Ikungi District Council

Ikungi District Council, located in the Singida Region of central Tanzania, was established on 8 March 2013 when it was carved out of Singida Rural District.

📍 Geography & Demographics

• Area: About 8,860 km² (ranking ~15% of Singida Region) .

• Elevation: Situated on the central plateau at 1,200–1,500 m above sea level.

• Climate: Semi-arid — 600–700 mm annual rainfall, temperatures range between 15–30 °C.

• Population: Grew from ~262 k in 2012 to ~411 k in 2022.

• Ethnic Groups: Majority Nyaturu (also called Turu), with Iramba, Isanzu, Datooga, Kimbu, and Nyamwezi.

🏛️ Administrative Breakdown

• Divided into 4 divisions: Mungaa, Ikungi, Ihanja, Sepuka.

• Contains 26–28 wards, ~101 villages, and ~545 hamlets.

• Administrative seat: Ikungi town, an administrative ward with ~12,700 residents in 2012.

🚗 Infrastructure & Transport

• Roads: 2,180 km of roads, including 109 km of district roads and 930 km of feeder roads.

• Transport routes: Paved trunk road T3 transits the district (linking Morogoro to Rwandan border); Singida branch railway also passes through, with a station at Ikungi town

🌾 Economy & Livelihoods

• Agro‑pastoral economy: Dominated by mixed cropping (sorghum, millet, finger millet, sunflower, maize, sweet potato, groundnuts) and livestock rearing.

• Agricultural zones: Western/south-western areas have fertile soils, while most land supports semi-arid cropping.

• Livestock numbers (2019): hosts ~34% of Singida Region’s cattle (~418,000), ~32% of goats, ~28% of sheep, and ~35% of poultry.

• Mining: Small‑scale mining occurs, notably at Londoni.

• Energy sources: Predominantly biomass—charcoal, wood, kerosene, plus limited solar installations.

🌳 Environment & Development

• The district is exploring carbon-trading opportunities through its forest management, projected to generate ~20 bn TZS annually.

• Land classification: ~2,580 km² for agriculture, 2,887 km² for pasture, with shrubs and woodland in remaining areas.

✅ Summary

Ikungi District Council plays a vital role in central Tanzania’s agro-economic landscape. Established in 2013, it spans a large semi-arid plateau and supports a growing agro-pastoral population. Improved transport links (road and rail) and efforts in forest-based carbon trading highlight development potential. However, energy access and food security remain challenges due to climate variability and infrastructure gaps.