HURIA JOURNAL OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OF TANZANIA

Economic Interests and Community Participation in Cultural Heritage Management: Evidence from Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage Site, Tanzania

Hiltruda N. Mahudi — 2026-11-03

Effects of the Ihefu Wetlands Ecosystem on Livelihood of Local Communities in Mbarali District, Mbeya Region, Tanzania

Emmanuel Patroba Mhache — 2026-11-03

This study examines the effects of Ihefu Wetlands ecosystem on livelihood of local communities in Mbarali District, Mbeya Region, Tanzania. Wetlands are vital life-support ecosystems, providing water year-round and fertile land for farming and grazing. The research addressed two objectives: challenges facing Ihefu Wetlands and their importance in supporting livelihoods of local communities. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques where an exploratory descriptive design was adopted. Sampling techniques used in this paper was purposive and simple random sampling. Data were collected from 150 respondents through questionnaires, interviews, and observations, while 31 journal articles were reviewed for documentary analysis. Statistical software used in this study was SPSS version 25 where data were analysed using Chi-square test, percentages, frequencies and narratives. Findings revealed that 74.7% of respondents identified wetlands as the primary source of water, 65.3% considered wetlands as wildlife habitats, while 65% identified agricultural encroachment as the major threat. However, unsustainable farming and overgrazing threaten their integrity. The study emphasises raising awareness, enforcing laws, and involving local communities in conservation efforts. Recommendations include reducing livestock numbers, controlling grazing, and penalising wetland degradation. These results highlight key factors contributing to wetland decline and inform future conservation efforts.

Community Participation in Land Registration: Evidence from Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal Council, Tanzania

Elieza Yusufu Musana — 2026-11-03

Community participation is central to effective land governance because it can enhance transparency, strengthen tenure security, and reduce land-related conflicts. However, limited empirical evidence exists on how institutional and socio-economic conditions shape participation in land registration within rapidly urbanising secondary municipalities. This study examined community participation in land registration activities in Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal Council, using the Political Ecology framework. Guided by pragmatism, the study employed a mixed-methods convergent parallel design and collected data from 340 respondents through questionnaires, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings indicate a moderate level of community participation, with regular participation recording a mean score of 3.30 (SD = 1.56), while perceived increases in participation recorded a mean of 3.36 (SD = 1.41). Participation was constrained by inadequate awareness (27.9%), financial constraints (21.5%), and limited access to registration services (14.2%). The findings suggest that improving participation requires strengthened public awareness, reduced financial and procedural barriers, and more accessible registration services. The study contributes empirical evidence on community participation in land registration in an urbanising secondary municipality and underscores the importance of inclusive and responsive land administration.

Bridging Languages: Exploring Selected English-based African Novel Titles in Kiswahili Abstract

Sarah Marjie — 2026-11-03

African literature is a compelling medium through which the intricate tapestry of the region's cultures, traditions, and historical narratives is conveyed. The narratives often reflect the socio-political landscapes and cultural identities inherent in African societies, which makes these works important resources for understanding the region's historical trajectory and contemporary issues. African English-based novels serve as an important conduit for conveying the region’s cultural and socio-political narratives. Translating their titles into Kiswahili facilitates cross-cultural engagement by bridging the linguistic and cultural gaps. This study conducts a linguistic analysis of 19 selected African English-based novel titles and their Kiswahili translations. It focuses on how language, culture, and literature intersect in the translation process. The analysis applies the Structural Functional Translation Analysis (SFTA) framework to examine how Kiswahili morphological and syntactic structures accommodate and preserve the literary function and cultural resemblance of the original English titles. The study argues that the translated titles maintain both linguistic integrity and cultural relevance within the target language. The study contributes to the discourse on how Kiswahili functions as a cultural and linguistic bridge in African literary translation.

The Influence of Social Security Service Quality on the Socio-Economic Welfare of Retirees in Kinondoni District, Tanzania

Mathias M. Kijanga — 2026-11-03

This study assessed the quality of social security services in improving the socio-economic welfare of retirees in Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Guided by the Continuity Theory of Ageing and Institutional Theory, the study examined the adequacy of lump-sum payments, monthly pensions, and health insurance coverage. Adopting a convergent mixed-methods research design, the study utilised a sample of 364 retirees selected through simple random sampling and 30 key informants selected purposively. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and open-ended interviews, followed by descriptive statistical and thematic analyses. Quantitative findings revealed mixed perceptions of financial benefits. While 54.67% of respondents considered lump-sum payments satisfactory, 45.33% perceived them as inadequate, mainly due to high urban inflation. Furthermore, 55.50% of retirees expressed dissatisfaction with health insurance coverage, citing limited coverage for chronic conditions associated with ageing and high out-of-pocket expenses. Qualitative evidence triangulated these findings, highlighting that stagnant monthly pensions often necessitated reliance on informal family support. The study concluded that, while social security services provided a foundational safety net, the existing service quality was insufficient to ensure long-term socio-economic well-being and dignity in an inflationary environment. It was recommended that the Ministry of Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disabilities, under the Prime Minister’s Office, in coordination with PSSSF and NSSF, implement automatic pension indexation and expand health insurance packages to include comprehensive geriatric care to align social security benefits with the rising cost of living in urban Tanzania.

Economic Incentives for Climate-Smart Agriculture and Ecosystem Conservation in Tanzania: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Review

Isabella L. Mrema — 2026-11-03

This study systematically reviews empirical evidence on economic factors associated with the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and ecosystem conservation practices in Tanzania. A PRISMA-guided approach was used to identify and synthesise studies published between 2018 and 2025. Ten Tanzania-specific empirical studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. The studies varied in design, setting, economic mechanism and measured outcome. Access to finance was associated with the adoption of some CSA practices, although findings differed by practice. Land-tenure security and extension support also featured in the adoption evidence as institutional and informational conditions, respectively, rather than financial incentives. Evidence on market-based instruments, including payments for ecosystem services, was more limited, and few studies measured sustained adoption or ecosystem outcomes. The available evidence therefore does not establish that financial incentives are more effective than market-based instruments or that combined approaches outperform individual interventions. By bringing these studies together, the review identifies context-specific patterns and gaps in evidence relevant to policy design. Recommendations include addressing locally identified barriers to financial access and piloting payments for ecosystem services (PES) and carbon-market arrangements with careful monitoring of participation, funding and conservation outcomes. Further longitudinal and comparative research is needed to assess the lasting effects of economic instruments on CSA adoption and ecosystem conservation.

Mapping Agricultural Marketing Information Research in Tanzania: A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Literature Review

Isaac Kazungu — 2026-11-03

This review maps the theoretical structure of Agricultural marketing information in Tanzania by analysing 47 Scopus publications (2008–2024). The study is motivated by the fact that, despite growing research on agricultural marketing information, limited evidence integrates its role in smallholder farmers’ market participation, mobile phone-enabled information access, and agricultural supply chains and marketing channels. Harzing Publish or Perish and VOSviewer were used to explore publication trends, influential publications, and keyword co-occurrence to map the field's structure. Findings reveal that research output increases by 11.85% annually. Three overarching themes are uncovered in the review: (i) the roles played by marketing information in market participation among smallholder farmers; (ii) impacts of mobile phone access to marketing information for grape farmers in Dodoma; and (iii) food supply chains and marketing channels for rice smallholders in developing countries. Tanzania and Kenya were found to be the most influential and productive academic centres in agricultural marketing information. Emerging academic powers like China, Denmark and the US are potential partners for effective collaboration to enhance knowledge sharing and develop innovative studies. It is concluded that a core academic circle in agricultural marketing information has not yet formed and is likely to be influenced by researchers working in similar yet distinct fields. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying trends in publications on agricultural marketing information, reflecting recent developments in the field. The study contributes theoretically by integrating Information Asymmetry Theory, the Technology Acceptance Model, Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Value Chain Theory to provide a multidimensional understanding of how agricultural marketing information and digital technology shape smallholder farmers’ market engagement.

Evaluating Human Rights Implications of Conservation Tourism in Tanzania

Ladislaus Batinoluho — 2026-11-03

Conservation tourism has emerged as a dominant development paradigm in sub-Saharan Africa, yet its intersection with human rights remains critically under-researched, especially in Tanzania. While the majority of scholars have documented conservation-induced displacement and indigenous rights violations across East Africa, empirically grounded analyses specific to Tanzania's conservation-tourism nexus remain sparse. This study addresses the main research question: To what extent does conservation tourism in Tanzania violate international human rights? Employing a systematic meta-analysis of 47 sources published between 2000 and 2025 — comprising 21 peer-reviewed journal articles together with UN treaty body reports, civil-society reports, grey literature, and book chapters — the findings reveal consistent patterns of dispossession, restricted resource access, inadequate compensation, and procedural exclusion in protected area management. Results indicate that 73% of analysed cases documented violations of free, prior, and informed consent principles, with large effect sizes recorded across all rights domains, including land and property rights, subsistence rights, cultural rights, and gendered harms. These effect sizes, derived from a predominantly qualitative and documentary evidence base, are interpreted descriptively as indicators of the magnitude and consistency of documented patterns rather than as tested causal estimates. The study concludes that Tanzania's conservation-tourism model systematically privileges ecological and economic objectives over human rights commitments. Implications extend to policy coherence between conservation law and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Recommendations include the establishment of rights-based conservation frameworks, community co-governance mechanisms, and independent grievance redress bodies.

Singing the King’s Song? Examining Uchawa in Tanzanian Political Culture

Revocatus Kabobe Bin’Omukama — 2026-11-03

This article critically examines Uchawa, a Kiswahili term denoting sycophancy, exaggerated praise, and opportunistic loyalty, as a political technique in Tanzanian politics. Specifically, it examines how uchawa is strategically deployed by political actors to signal loyalty, secure proximity to power, navigate elite competition, influence access to political and state resources, and reinforce leader-centred political narratives. Using a qualitative case-study design, the article analyses media narrations, political speeches, semi-structured interviews, parliamentary debates and civil servants. Thematic analysis through neo patrimonialism, symbolic politics and bureaucracy was adopted for data analysis. Evidences show that uchawa converts loyalty into bureaucratic and political influence that enables access to decision makers and state resources. Two insights emerge: First, uchawa operates as an informal tool of access allowing actors to navigate patronage networks; second, its routine performance discourages dissent and weakens merit-based advancement, thereby constraining policy innovation and institutional autonomy. Though uchawa can result into short term cohesion, it erodes accountability mechanisms and the entire trust of the public to institutions. Meritocratic recruitment and promotion are recommended with effective whistleblowing and dissent protections, transparent performance evaluation, and institutional accountability mechanisms to reduce incentives for performative loyalty. These measures can improve administrative professionalism, policy responsiveness, and citizen confidence by reducing dependence on personal connections and symbolic loyalty.

Reinforcing Accountability at the Interpersonal Level in Healthcare Delivery Settings: A Case of Mwananyamala Hospital, Tanzania

Furaha Julius — 2026-11-03

Accountability in public healthcare involves more than whether practitioners comply with professional standards; it also depends on the organisational and interpersonal mechanisms through which concerns are raised, considered and acted upon. This study examined communication behaviour, interpersonal trust and accountability practices at Mwananyamala Hospital, Tanzania. A mixed-methods design combined a structured survey of 120 patients with semi-structured interviews with 10 healthcare providers and six focus group discussions, each involving eight participants in the HIV care and treatment context. The survey assessed 30 communication-related items using a seven-point scale, while the qualitative component explored practitioners’ experiences and institutional conditions affecting communication and accountability. The reported association between communication behaviour and interpersonal trust was positive but weak (r = .15, 95% CI [-.03, .32], p = .102), and therefore does not support a claim that communication predicts trust in this sample. Descriptively, the highest-rated communication domain was practitioners’ demonstration of care (87.6%), while use of visual aids had the lowest percentage score (65.7%). Qualitative findings highlighted patient feedback, complaint handling, teamwork, psychological safety and institutional support as relevant accountability mechanisms. The study therefore treats interpersonal trust as a relational outcome associated with communication rather than as a proxy measure of accountability. The findings suggest that strengthening accountability at the interpersonal level requires responsive communication and responsibility in provider-patient encounters, supported by institutional arrangements that enable feedback, learning and response to concerns.

The Moderating Role of SME Owner Age in the Relationship between Technological Compatibility and SME Performance in Tanzania

Sophia Mbura — 2026-11-03

Institutional Governance and Religious Mobility: Understanding Member Migration in Traditional Churches of Dar es Salaam

Wilbroad Mastai — 2026-11-03

Religious mobility in urban Tanzania is often discussed through spiritual experience and socioeconomic aspiration, while the relationship between everyday church governance and decisions to remain, leave or return requires closer examination. This study explored that relationship in eight selected Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican congregations in Dar es Salaam. Guided by Hirschman’s Exit–Voice–Loyalty framework and Institutional Theory, it employed a qualitative case study design. Data collected between April and July 2025 comprised 32 in-depth interviews, six focus group discussions, document review and non-participant observation. Thematic analysis identified four interconnected dimensions: transparency and accountability, participation and inclusivity, pastoral responsiveness, and spiritual expectations. Participants associated delayed financial explanations, restricted opportunities to question decisions, and the exclusion of women and youth with weakened trust. Some described Pentecostal and revivalist congregations as offering greater recognition and accessible care. Others valued traditional churches’ sacramental continuity, while returnees linked renewed affiliation to disappointment with financial demands and leadership practices elsewhere. These accounts indicate that mobility involved continuing evaluations of institutional credibility rather than a uniform movement away from traditional Christianity. The study extends the analysis of exit and loyalty by treating return as a possible renegotiation of belonging. It identifies financial dialogue, meaningful participation and responsive pastoral arrangements as practical priorities, while recognizing differences within denominations and the limits of retrospective qualitative evidence.

Towards Schools for All: Examining the Implementation of Inclusive Education in Tanzanian Primary Schools

Elizabeth Phillip Bhalalusesa — 2026-11-03

This paper is based on a qualitative case study design, guided by the social model of disability and Child-Friendly School Model to investigate the implementation of inclusive education in selected primary schools in Kinondoni district. The main argument of the study was that although it is over 25 years since Tanzania ratified the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action to move towards inclusive approaches, the majority of learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are not yet enrolled in school and even those who are sent to school do not remain in school. The study intended to illuminate the reasons behind this situation. Purposive sampling was used to select 60 participants including 44 special education teachers from eight inclusive schools (3 from five government schools and 10 from three private schools), three school owners, and 12 parents of learners with learners with SEN.Through observation and interviews with school owners, parents and teachers, data was analysed thematically revealing that mainstreaming learners with learners with SEN into formal schooling was not a simple trouble- free operation. Rather, it is a complex phenomenon that poses pedagogical challenges. Each child has unique educational needs given the type and severity of the disability. The degree of success entails a number of factors including availability of specialized teachers, adequate funding, variety of support services and conducive school infrastructure which are not readily available in a developing country context like Tanzania. The study calls for multisectoral approach and a shared commitment among policymakers

Factors Affecting Utilization of Electronic Security Technologies in University Libraries in Tanzania

Richard C. Mfinanga — 2026-11-03

This study investigated the factors affecting the utilization of Electronic Security Technologies (ESTs) for protecting library information resources in four Tanzanian university libraries: The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), the Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA), Mzumbe University (MU), and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS). The study used a convergent parallel research design. Quantitative data came from a questionnaire administered to a census of 184 library staff; qualitative data came from interviews with 12 key informants (library directors, ICT directors and IT personnel) and from non-participant observation. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively in SPSS version 27, and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Respondents perceived ESTs as contributing to the protection of physical and digital resources, notably through theft prevention and control of unauthorized access. However, staff skill gaps, inadequate training, insufficient funds, high maintenance and repair costs, and frequent technical malfunctions or downtime constrained utilization of electronic security technologies. Interviews and observations corroborated these constraints. The findings indicate that having ESTs does not by itself ensure their effective use. The study recommends prioritizing staff training, allocating a dedicated budget, implementing preventive maintenance with reliable vendor support, modernizing ICT infrastructure, and establishing an institutional security policy