Kujenga Infrastructure

Kujenga has a relatively low population density and limited infrastructure funding, meaning lower connection rates and more rehabilitation requirements than Amari and Ziwa. Kujenga’s priorities are road paving and natural gas development.

Key infrastructure features are the port of Dar Es Salaam and the east-west transit corridor from Dar Es Salaam to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika, also known as ‘’DARGOMA’’. This corridor is approximately 70% paved, with a 1930’s era 1,000 mm gauge rail line running throughout. A northern spur runs to the Ziwan capital of Mwanza. The 1970’s-era “DarSouth” 1,035 mm rail line runs from Dar Es Salaam through southern Kujenga. It has one interconnection with the DARGOMA rail line.

Zanzibar and Mafia islands have more utility connections and more permanent construction patterns than the mainland.

Despite abundant natural gas and hydroelectric resources, most Kujengans, especially in rural areas, use wood or charcoal for cooking and oil lamps for lighting. Even those living in urban neighborhoods serviced by electric or water distribution grids are not necessarily connected.

Kujenga Major Cities and Urban Zones

Kujenga’s population is most dense in metropolitan Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar Island, exceeding 3,000 residents per km². Most Kujengans live along the coastlines of either the Indian Ocean or one of the Great Lakes. The rest of the country is sparsely populated, at 44 residents per km².

Dar Es Salaam (Population: 5.6m, Density: 4,010/km²)

Dar Es Salaam is the largest city on east Africa’s Indian Ocean seaboard. It serves as Kujenga’s primary trade gateway, with road, rail, air, sea and telecommunications connection quality second only to Amari’s port of Mombasa. The large proportion of vacant or agricultural land within the city limits creates a living environment much more dense than the advertised 4,010/km². Built-up areas accounts for only 18% of land use, focused mainly within a 10 km radius from the center along the coastline and arterial roads.

Residential Features

- Most residential areas are located north, west and south from the City Center. Kinondoni Municipality has the largest residential areas with 110 km², followed by 62 km² in Temeke Municipality and 52 km² in Ilala Municipality.

- According to the information from the SUDP, there are two types of residential areas in Dar es Salaam: planned settlements and unplanned settlements. Planned settlements have basic infrastructure and services provided by the local government. They are mainly located in the City Center and its surroundings, such as Mchafukoge, Kivukoni, Kariakoo, Upanga and Ilala in Ilala Municipality; Kinondoni, Oyster Bay, Msasani Peninsular, Mikocheni, Mwananyamala, Kijitonyama, Sinza and Mwenge in Kinondoni Municipality; and Changombe, Temeke, Tandika in Temeke Municipality. Unplanned settlements are mostly poor, with limited accessibility to basic infrastructure and services, such as water, sanitation, electricity and roads. These are scattered all over the city and contain more than 70 percent of the city’s population.

Commercial Features

- Light manufacturing industries comprise most of Dar es Salaam’s industrial base. Most are in the textile, chemical, food processing, beverage, plastic products, cement sectors. Small-scale industries industries are scattered throughout the city.

- Most industrial establishments are located in Ilala Municipality and Temeke Municipality, especially along Nyerere Roads. Seaport facilities and its related warehouses are located in Kurasini and Changombe in Temeke Municipality, respectively.

- The areas between the arterial roads, as well as river valleys, are used for urban agriculture. Most agriculture in Dar es Salaam is small-scale cultivation of crops such as cassava, sorghum, maize, rice, bananas, legumes, etc.

- There are still large vacant/agricultural tracts beyond the 10 km radius from the city center. These are decreasing, however, due to recent rapid urbanization and urban sprawl.