A Historical Study of Police Force’s Involvement in Multiparty General Election in Nyamagana District, Tanzania, 1995-2015.
Abstract
Description
The aim of this study is to explore the historical Study of Police Force’s involvement in
Multiparty General Election in Nyamagana District, Tanzania, 1995-2015, essentially
to identify the role of Tanzania police force during the multiparty general elections
1995-2015, to examine the performance of the TPF during multiparty general elections
process, to identify the challenges facing Tanzania Police Force during multiparty
general elections process. The study was conducted in Nyamagana district, whereby the
sample size of sixty eight respondents as well as purposive and snow-ball sampling
procedures were used. In addition, Interview, Focus Group Discussion and
Documentary review were used as data collection tools. The findings revealed that,
safeguarding the security of persons and their property during the campaign period and
voting, ensuring the safety of electoral officers before, during and after elections,
providing security for candidates during the campaigns and elections, maintaining
peaceful conditions, law and order around the polling and counting centres and
providing security for electoral officials at voting and counting these were the role of
TPF during the multipart general elections. Also education, engineering,
encouragement, enforcement and Emergency Preparedness were used as strategies by
the Nyamagana Police Force so as to ensure peaceful elections process. Again, revealed
that police are partisan with ruling in party, inadequate manpower, logistics, political
control, and low allowance were among of the challenges facing Nyamagana Police
Force. The study recommended that, Political leaders, parties and citizens should be
sensitized and observes all electoral procedures throughout the multiparty general
election process in order to ensure smooth and effective Police Force operations over
the Nyamagana District. Another is that Government should prepare enough election
budgets in which the portion of fund allocated to the Nyamagana Police Force be
enough and equip the police officials with the electoral requirements for better
performance and efficiencies.
Keywords
Police Force’s, Multiparty General Election