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CMI REPORT DECENTRALISATION AND GENDER R 2008: 9
5. Case four: Serengeti District Council
By Christine Warioba, Bodil Maal and Betty Muze
5.1 Socio-economic situation
Serengeti District is one of the five districts constituting Mara Region. The district has an area of
10, 373 sq.km. of which national parks/reserves occupy almost two thirds. 18 Only around 659
sq.km is arable land used for human settlement, agricultural and livestock keeping activities. The
main economic activity in the district is small scale agricultural production, where cultivation is
mostly done by using ox-ploughs. There is limited production of cash crops such as cotton, coffee
and to a very small extent tobacco. Other activities include livestock keeping, and to a small extent,
small scale mining. The tourism industry mainly involves the Serengeti National Park, the Grumeti
Fund (a so-called ‘VIP’ tourist facility), and Ikorongo Game Reserve.
The district has critical shortage of staff and limited budget for health facilities and other
institutions. The roads are in a bad state, especially during the rain seasons.
According to the 2002 National Population and Housing Census, Serengeti district had a population
of about 177,000 people. The largest ethnic group of the district is Kuria. Other groups include
Ngoreme, Taturu, Ikoma, Nata, Isenye, Jita, and Sukuma. The district has a high number of
Christian denominations, including Mennonites (USA), Lutherans, Anglicans, Seven Days
Adventists, Roman Catholics, and Pentecostals. There are also some Muslims.
Gender relations and community issues
The Poverty and Human Development Report 2005 ranks Serengeti District as one of the poorest
districts in Tanzania, with 61 % of the households living below the basic needs poverty line. The
population is poor in terms of registered cash income, but the district has surplus in foodproduction,
and the team did not get the impression that the district’s population was particularly
poor.
A large portion of Serengeti district became inhabited only 50 years ago. Informants say that due to
this, the land is fertile, since it has not been exhausted. With good rains, the district normally
produces excess food which is exported to other districts within the Mara region. Most of the
households are also livestock keepers and cattle, goats, and sheep are sources of protein through
milk as well as meat. Since the district borders to the Serengeti National Park, the people
occasionally have access to game meat. Because of the above factors, the nutritional status of
people in Serengeti district is quite good.
Women in most households in the district own and have control over some cattle, milk and cash
from the sales of milk, cattle and other agricultural produce. They are also involved in income
generating activities and are able to control incomes from these activities. Women can own cattle
from dowry paid for the marriages of their daughters (according to tradition, mothers do net get part
of the dowry from the first daughter, but from the second and onwards).
18 Serengeti National Park, 7000 sq. km., Ikorongo Game Reserve close to 190 sq.km, Grumeti Game Reserve around 66
sq.km.
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