Shinyanga Region

Shinyanga Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Shinyanga) lies in north-western Tanzania, 20 to 160 km south of Lake Victoria and inside the country’s Lake Zone. The 2022 census recorded a population of 2,241,299, and Shinyanga municipality is the regional capital. The Williamson mine at Mwadui, opened in 1940, has made the region Tanzania’s best known source of diamonds.

Districts of Shinyanga Region

Shinyanga Region is administered through six councils. Kahama Municipality is the largest by population, ahead of the regional capital. Populations are from the 2022 census.

Msalala and Ushetu councils were carved out of the old Kahama Rural District and cover the countryside around Kahama town, so the settlements in that part of the region are listed together below.

Towns and Villages in Shinyanga Region

The settlements below are grouped by district. The main centres are Shinyanga town, Kahama, Old Shinyanga, Kishapu, Mwadui, Songwa, Tinde and the railway town of Isaka.

Shinyanga Municipal Council

• Chibe
• Ibadakuli
• Kizumbi
• Kolandoto
• Old Shinyanga
• Shinyanga
• Usogore
• Wami

Shinyanga Rural District

• Beda
• Bugogo
• Bungulwa
• Busule
• Didiya
• Gaganulwa
• Ibingo
• Igalamia
• Ihugi
• Ikonongo
• Ilola
• Imesera
• Inera
• Iomu
• Isalamagasi
• Iseme
• Itwangi
• Kakola
• Kambi ya Kanga
• Kano
• Kazuni
• Kilabela
• Kulikilo
• Lohumbo
• Lyabukande
• Lyabusalu
• Manyada
• Maskati
• Mhande
• Mhango
• Mhongwe
• Mishepo
• Mwahira
• Mwakilugula
• Mwakuhenga
• Mwamara
• Mwamkoloji
• Mwantemanya
• Mwantine
• Ndagwa
• Nyamhale
• Nyashimbi
• Nyida
• Nzima
• Salawe
• Samuye
• Solwa
• Tinde
• Uchunga
• Ugara

Kishapu District

• Badi
• Bogogo
• Bubiki
• Bulahu
• Bulegela
• Bunambiyu
• Butuyu
• Gusaya
• Idukiro
• Ijimeja
• Ikenejo
• Ikonda
• Ilula
• Ipeja
• Isungahoro
• Itilima
• Itongoitale
• Jorgoi
• Kalitu
• Kasaji
• Kiloleli
• Kiloleri
• Kishapu
• Kitalala
• Luhombo
• Luhumbo
• Maganzo
• Magingira
• Mango
• Mhunze
• Mihama
• Mizanza
• Mondo
• Mongwe
• Mwadui
• Mwamanota
• Mwamashele
• Mwamwala
• Negezi
• Ngeme
• Ngovila
• Ngundangali
• Ngunga
• Nhobora
• Nzega
• Old Negezi
• Seke
• Shagihilu
• Songwa
• Suka Suka
• Ukenyenge
• Unyanyembe
• Wishiteleja

Kahama Municipality

• Girime
• Imala
• Isegehe
• Kahama
• Kilago
• Kinza
• Lowa
• Mpera
• Ngogwa
• Nyandekwa
• Tuloli
• Ukamba
• Ukoroso
• Zongomera

Kahama Rural (Msalala and Ushetu)

• Bugomba
• Bulungwa
• Busangi
• Igombe
• Ihapula
• Ihashi
• Isaka
• Isanga
• Isegehe
• Itaranganya
• Kabila
• Lunguya
• Malilita
• Malugulu
• Mhunze
• Muheda
• Ngaya
• Ntobo
• Ntungulu
• Senegeza
• Ukune
• Ulewe
• Ushetu
• Uyogo
• Uzima

Geography

Shinyanga Region covers 18,555 km2. Geita, Mwanza and Simiyu Regions lie to the north, Tabora Region to the south and a strip of Singida Region to the east. Simiyu was split off from Shinyanga in 2012, which is why the region’s eastern boundary now runs close to Kishapu.

The land is flat to gently undulating plateau, with scattered granite outcrops and stretches of miombo and acacia woodland. No part of Lake Victoria falls inside the region; the shore is between 20 and 160 km north of the district boundaries. Rain falls in a single season and the region is dry for much of the year, so seasonal watercourses and small earth dams supply many villages.

Economy and Local Life

Agriculture, livestock and mining carry the regional economy. About 80 per cent of working adults farm, and cotton is the leading cash crop, backed by maize, sorghum, rice, sweet potatoes and groundnuts. Rice does well on the seasonally flooded flats in Shinyanga Rural and Kishapu.

Cattle numbers are among the highest in Tanzania. Sukuma households, the largest group here, alongside Nyamwezi and Sumbwa communities, keep herds for milk, ploughing and savings, and the region supplies hides and live animals to markets further afield.

Mining is concentrated in two places. The Williamson diamond mine at Mwadui in Kishapu District works one of the largest kimberlite pipes ever mined, and the Buzwagi gold mine near Kahama was for years one of the country’s biggest gold producers. Small-scale gold digging continues across Msalala and Ushetu, and the mines have pulled traders, transporters and service businesses into Kahama town.

Getting There

The Central Line railway crosses the region and connects Shinyanga with Dar es Salaam to the east and Kigoma to the west. Isaka, on that line, works as an inland freight terminal and transfers cargo to road transport bound for Rwanda and Burundi.

Trunk road T8 runs through Shinyanga town, linking Mwanza in the north with Nzega, Tabora and eventually Mbeya. A second main road heads west from Nzega through Kahama towards Kigoma and the Rusumo crossing into Rwanda, which is what keeps Kahama busy with transit traffic. The region has about 4,628 km of roads in total, with Kahama District holding the largest share at 2,135 km. The nearest major airport is at Mwanza, a road journey of a few hours to the north.

FAQ

How many districts are in Shinyanga Region?

Shinyanga Region is administered through six councils: Kahama, Kishapu, Msalala, Shinyanga Municipal, Shinyanga Rural and Ushetu.

What is the population of Shinyanga Region?

The 2022 census recorded a population of 2,241,299, up from 1,534,808 in 2012.

What is the capital of Shinyanga Region?

Shinyanga municipality, which had a population of 214,744 at the 2022 census. Kahama, the region’s largest town, had 453,654.

Where are the diamonds mined in Shinyanga?

At Mwadui in Kishapu District, where the Williamson mine has operated since 1940. Gold is mined at Buzwagi near Kahama and by small-scale diggers across Msalala and Ushetu.

What villages are in Shinyanga Region?

The list above covers about 150 towns and villages by district, including Tinde and Solwa in Shinyanga Rural, Mwadui and Maganzo in Kishapu, and Isaka and Ulewe in the Kahama countryside.