Governnment priorities as Home Affairs allocation rises to Sh2.44 trillion

Dodoma. The government has sought a Sh2.44 trillion budget for the Home Affairs ministry for the 2026/27 financial year, outlining plans to recruit more than 10,000 new personnel, expand security infrastructure, strengthen the fight against cybercrime and human trafficking and modernise policing systems across the country.

Presenting the ministry’s budget  proposals in Parliament yesterday, Home Affairs minister Petrobas Katambi said the proposed spending reflects growing demands on the country’s security institutions amid evolving social and technological challenges.

“Of the total budget, Sh1.95 trillion, equivalent to 80 percent, will be used for recurrent expenditure, while Sh489.85 billion, or 20 percent, has been allocated to development projects,” he told lawmakers.

According to the minister, Sh453.96 billion of the development budget will come from domestic sources, while Sh35.89 billion will be sourced externally.

The ministry plans to recruit 10,919 new employees during the 2026/27 financial year in a move aimed at addressing staffing shortages across institutions under the ministry.

The recruitment targets include 8,040 officers for the Police Force, 1,046 prison officers, 500 personnel for the Fire and Rescue Force, 1,000 immigration officers, 84 staff members for the National Identification Authority (Nida) and 249 personnel for the ministry headquarters.

The planned recruitment slightly exceeds the number of workers hired during the current financial year.

Mr Katambi said that between July 2025 and April 2026, the ministry recruited 10,238 employees, including 5,650 police officers, 1,564 prison officers, 1,444 firefighters and rescue personnel, 1,487 immigration officers and nine employees for Nida.

The minister also revealed that the government plans to spend Sh38.81 billion on training programmes for 23,547 employees during the next fiscal year.

The training programmes will involve 15,508 police officers, 3,500 prison officers, 1,508 firefighters and rescue personnel, 2,789 immigration officers and 157 Nida employees.

“In 2026/27 the ministry expects to promote 23,089 employees,” Mr Katambi said, noting that more than 13,000 police officers are expected to receive promotions.

The promotions will also cover prison officers, firefighters, immigration personnel and ministry staff as part of efforts to improve morale and service delivery.

The government further outlined plans to modernise policing operations and improve security infrastructure nationwide.

Mr Katambi said the ministry, through the Police Force, will implement priority projects worth Sh171.59 billion during the 2026/27 financial year.

The projects include the purchase of 190 operational vehicles worth Sh30 billion and 1,500 motorcycles for ward and shehia policing at a cost of Sh6 billion.

The ministry also plans to install ICT systems and procure 6,010 long-range communication radios valued at Sh14.36 billion.

In addition, the government intends to procure and install an Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) worth Sh15 billion to strengthen criminal investigations.

The minister said the Police Force also plans to purchase military equipment worth Sh91.73 billion and police uniforms and tailoring equipment worth Sh15.24 billion.

Meanwhile, 15 short-range communication towers will be installed in regions including Iringa, Kagera, Unguja North, Katavi, Morogoro, Mbeya, Mwanza, Mara, Njombe, Coast and Songwe to improve communication systems within the force.

The ministry has also launched a five-year programme running from 2026/27 to 2030/31 for the construction and rehabilitation of police buildings and officers’ housing.

The programme includes construction of police offices and residential houses worth Sh8.99 billion and rehabilitation of officers’ houses worth Sh880 million.

Mr Katambi told Parliament that the government also plans to build 42 police stations, including 12 stations that were burnt during the 2025 General Election.

Other projects include continued construction of the Police Referral Hospital on Kilwa Road in Dar es Salaam, construction of a police rest house in Dodoma and rehabilitation of student dormitories at police colleges and the Tanzania Police School in Moshi.

The minister said Tanzania has also stepped up efforts to combat cybercrime as cases continue to rise.

According to Mr Katambi, reported cybercrime cases increased from 748 in 2024/25 to 1,323 between July 2025 and April 2026.

He attributed the increase to improved investigative capacity, online patrols and increased public cooperation in reporting offences.

To strengthen the country’s response, Tanzania has sent police officers for specialised training in Russia, Brazil, Turkey, India, South Korea and Egypt.

By April 2026, a total of 157 officers had undergone specialised training in cybercrime investigations, digital forensics, counterterrorism and scientific investigative techniques.

The ministry also plans to establish zonal cybercrime investigation offices in Dodoma City and Zanzibar and strengthen systems for monitoring cyberattacks and misinformation online in collaboration with the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

On human trafficking, Mr Katambi said authorities rescued and assisted 160 victims between July 2025 and April 2026, including victims repatriated from Oman, Malaysia, India, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

The victims included 60 children, 96 women and four men.

The government has also established a Counter Trafficking in Persons Call Centre using toll-free number 195 and is developing a digital information management system known as TIPMIS.

Mr Katambi said the ministry’s priorities for the coming financial year include improving housing and infrastructure for security agencies, enhancing the use of ICT, conducting crime-related research, strengthening staff capacity and improving productivity activities through agriculture, livestock keeping and industry.

He said the measures are aimed at ensuring the ministry remains capable of responding to changing security threats while improving public safety and service delivery nationwide.