The Ministry of Home Affairs is seeking an increased budget of TSh 2.4 trillion for the financial year 2026/27, up from TSh 2.06 trillion in the 2025/26 financial year. The revised request comes after the Ministry reported that its current budget has already received 106% of the planned amount by April 2026, largely due to additional funding received for a 2025 special operation amounting to TSh 414 billion.
Although the Ministry has not provided detailed information about the special operation conducted in the 2025/26 financial year, the scale of expenditure suggests it may be linked to police special operations announced following the October 29, 2025 protests and subsequent security crackdown, including a curfew imposed by police.
The Ministry explained that by April 2026, it had received about TSh 2.19 trillion, compared to the approved budget of TSh 2.06 trillion. Under the approved allocation, TSh 950.3 billion was earmarked for salaries, but TSh 887.36 billion had been spent so far, leaving a shortfall of TSh 62.9 billion, which is expected to be used for salaries in May and June 2026.
Under Other Charges, the Ministry has so far received TSh 632.09 billion, leaving a shortfall of TSh 69.61 billion from the approved budget of TSh 701.7 billion. For development expenditure, TSh 415.1 billion was approved, but by April 2026, TSh 670.34 billion had been received, reflecting an increase of about TSh 255 billion.
Ministry Priorities
For the 2026/27 financial year, the Ministry of Home Affairs has requested a budget of TSh 2.44 trillion, of which TSh 1.95 trillion is allocated for recurrent expenditure, including TSh 1.18 trillion for salaries and TSh 769.5 billion for Other Charges.
Key priorities in the new budget include infrastructure development, both digital and physical. The Ministry plans to construct over 600 police stations and renovate stations that were reportedly burned during the October 2025 protests. The Ministry has also placed strong emphasis on improving digital readiness and strengthening its capacity to combat cybercrime.
“In the 2026/2027 financial year, the Ministry, through the Police Force, will continue to curb crime in the country, including the misuse of social media, cyber hacking,” Minister of Home Affairs Patrobas Katambi told Members of Parliament during the budget presentation.
He continued: “And we will complete the establishment of zonal offices for the investigation of criminal and cybercrime offences in the city of Dodoma and Zanzibar, as well as strengthen special units for curbing misinformation and online incitement.”
The Ministry is also seeking to strengthen mechanisms for detention, curb illegal immigration and human trafficking, and improve prison and immigration services.
Following a short debate among Members of Parliament, the Minister concluded his speech, spending significant time highlighting security threats in the country. Some of these threats include illegal immigration, the failure of citizens to report security concerns, and institutions such as NGOs that, according to the Minister, deviate from their mandates. The Minister of Home Affairs also highlighted how political parties can become a security threat.
“If political parties are not run properly, they become a major security threat. It is a serious security threat when leaders of political parties use their language, statements, writings, and publications to incite violence instead of promoting reconciliation,” Katambi argued.
“When their words and statements are used to encourage citizens to engage in actions that lead to the breakdown of national peace, we will continue reminding one another and enforcing laws, because the Ministry of Home Affairs is the custodian of all matters relating to peace, security, and national discipline in the enforcement of the law,” he added.
Katambi argued that criticism directed at the police by political parties arises because they have not fully fulfilled their responsibilities. Opposition parties, however, have continued to argue that security agencies should refrain from involving themselves in political matters, with some warning that such involvement poses a risk to national stability.
