Mtwara Municipal Council

About Us

Mtwara-Mikindani is a name that is a combination of two words which are Mtwara and Mikindani.. These two places namely Mtwara and Mikindani were famous centers where each one originated from its own reasons. The word “Ntwara” which is now Mtwara is a Makonde word meaning to be captured (attacked and taken captive). Later this area became the residence of Arabs and other people who were captured as slaves and sold.

The word Mikindani is derived from the word Mikinda, which means an area where coconut trees do not grow/thrive well. The original inhabitants of this area are the Makonde, Yao and Makua. 75 percent of the people of Mtwara are Makonde, followed by Yao and lastly the Makua. As is usual in other regions of Tanzania, there are other people who live in Mtwara.

The history of the establishment of the full authority of the Mtwara-Mikindani Municipal Council began in 1948, during the colonial period when they moved the Mtwara Port from Mikindani where it was previously located.

Mtwara Mikindani Municipality covers an area of ​​163 square kilometers, equivalent to 0.97% of the total area of ​​Mtwara Region. Mtwara Mikindani Municipality is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, and by Mtwara District Council to the north, west and south. This council is administratively divided into the following areas: one electoral constituency, 18 wards, 111 districts and 2 divisions.

According to the 2012 Population and Housing Census, the population of the Municipality was 108,299 (57,237 males and 51,062 females). As of 2017, the council is estimated to have 115,623 people, an increase of 1.6% per year (61,108 males, and 54,515 females).

In terms of economic activities, 84 percent of the citizens of Mtwara Mikindani Municipality are engaged in trade, 12.4 percent are engaged in agriculture, where the food crops are Maize, Cassava, Sorghum, Peas, Groundnuts, and Kunde. The commercial crops grown are Cashew, Peanuts, and Sesame, and 3.6 percent of the citizens of the Municipality are engaged in small and medium-sized industries.

The Council has allocated and surveyed 505.47 acres of land for the construction of factories, warehouses and a large power station. These plots have been surveyed in Mtepwezi areas in Likombe ward and Chihiko areas in Mtawanya ward. To date, the council has a total of 281.62 acres with 74 plots ready for various applicants who are willing to build factories. In addition to allocating areas for factories, the Council has also surveyed an area of ​​223.85 acres for the construction of a power station in the Mtepwezi area. .