A SHARP rise in ruling party membership over the past decade shows not only the strength of CCM but also the trust that Tanzanians have placed in the party to lead development, the party chairperson has declared.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan made this observation when addressing delegates to the special national congress, which brought together party leaders and representatives from across the country to discuss the state of the party, and scan the draft manifesto for the coming general election.

Ruling party membership has reached 13m registered members, a significant achievement in its ongoing nationwide membership drive, she said, stipulating that as of yesterday CCM had 13,000,670 registered members on its digital registration system.

“This is a result of the massive membership registration and verification exercise that the party has been conducting throughout the country,” she stated, thanking the vast membership for their confidence in CCM,

The party’s growing membership reflects its commitment to delivering development across the country, she said, highlighting that at the previous national congress, the membership stood at around 12 million.

Providing a breakdown of registered members by region, the report presented at the congress showed Dar es Salaam leading with 1,209,129 members, followed by Morogoro (761,309) and Kagera 707,290 members,

Others are Mwanza (695,360), Dodoma (674,804) while Tabora has registered 658,885 members, Tanga 618,546 and Coast 580,491 members, the report indicated, showing further that Arusha had 426,136 members, Geita stood at 523,194 signed up members, Iringai showing 318,086 members and Katavi 169,633 members.

Kigoma has 489,200 while Kilimanjaro prided itself with 331,509 members, Lindi 313,374o indexed, Manyara 427,032 listed members Mara 491,668 signing up, Mbeya 431,716 loyal members and Mtwara showing 310,758 members.

Still others are Njombe (176,476), Rukwa (219,316), Ruvuma (446,825) and Shinyanga with 398,322 members. Simiyu had 388,149 registered members, Singida 457,018 signed up, Songwe 230,016 registered members and equally significant numbers for Zanzibar regions.

Zanzibar Urban showed 116,772 members, Urban West 183,274 members, Unguja North 98,478 members, Unguja South 73,324 registered members, while Pemba North had 33,277 members, Pemba South 46,139 members, and a tiny membership in the Diaspora, with 164 registered members.

 “This milestone is not just a number—it is a testament to the trust and belief Tanzanians have in our party. It gives us a greater responsibility to ensure that we remain close to the people and continue to serve their interests effectively,” she stated,

“As we prepare for the 2025 elections, we must maintain internal unity, listen to the people, and stay focused on our development agenda. The party must remain a strong pillar of stability and progress,” she emphasized.

She urged party leaders to actively communicate the numerous accomplishments to the public, particularly in rural areas, with the special congress also reviewing progress on implementing the party’s manifesto for the past general election,

Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi, the party secretary general, said the congress was convened to review the implementation of the 2020–2025 election manifesto, launch the 2025–2030 manifesto and approve minor amendments to the party's constitution.

He told delegates that a total of 1,934 delegates were slated to attend the two day jamboree, with 1,907 present, totally adequate to make changes as the party constitution demands that half the number of eligible delegates be present.

The congress also attracted a broad range of guests, including representatives from sister parties across Africa and beyond. Delegations came from South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Burundi, China, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda, Cuba, Ethiopia, Russia, Zambia as well as South Korea, he stated.

The gathering highlighted the party’s focus on modernization, inclusivity and affirmative delivery on its developmental promises, as it prepares for the next phase of nation building under the newly unveiled 2025–2030 manifesto, he added.