent

III. Prime Minister

Prime minister is the general executive of the government who is appointed by the president from among of the members of parliament and be approved by the national assembly. The current Prime minister of Tanzania is Majaliwa Kassimu Majaliwa. The series of the prime ministers of Tanzania since independence are, Rashidi M. Kawawa, Edward M. Sokoine, Salim A. Salimu, George S. Warioba, John Malecela, David C. Msuya, Fredrick Sumaye, Edward Lowasa, Mizengo Pinda and Majaliwa K. Majaliwa.

Responsibilities of Prime Minister

i. He or she is the main actor of the government

ii. He or she performs all duties assigned by the president

iii. He or she is the leader of the government business in the National assembly.

IV. The Cabinet

The cabinet of the united republic of Tanzania is the President's main advisory organ which consists of President who is the chairperson of the cabinet, vice president, president of Zanzibar, prime minister, Attorney General, Chief Secretary who is the secretary of the cabinet and president's office and all ministers except deputy ministers

V. Ministers

Ministers are the political heads of the ministries who are appointed by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania. In Tanzania the ministers are also members of the Parliament who either elected by the people from their constituencies or appointed by the President as the members of parliament. This means that, one main condition to be a minister in Tanzania you must be a member of parliament.

Responsibilities of The Ministers

i. They answer all questions related to their ministries asked by the members of Parliament

ii. They represent president at the ministerial level

iii. They perform duties assigned to them by the President

iv. They appoint members of board which are under their ministries.

VI. Deputy ministers

Deputy Ministers assist the ministers in their respective ministries. They are appointed by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania from among the Members of Parliament. Deputy Ministers are not members of the cabinet

VII. Civil Services/Servants

These are the government workers who perform the duties in various sectors and positions in the government. Among of the civil services are permanent secretaries in the ministries, regional and district commissioners, heads of department in the ministries and directors.

Functions of the Executive

i. Implements all decisions reached by the legislature. Executive play an important role to implement the decisions which were reached by the parliament

ii. Enforce the laws of the state. The Executive carries out and enforce laws to protect the individual rights. Each government department is responsible for the implementation of laws and principles.

iii. Provide national defense and security. Executive is responsible in maintaining peace and security in the country by protecting the country from any event related to internal or external conflicts

iv. Formulate and execute foreign policies. Executive is responsible in formulating the foreign policies of the state and to promote the foreign relations

v. Plans and implements social and economic development projects. Executive is responsible in planning and implementing the development projects for the welfare of the people in the country

vi. Signing treaties. It is the responsibility of the Executive to sign treaties with other countries. The Executive also responsible to negotiate treaties in accordance with the provision of different national laws and procedures defined by international laws.

B. Legislature

Legislature is the organ of the central government which makes laws of the state and set the government budget. Sometimes, legislature is called parliament when its members meet with the president and it called national assembly when it involves all its members. The head of legislature is the Speaker of the national assembly of the United republic of Tanzania who is elected by the members of the parliament. The current speaker of the national assembly is Tulia Ackson Mwansasu

PARTS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

The legislature of the United Republic of Tanzania has two main parts, namely;

I. President parliament

II. National Assembly

I. President Parliament

President is a part of Parliament but he or she is not a member of parliament. President is a part of parliament because he or she participates on the process of dissolving the parliament, asserting the laws and addressing the parliament.

The president can dissolve the parliament if there is one among of the following circumstances;

i. When the five years of the parliament life time are over

ii. During the last twelve months of the parliament life so as to call for a new election

iii. When the parliament refuses to approve the government budget

iv. When the two-third of the members of parliament resend a bill which president refused to assent

v. The refusal of the parliament to support an important government policy

vi. When the government fails to get majority seats in the national assembly.

II. National Assembly

National Assembly is the part of the legislature which consists only members of parliament (MPs) and other parliament workers headed by the speaker.

The national assembly of the united republic of Tanzania is made up with the following;

i. Members of Parliament represent their constituencies (264 constituencies)

ii. Five members who represent the house of representatives of Zanzibar

iii. Ten members nominated by the President

iv. Women members who represent their political parties that participate in general election, not less than 30 percent

v. The Attorney General who is appointed by the President and he or she attends the parliament by virtue and has no right to vote

Powers of National Assembly

i. It may remove the president in the office if

• He or she has committed acts to violate the constitution
• He or she violates laws of the public leaders
• He or she misbehave in a bad manners

ii. It may remove the vice president in the office if

• The president reports to the speaker that the vice president does not performs the duties of president office

iii. It may remove the prime minister in the office if the members pass the vote of no confident against him/her.

Leaders in the National Assembly

There are two types of leaders in the National Assembly

i. Leaders of the parliamentary sessions. These include, speaker, deputy speaker, chairperson, vice chairperson and the clerk of the National Assembly.

ii. Leaders for the camp of the members of parliament. These are government leaders of government, ruling party and opposition party

Functions of The National Assembly

i. To reviews the works done by the government. Legislature is responsible in reviewing and follow-up the activities which were performed by the Executive

ii. To makes the laws of the state. All laws of the state are made by the Legislature. Legislature is the supreme organ in the country to make laws

iii. To discuss and pass the annual budget. The annual budget of the state is discussed and passed by the members of the parliament before the starting of new money year. The implementations of the annual budgets improve the development in the country.

iv. To ask the questions for the clarification. The members of parliament ask the questions to the ministers for the clarification concerning public affairs in the country which are within their responsibilities

v. To discuss and prove long and short term plans. The parliament of Tanzania is responsible in authorizing any long or short term development plans to be implemented in the country

Concept of Law

Law making process in the Parliament

Law is the system of rules that a country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members. Laws help to deal with the crimes and create social relationship among the citizens. In Tanzania, laws are made after the problem is identified in a ministry, President, Attorney General or other member of parliament except speaker and other administrative officials.

The Agenda items are presented to the office of the speaker through the clerk of the national assembly. The item may include a question, petition, motion or a bill.

• Motion is a policy suggestion which has to be transformed into a bill before it is made a law
•  Petition is a call for an official ministerial response to an urgent matter of national interest
• Question is a call on ministers to respond to specified matters in their respective ministries

The bill is short listed and published in the government gazette

Steps In Making A Bill A Law

i. The bill is presented by clerk to members of parliament. This is the first reading there is no discussion held on the bill

ii. The bill introduced by standing committees and discussions are held and changes or contribution are made

iii. A bill is read by the third time. At this stage, the members of parliament discuss the bill in details

iv. The bill is debated and approved or rejected through voting

v. If the bill has been approved by Parliament, it is sent to the President for assent. If the president sign it, then it become a law or Act, and the president disapprove it, then it goes back to the National Assembly for further discussion.

Steps in making laws

A. Judiciary

Judiciary is the organ of the central government which interprets the laws of the state. The head of judicial system is the chief Justice who is appointed by the President. Judiciary performs its work fairly to solve the disputes in the society.

The Judiciary officials in judicial system include clerks, magistrates, Attorney General, advocates and court assessors.

STRUCTURE OF THE JUDICIARY

Hierarchy of the Judicial System in the United Republic of Tanzania.

Court System of Tanzania mainland

Court is the body of people presided by judges or magistrate having the judicial power and authority to hear and resolve disputes through judgment in civil, criminal or military cases. Court in Tanzania ranges from primary level to court of Appeal which is the higher larder of court system in Tanzania. Court has many importance, include; help to protect right of the people, provide opportunity for the people to have their cases heard by neutral judges, protect against abuses and provide equal treatment and fair to all people.

A. Primary Court

This is the lowest level of court system in judiciary of Tanzania. The head of primary court is the primary court magistrate. Primary court deals with the criminal cases. In this level advocates are not allowed to defend the accused person.

B. District Court

This is the second level of court system in Tanzania which is headed by resident magistrate. Each district has the district court which handles appeal cases from the primary court.

C. Resident Magistrate Court

This is the third level of the judicial system in Tanzania which is found in the region level. This court is headed by law degree holder (principal resident magistrate) who is appointed by the chief justice.

D. High court

The high court is the fourth level of the judicial system in Tanzania which is administered by the judges with the assistance from the district magistrates. It has the power to hear all types of cases including murder cases and appeal cases from the resident magistrate court.

E. Court of Appeal

The court of appeal is the highest court in Tanzania which deals with the all appeals cases presented to it from the high court. A case may originated from primary court and reach the Appeal court by passing all through levels. The court of Appeal is headed by Chief Justice.

Court System of Tanzania Zanzibar

A. Primary courts

This is the lowest court in the court hierarchy. It deals with petty offences and all civil and criminal cases. An appeal from the primary court lies with the District court

B. District court

District courts are established every district. They are presided over by District Magistrates. They have power to entertain appeals from Primary courts and also try cases of the first instance. District courts do not entertain both civil and criminal matters. Appeals from District courts lie with the Regional Magistrate court.

C. Regional Magistrate court.

These courts are established in every region. They do enjoy powers to entertain civil and criminal cases. They entertain appeals from District courts. The Regional Magistrate in charge has power to call and inspect the record of any District or Primary court for the purpose of satisfying oneself as to the correctness, legality or priority of any decision of the district therein.

D. District Kadhi's Court

These are parallel to the District court system. These are established in every district to determine matters or question of Islamic laws relating to personal status, marriage, divorce or inheritance in which all the parties profess Islamic religion. Appeals from the District Kadhi's court lie with the Appellate Kadhi's Court and the High court

E. The High Court

The high court of Zanzibar is a court of appeal for all subordinate courts. It entertains appeals from Regional Magistrate court and Appellate Kadhi's court. Its decision binds the courts subordinate to it.

F. Court of Appeal of the United Republic of Tanzania

It entertains all appeals from the High court of Zanzibar as well as from the High court of Tanzania mainland. The court of Appeal of the United Republic of Tanzania is a union matter.

Administrative tribunals

Administrative tribunals are bodies outside the hierarchy of the court with an administrative or judicial function. Unlike the ordinary courts which administer justice and are bounded by those procedures, Administrative tribunals in Tanzania include ward tribunals, Tax appeal tribunals, District land and housing tribunals, court Martial's and the Fair Competition tribunals.

Function of the Judiciary in Tanzania

i. To provide justice to the people in the country. The judiciary takes necessary steps to provide the justice to all people in the country without any kind of discrimination and oppression.

ii. To protect the national constitution. The judiciary is responsible to ensure that, the laws of the state which are obtained in the constitution are to be followed by all people in the country

iii. To protect the rights of the citizens. Judiciary is responsible to safeguard the rights of the people. All citizens in the country have the rights to seek protection in the Judiciary in case of any violation of human rights

iv. To interpret the laws of the state. The Judiciary has the power to interpret the laws of the state enacted by the legislature for the welfare of the people in the country.

v. Hearing and judging the cases. All cases which are presented to the court relating to disputes between citizens or institutions are heard and judged in the court of laws

Functions of Central Government In General

i. Providing social services. The central government provides the essential social services such as education and health services which are needed by people in the country

ii. Formulating the policies. The central government through Executive formulates different policies for the well-being of the people in the country

iii. Regulating and maintaining the economy of the country. The central government enacts laws and rules that guide the investors, issue licenses and collect tax for the development of the country

iv. To provide the security in the country. The central government defends the nation, its people with their properties and resources found in the country from any internal or external enemies.

v. Enforcing the laws of the state. The central government enacts the laws and rules that guide all people in the country. This makes people to respect the rights of all people

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SOURCES OF REVENUES

The central government gets its revenues from the following sources;

i. Direct and indirect taxes. The government collects the taxes from various sources such employees and private sectors which is direct tax, and also collects tax through imposing on goods or services

ii. Grants. This is the non-payable fund which the government received from the internal or external sources such as donor countries. Most of the grants are provided to the developing countries

iii. Customer or user charges. Central government collects revenues from users of different public services like water, power supply, transport and medical services. They are paid through the customers' payments of bills.

iv. Licenses. Also government collects revenues through selling the licenses to an individual or companies for offering services to perform certain function. Any trade or business which is conducted within the country should be given the license

v. Loans. These are revenues in which the government obtains from borrowing money from either internal or external institutions. The government can borrow from other countries or international financial institutions such as world bank and IMF

vi. Dividends from Parastatals organizations. Dividends are payments made by a corporate to its shareholders. the government owns not less than 50% of shares in different Parastatals organization such as TANESCO, TTCL, NIC, NSSF,TPA. Once profit is made the government gets its dividends from these organizations

Expenditure of Central Government Revenues

i. Building of infrastructures in the country such as roads and railways. A good example is the construction of Standard Gauge Railways (SGR), the modern railway from Dar es Salaam to lake zone regions such as Mwanza, construction of fly over at Ubungo to overcome the problem of traffic congestion and construction of the road from Mbezi-Dar es Salaam to Kbaha- Pwani

ii. Construction of schools and health centers. They built for the provision of education and health services to the people. A good example is the maintenance of all high school in the country and building the health centers in each district in the country

iii. Finances different scheme and projects which may increase the development in the country. A good example is Julius Nyerere Hydropower project (JNHPP) which was strategic project of producing the electricity of more than 2,115 megawatts in the river rufiji falls at Stigler's Gorge

iv. Provision subsides to the local government. The central government provide grants to the local government to facilitate various economic projects in the councils

v. Paying salaries and wages. The government expends its revenues through paying the salaries to the government employees who are performing various government tasks such as doctors, teachers and other civil servants

Participation in Central government activities

i. Participation in political activities such as voting if they have the required qualifications or contesting for political post.

ii. Seeking information on different government activities through different media such as television, radio, newspapers etc

iii. Participate fully in community activities such as constructing inland waterways, that can help supply of water

iv. Paying taxes through different ways like purchasing of goods and services like books, pens etc so as to enable the government to increase revenues

v. Making proper use of the facilities provided by the government, for example proper handling of school facilities and other public properties.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Concept of Local Government

Local government refers to the system of administration whereby, the elected leaders or representatives are in charge of the administration of regions, districts, urban centre and villages. The leaders and representatives in these authorities are elected by the residents of these areas. Local government is formed from the grass-root level in order to assist the central government in matters of administration and other important activities.

Local government authorities are established in each districts, township, municipality and city throughout the United Republic of Tanzania. The aim of establishment of local government is to give more power to the people living in local areas and to widen the system of democratic leadership to the local areas.

The present local government authorities were established by the Act of parliament of 1982 and the ministry which holds the local government authorities is President's Office Regional Administration and Local Government-PO-RALG (OR-TAMISEMI).

THE STRUCTURE OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The local government of the United Republic of Tanzania is categorized into two authorities, namely;

I. Rural Authorities

II. Urban Authorities

The structure of the local government of Tanzania

I. Rural Authorities

Rural authorities range from the village to district level. It has three organs which are;

a. Village government

b. Ward government

c. District council

A. Village Government

Village government is the smallest unit of a local government based on rural authorities which is formed due to the collection of hamlets to form a village. It comprises of three main organs which are;

i. Village Assembly

ii. Village council

iii. Village committees

i. Village Assembly. Is the organ of the village government which comprises all adult members of the village. This organ is headed by a chairperson who is elected by the villagers. The main functions of the village assembly is to adopt by-laws and other decisions of the village, electing the village chairperson and electing the village council

ii. Village Council. This is the organ of the village government which performs the day to day village activities. This organ composed of 25 members elected by the village assembly. The head of this organ is the village chairperson. The activities of the village are supervised by the Village Executive Officer (VEO) who is appointed and employed by the district council. The main functions of the village council are; Planning and coordinating all village activities, giving assistance and advising the villagers on developmental matters, encouraging village residents to undertake and participate in communal enterprises and proposing by-laws of the village

iii. Village Committees. The village government has the standing committees which deal with the different economic and social welfare for the village development. Those committees are;

•  Financial and economic planning which deals with the financial matters such as collection of taxes and other sources of revenues and budgeting the income and expenditure of the village
•  Defense and security which deals with the promoting peace and security in the village
• Social services which deals with the strengthening the provision of social services in the village

B. Ward Government

Ward government is the second unit of the local government based on rural authorities which comprises the number of villages joined together to form a ward. The ward government is divided into three main parts;

i. Ward development council

ii. Ward executive officer

iii. Ward department

i. Ward Development Council

This is the highest organ in the ward government which composed of;

• Chairperson, the chairperson of ward government is the councilor of the ward who is elected by the people during the general election. He or she runs the office for five years and may be re-elected. The councilor represents the ward in the district development council.
• Chairpersons of all village governments within the ward
• The members of the district council who live in the ward

ii. Ward Executive Officer

The ward executive officer (WEO) supervises all development activities in the ward. He or she is appointed and employed by the district council.

iii. Ward Department

There are different departments in the ward including;

• Department of social welfare
• Department of health
• Department of education
• Department of agriculture and livestock
• Department of finance

C. District Council

District council is the highest level of the local government based on rural authorities which covers district administrative boundaries. The district local government is divided into four parts

i. District council

ii. District Executive Director

iii. District committees

iv. District departments

i. District Council

This is the administrative system within the district which comprises of;

•  Chairperson who is appointed from among of the councilors. He or she is the head of district council
• Three members appointed by the minister of local government
• Members of Parliament from the constituencies within the district
• Chairpersons of village councils elected by the district council
• Elected members/councilors from each ward

ii. District Executive Director

This is the chief secretary of the district who is appointed by the President. Also DED is a chief Executive of the District Council.

iii. District Committees

The district council has the following committees

• Economic, construction and environmental committee
• Finance administration and planning committee
• Education, health and water committee

iv. District Department

The district council has many departments such as Administration, trade, finance, education, construction, livestock, water, land and natural resources and teachers' service commission.

Functions of the District Council

i. Supervise the implementation of all plans for the development of the district

ii. Approving by-laws made by the village council

iii. Coordinating plans, projects and programs for the village in the district

iv. Providing environmental protection and management in the district

v. Promoting social welfare and economic well-being of residents

vi. Passing by-laws applicable in the district.

WARD COUNCILORS

Councilors are the heads of the ward government who are chosen by the people to represent the affairs of their local government authorities. Councilors are chosen through voting and hold the power for five years in the office.

Responsibilities of the Councilors

i. To direct and control the affairs of their local government authorities

ii. To make decisions on the objectives of their authorities and on the plan to attain them

iii. To review periodically the objectives set by authorities for development

iv. To make the reform concerning the already set objectives

v. To collect data from the ward about the economic, social and political affairs.

II. Urban Authorities

Urban Authorities are the local government authority which based on the urban level. This include Town Council, Municipal council and City council

A. Town Council (TC). This is the local government authority in urban level which based on town level. Town council involves the councilors from each ward, members of parliament representing their constituencies within the town, five members who are appointed by the minister responsible for local government. Town council has a chairperson who is elected among the councilors and town director who is appointed by the president and he or she is the chief executive. Examples of town council in Tanzania include, Kibaha town council, Korogwe town council, Handeni town council, Njombe town council and many others

B. Municipal Council (MC). Municipal council is the area which has the population of 100000 residents. In Tanzania there are many municipal councils such as Morogoro, Iringa, Moshi, Tabora, Kahama etc.

Municipal council composes of;

1.  Councilors from each ward within the municipality
2.  Members of the parliament who represent their constituencies within the municipality
3. Three members appointed by the minister for local government

Also municipal council has the following officials;

1.  Mayor. He or she is the head of municipal council and he or she is assisted by deputy mayor. They are elected from among of the councilors within the municipality
2. Municipal executive director. He or she is a secretary of a municipal council. He or she is appointed by the president
3. Chairperson and vice-chairperson of the municipality.

C. City Council (CC). City council is the highest level of the local government based on urban authorities which has a population of not less than 500,000 residents. Currently there are six cities in Tanzania. These are Dar es Salaam (Ilala district), Mwanza, Tanga, Arusha, Dodoma and Mbeya.

City council composed of the following;

• Councilors from each ward within the city
•  Members of Parliament representing their constituencies in the city
• Six members appointed by the minister for local government authorities from among the city residents.

The officials of the city council include the following;

• Mayor. He or she is the head of the city council and is assisted by deputy mayor. They are elected from among of the councilors to run the office for five years.
•  The city Director. He or she is the chief executive and secretary of the city council. He or she is appointed by the President

Responsibilities of Urban Authorities

i. Facilitate the maintenance of peace, order and good governance

ii. Promoting social welfare and economic well-being of the local community

iii. Furthering social and economic development in their areas

iv. To suppress crimes and protect public and private properties

v. Improving agriculture, trade, commerce and industry

vi. Enhancing the health, education. Social well-being and recreational life of the people

vii. Eradicating poverty.

FUNCTION OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The local governments are charged into two types of functions

a. Mandatory functions

b. Permissive functions

A. Mandatory Functions

Mandatory functions are the functions which are performed by local government as directive from the central government. Those functions are assigned by the large extent framework and they are performed according to the national laws. These include the following;

i. Maintenance of laws and orders

ii. Promotion of social and economic welfare and well being of all people within the area

iii. Collection and proper utilization of revenues

iv. Making by-laws.

By-laws are those laws that are made by the local authorities or organization and applied only to that area.

v. Advancement of social and economic development in accordance with material policy and plans

vi. Consider, regulate and coordinate projects and plans

B. Permissive Functions

These are the functions which the local government may perform depending on the nature of the area and availability of resources. These include the following;

i. Building and letting of shops and houses

ii. Establishment, maintenance, operation and control of damaged sewage works

iii. Building and maintaining health centers and schools

iv. Charging fees for services and licenses

v. Prescription of methods of agriculture and animal husbandry.

Sources Of Local Government Revenues

Revenues are called income. The following are the main sources of local government revenues;

i.Rent. Local governments impose the payment to the people who use and own some property, facility, equipment or service which are owned by the councils. Example of rent are house rent from council houses, rent from markets and shops

ii.Fees for business licenses. License is a permission from an authority to carry out an activity, own property or use something such as use of community centre like public ground or car parking ground for a certain activity

iii.Duties on trade. Duties are fees paid for a certain goods and services. Examples of duties which are imposed is custom duties on importing or exporting of trade goods

iv.Fines and penalties. Local government collect money from the people who are breaching by- laws of the authorities

v.Grant. Grant is the non-payable money which is obtained from the central government or abroad as a foreign aid. Usually, this is the financial assistance from the central government to facilitate the implementation of a certain project in a council.

Expenditure Of Local Government Revenues

i. Payment of salaries, wages and allowances. Local government authorities pay the salaries and wages to the officials and employees of the council such as village executive officer, ward executive officer and civil servants who were employed by the councils.

ii. Paying operational cost. The council pays the operational cost for the administrative offices, for example telephone, water and electricity bills and updating computer software

iii. Developing economic activities. Economic activities such as agriculture, livestock keeping and small business enterprises are developed through the revenues collected from the councils. For example provision of loans to the small group of entrepreneurs from the 10% of the income

iv. Improving social services. The provision of social services are improved through building and maintaining of schools and health centers

v. Financing the development activities. This the development expenditures such as construction of infrastructures like roads maintenance, drainage sewage system and buildings

STUDENTS' PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES

Students' participation refers to the involvement of the students in various issues in school and other communities. The aim of establishment of local government is to bring about social and economic development in each specific area by involving people from grass root level. Students and the people in general, each one should participate in performing functions.

A. In School

Students can participate actively in school functions in the following ways;

i. Visiting people with special needs. A student can visit people with special needs living nearby school compound who are suffering from various physical disabilities. The student as other citizens, is required to visit these people and help them

ii. Protecting the school environment. A student is obliged to take part in protecting the school's environment by planting trees and flowers, prune hedges and flowers and clean the school compound.

iii. Participating in various schools' projects. A student is required to take part in creating various development projects of the school such as agriculture and art works

iv. Obeying the school rules and regulations. A student is obliged to obey the rules and regulations established by the school administration in order to bring peace and harmony in the school

v. Participating in schools' elections. A student should engage in school elections by electing their leaders such as class leaders, head boy and head girl. This participation enable a student to practice democratic activities.

B. In Local Communities

i. Participating in environment conservation such as planting trees in the local areas

ii. Volunteering in development projects such as construction of school, dispensaries

iii. To educate the societies about various issues related to the social development, for example fighting against ignorant, diseases and poverty.

Importance of Citizens' Participation in the government Activities

i. To ensure that the leaders do not misuse their powers

ii. To keep the government informed on the wishes of the society

iii. To involve citizens in the governing their country

iv. To bring personal satisfaction

v. To protect their rights and promote the common good

vi. To improve the quality of life in their communities.

Important Effect of Local Government On People's Lives

i. There is presence of peace, order and harmony in the societies

ii. There is peaceful environment which allows people to participate in production activities

iii. There is freedom of expression and freedom of participation in decision making on matters affecting the society

iv. It encourages democratic participation. The residents from each area electing their leaders such as councilors and village chairpersons

v. It benefits people from what they contribute to the local government. Residents pay taxes and in turn get services such as education and health

vi. People are kept informed about the policies of their local government authorities. As a result better decisions are made in local areas.

Differences between the Local government and Central government

i. The central government exercise its power over the whole country while the local government powers are limited to certain areas in the country

ii. The central government does not interact with the community directly while the local government interacts directly with people

iii. The central government provides funds to the local government and therefore the local government may be said to be subordinate to the central government

iv. The central government makes laws which are enforced nationwide while local government by-laws are enforced within their areas

v. The central government has control over different ministries while the local government has control over different departments.

THE UNION OF TANGANYIKA AND ZANZIBAR

The United Republic of Tanzania, was resulted from the union of two countries, Tanganyika and Zanzibar which took place on 26th April 1964.

Tanganyika got her independence from British on 09th December 1961 and Mwalimu Nyerere became the first Prime minister.

On 1962, Tanganyika became republic and Mwalimu Nyerere became the first president

On 12th January 1964, the revolution was staged in Zanzibar and Sheikh Abeid Aman Karume became the president of Zanzibar.

On 22nd April 1964, Nyerere and Sheikh Karume signed an agreement to unite their countries

On 25th April the National Assembly approved the agreements to unite Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

On 26th April 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form the united republic of Tanzania. The article of the union was ratified by the Parliament of Tanzania by the Act of parliament called "The Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar Act 1964"

The Reasons of the Union Tanganyika and Zanzibar

i. Common historical background. The people of these two countries were colonized by the British. Tanganyika was ruled by British from 1919 to 1961 and Zanzibar was ruled by British through Sultan until 10th December 1963.

ii. Defense factor. The union was created to protect these two countries from being invaded by the external enemies.

iii. Common language. Kiswahili as a medium of communication between these two countries.

The leaders and their people meet to discuss different matters related to their countries

iv. Similar political objectives. The political objectives of these countries were to benefit the majority. This made them to introduce the socialism system in which all major means of production were owned by public

v. Enhancing African unity. When African countries began getting their independence there were calls to unite the continent. As a result countries have formed unions.

vi. To consolidate the social and economic cooperation and integration of people who live in these two countries

Importance of the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

i. Free movement of people within these two countries. The union facilitates free movements of people from one place to another especially after removing the carrying passport

ii. It promotes peace, security and stability of the country. The union promote peace and security among the people who live within the boundaries of the united republic of Tanzania

iii. It accelerates political and socio-economic developments in the country. The union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar facilitates development in social, economic and political within the countries

iv. Improvement of social and cultural relation. The union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar made the people of the united republic of Tanzania to have strong relation and interaction in various political and socio-economic activities

v. Enhancing democratic principles. Through the union, these two countries have created and shared powers in different organs, this has helped to define a clear separation of power

UNION MATTERS IN THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

i. External affairs i.e interaction with other countries

ii. Defense and security

iii. The police force

iv. Citizenship

v. Power to declare the state of emergency

vi. Immigration

vii. Industrial license

viii. Higher education

ix. Research

x. Meteorology

xi. Statistics

xii. Aviation and air transport

xiii. External trade and borrowing

xiv. The court of appeal

xv. Income tax, customs and excise duties

xvi. Financial matters, legal tenders and currency

xvii. Harbors, air transport, post and telegraphs

xviii. The public services of united republic

xix. Mineral resources, including petroleum and gas

xx. Registration of political parties

xxi. The constitution of the united republic

xxii. The national examination council and all matters relating to the council

NON- UNION AFFAIRS

i. Health services

ii. Judiciary system except court of appeal

iii. Primary and secondary education

iv. Local government authority

v. Agriculture, fisheries and livestock

vi. Prison

vii. Trade and small scale industries.

Strategies for Improving The Stability of The Union

i. To create free movement of people. Free movement of people from island to mainland and vice versa without passports should be observed.

ii. To introduce strong institution to deal with the union. The establishment of a ministry in the president office to deal with union affairs will make union to be strong.

iii. Removing all trade barriers of the union. Encourage the trade between the people of Zanzibar and Tanzania mainland by removing all trade obstacles that encounter the traders.

iv. To address all challenges facing the union. Leaders in both countries should meet together to discuss find the solution of different challenges facing the union.

v. Consolidate cooperation in cultural matters. To consolidate cooperation in cultural affairs such as sports and games by introducing the union cup.

 Achievements of the Strategies for Improving the Union

i. There is free movement of people between the two countries without carrying passport. Now there are Azam marine boats which transport passengers between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar without passport

ii. There is mutual relationship among the people of both countries in social, political and economic. People from mainland live in Zanzibar and also people from Zanzibar live in mainland peaceful

iii. There are no trade barriers among the people of both countries. People travel from Zanzibar to mainland to buy certain goods and people travel from mainland to Zanzibar to buy some goods for their consumption. There is no any trade restriction to these traders

iv. There is good cooperation in sports and game between these two countries. A good example is the introduction of Mapinduzi cup in Zanzibar to honor the revolution of Zanzibar in which many football clubs from mainland such as Simba SC, Azam FC and Young African SC are invited to participate in this tournament.

v. Presence of Ministry that deals with union matters. There is the Ministry under vice president's office which deals with the union matters of the United Republic of Tanzania

QUESTIONS

1. What do you understand by the following terms?

a. Government (b). Law (c). Court (d). Executive (e).Village government g. Legislature

h. Judiciary

2. Give the explanation of the different forms of the government in the world

3. Differentiate between the following

a. Rural authority and urban authority b. Village assembly and village council c. local government and central government d. democratic government and non-democratic government e. presidential parliament and national assembly f. permissive function and mandatory function

4. In five points, argue with the statement that " democratic government is different from non- democratic government"

5. By giving five points, show why the government of Tanzania is important in the improving the development to the people in the country?

6. Mr. Mashaka said that "there are many forms of the government applied by different countries in the world including Tanzania". Consider yourself as a form two student, use the knowledge you have studied in Civics to support Mr. Mashaka by demonstrating at least five forms

7. Assume you have been appointed by your Civics teacher in your class to explain the functions of the Executive of the United Republic of Tanzania to your fellow students, what your five points will you consider?

8. Suppose you are a student of Haki secondary school and you get a chance to visit the National Assembly in Dodoma to learn the parliamentary activities. Narrate five functions of the parliament of Tanzania.

9. The students of Maendeleo secondary school want to know how the Judiciary of Tanzania is working to serve the people's needs. As an officer in charge in Judicial system, elaborate five functions of this organ of the state.

10. Some people in a country tend to ignore the efforts of a government in the implementation of its policies in the country. As a citizen of Tanzania, give five points to explain the important roles of the central government of Tanzania.

11. The government of Tanzania is now focusing on the implementations of various projects for the development in the country. In five points, show how the government gets its revenues for the accomplishment of those projects?

12. Tanzania revenues authority (TRA) collects revenues for the development of the country. In five points, show how the government of Tanzania spends it revenues?

13. The government of Tanzania established the local government authorities in order to serve people better from the local authorities. Give five functions of these authorities in the development of our country

14. "There is no any benefits we are getting from the local government authorities rather than existence of abuse of power to the leader." This statement was said by the Mtakuja villagers. Assume you are the village executive officer in that village, use five points to educate the villagers on the important effects of having local government authorities in Tanzania.

15. Suppose you are a councilor of Ngomeni ward which happens to have serious water shortage. Propose five sources of revenues for local government authorities which can be used to address the problem

16. Assume you are the District Executive Director of Same district council which is the leading council for revenues collection in Tanzania. Explain five expenditures of the revenues in your council to facilitate the development in the district

17. Assume you are a student of Nanenane secondary school in Morogoro, attended the school Baraza concerned on how students can participate in school function. Explain to your friend who was absent five ways as expressed to you by the head master.

18. As a citizen of Tanzania, give five points to explain why it was necessary for the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar of 1964?

19. Provide five points to defend the view that, the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar is beneficial to Tanzanians

20. As an officer from Ministry which deals with the union matters of the United Republic of Tanzania, propose five measures that can be taken to improve the union stability in Tanzania

21. The measures which are taken to improve the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar have been achieved to the great extent, verify this statement by giving five points