The Proposed New Constitution and the Union Question

Abstract

It is fifty years now since the formation of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964. Over that period of time, the Union has experienced some ups and downs. Despite the incessant “Kero za Muungano”, it is clear that the Tanzanian Government did not want the Union question to be touched in the new dispensation. This article revisits the Union question in relation to the ongoing constitution making process. It argues that the process has been controlled such that the proposed three-tier government structure is highly disputed by the ruling regime to the extent of threatening the entire process. It further argues that what has bedevilled the effort on the part of Zanzibar at this critical stage in their constitutional history to resolve the “Kero za Muungano” has been party divisions on the islands despite the fact that Zanzibar had recently gone through Reconciliation and formation of Government of National Unity at the end of 2010.