Dar es Salaam's Sinza property owners threaten court action over redevelopment plan
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Property owners in Dar es Salaam's Sinza ward say they will file a court case challenging the draft 2026/2046 redevelopment plan, which they claim threatens their property rights.
Property owners in Sinza, a ward in Dar es Salaam's Ubungo District, have said they will file a court case challenging the draft 2026/2046 redevelopment plan for the area, which is expected to commence this year.
The plan, overseen by Tanzania's Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, aims to turn Sinza into an integrated area incorporating commercial and residential high-rise buildings.
Speaking at a meeting on Saturday, September 5, the property owners said they arrived at the decision after discovering flaws in the 20-year draft plan, which they claim effectively strips away their property rights and rightful entitlements once they are relocated to make way for the project.
They also raised the lack of clarification on a memorandum containing 30 key concerns, including a provision where the government indicated certain plots would be consolidated, particularly in Sinza A, B and C, with eight plots merged into a single block. The concerns were previously submitted to the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Dr Leonard Akwilapo.
Lumuli Mwaipopo, chairman of the Sinza Property Owners Committee, said the minister decided on July 1, 2026 to halt all previous committee proceedings regarding the draft and order the process to restart from scratch, but administrative officials have resisted issuing the official notice cancelling the initial plan. "Property owners reject this draft because it contains ambiguities and infringes upon property rights," he said.
Property owner Martine Mchopa said residents do not know where they will be relocated after vacating their properties, questioning how rights would be handled when owners of multi-storey buildings are asked to merge their plots with owners of ordinary houses. The owners said they have initiated the legal process and are establishing procedures to handle the matter through the courts.
During meetings with Sinza property owners, the Ministry of Lands has outlined its plan to modernise the area by constructing high-rise buildings, with no investor specified so far.