In the early 1960s, approximately 1000 settlements emerged spontaneously throughout rural Tanzania in response to President Julius Nyerere’s call for formation of socialist Ujamaa villages. It should be noted that the Ujamaa villages focused in this study were those known as Ujamaa pilot villages in which people organized themselves in communal production villages soon after Tanganyika achieved her independence as an early practice of Ujamaa. Majority of such villages collapsed after the first couple of years. However, a few genuinely socialist communities emerged and prospered, the most successful of such villages were in Southern Highland of Tanzania where seventeen villages formed a democratic co-operative organization called the Ruvuma Development Association (RDA). Its objectives were to co-ordinate their activities, to educate their children, to market their produce and to specialize in various cottage industries. In 1967 Nyerere used the RDA as a model for nation’s rural development programme. However, such villages’ democracy and autonomy was a great threat to legitimacy of many who held powerful positions within the ruling Party and the government. In 1969, the RDA was declared a prohibited organization, its assets were confiscated and further activities were suppressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of banning the RDA in 1969 to development of Ujamaa in Ruvuma region. The main objective of the study was to investigate the impact of banning the RDA on development of Ujamaa in Ruvuma region. Specific objectives of the study included to identify aims for establishing the RDA, to examine the contribution of RDA to development of Ujamaa in the region, to identify factors that led to ban of the RDA in 1969, to assess local people’s response to banning the RDA and to provide suggestions on proper ways in addressing socio economic challenges. The study was undertaken at Litowa, Liweta and Matetereka villages of Songea District and also Mtakanini and Njalamatata villages in Namtumbo District. This study involved respondents from the following categories: former members of the RDA as key informants. Also, it involved former pupils who studied at Litowa RDA primary school, retired primary school teachers who taught in the RDA village schools from its inception 1960s-1970s, long servicing primary school teachers currently teaching in the study villages and District officers. The study involved a case study strategy that employed qualitative research approach. Questionnaire, interview guides, focus group discussion and documentary review were used as data collection methods. The study revealed that banning the RDA affected development of Ujamaa in Ruvuma region. Majority argued in favor of the RDA and a few in favor of its banning. However, according to both archival and oral accounts, it was noted that banning the RDA affected development of Ujamaa in Ruvuma region because after banning the RDA, majority of people in Ruvuma region turned reluctant to Ujamaa ideology. The study on the impact of banning the RDA on development of Ujamaa is useful in many ways: Results from the study will help to expand existing knowledge of the RDA as an important mechanism in the history of Ujamaa in Ruvuma region and the country at large. Also, findings from the study will help to stimulate interest, research and discussion on impacts of banning the RDA on the development of Ujamaa because there a lot is unknown about the RDA and its relation to Ujamaa. On top of that, study results will be useful to various stakeholders, historians, policy makers, development planners and local communities in Ruvuma region and the country as a whole.