EIGHT new parliamentary constituencies have been created and 12 existing constituencies are being renamed ahead of the general election set for late October.

Judge Jacobs Mwambegele, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission said at a press conference here yesterday that the decision followed thorough assessments of constituency requests submitted from various regions.

Splitting constituencies is conducted in accordance with Article 75 (1), (2) and (4) of the constitution, read with section 18(7) of the 2024 Electoral Commission Regulations, he said.

The new constituencies are Kivule (split from Ukonga), and Chamazi (split from Mbagala), both on the wider reaches of the Dar es Salaam metropolitan area. Dodoma Region sees the creation of Mtumba constituency, carved from Dodoma Urban while Uyole constituency is split from Mbeya Urban.

In Simiyu Region, Bariadi now has a pair with Bariadi Urban while Geita Region has two new constituencies, Katoro that separates from Busanda, and Chato South being split from Chato, he said.

In Shinyanga, Solwa is split to create Itwangi constituency, he said, noting that name changes will follow for split constituencies. Chato now becomes Chato North, Nkenge becomes Missenyi, and Mpanda Rural is renamed Tanganyika. Buyungu will now be Kakonko, while Bariadi is renamed Bariadi Rural. Manyoni East is now Manyoni, while Singida North is now Ilongero, he stated.

Manyoni West becomes Itigi while Singida East is now Ikungi East. Singida West is now Ikungi West. Tabora North becomes Uyui, while Handeni Rural stays as Handeni, he elaborated.

The total number of constituencies now 272 where 222 are Mainland constituencies and 50 are in Zanzibar. Ward councillors to be elected now stand at 3,960 wards on the Mainland, he stated.

The commission’ sought to streamline representation, accommodating demographic shifts ahead of the polls, he said, while Abdulkarim Atiki, a metropolitan based political analyst, cautiously welcomed the increased electoral constituencies.

He was positive as to high- density areas such as Chamazi and Kivule, noting the potential benefits like improved service delivery and infrastructure.

He emphasized the need for closer scrutiny as to whether the new constituencies will truly advance development or simply add administrative and financial strain to the government.

Densely populated areas have in some cases benefited from well-managed smaller councils, he said, pointing at the importance of involving citizens, as taxpayers, in the decision-making process.

Balanced decision-making that weighs the potential benefits and the long-term sustainability of administrative reforms is vital, he added.