People ' s Struggles for Land Resources in Tanzania

Abstract

In 1995 the Government of Tanzania published the National Land policy and in 1999 two Land Acts (the Village Land Act and the Land Act) were enacted. The process leading to the enactment of the two Acts was protracted (lasting from 1996-1999).  This is because the government chose to approach the legislative process rather cautiously due to a campaign organized by various activists and NGOs championing for laws that are democratic and gendered. The activist and NGO campaign took different organizational forms but the most notable were the National Land Forum (NALAF) and the Gender Land Task Force (GLTF). This article examines the content, character and contradictions within the land campaign coalition. The article argues that these attributes were key in determining the outcome of the campaign when it was concluded in 1999.