3.0 Key Findings 3.1 Increased Participation, but Concentrated in Quotas For the first time in Bukoba Urban, women hold 220 of 396 local government leadership seats, compared to 176 held by men. However, women’s representation is heavily con ­centrated in reserved seats. → Street chairpersons: 13 women(20%) vs 53 men(80%) → Mixed group members: 75 women(23%) vs 123 men (77%) → Special seats(women’s quotas): 132 women 3.2 Factors that Enabled Women to Be Nominated and Win 1. Support from Civil Society Organizations Training by FES, Omuka Hub and UWT equipped women with knowledge of electoral laws and leadership skills, helping them participate confidently. As one woman noted, “The efforts by UWT and CSOs such as FES and OMUKA Hub to build confidence in women have made a significant difference.” 2. Commitment from CCM Leadership The party leadership intervened when women were denied nomination forms and promoted merit-based nominations, which encouraged women to run. Participants confirmed this support:“If a woman was denied a nomination form, party leadership stepped in to correct the issue,” and“In CCM, it’s not about gender; it’s about your capability.” 2.1 Improved Access to Nomination Information Deliberate dissemination of information by CCM and UWT enabled women to effectively prepare and complete the nomination process. As one participant explained,“We re ­ceived sufficient information about the election process, we took the forms, submitted them, and in the end, some of us were able to be nominated.” 2.2 Influence of Visible Female Leadership The presence of women leaders, locally and nationally, mo ­tivated women to contest, signalling a slow decline in pa ­triarchal norms. One woman stated,“Patriarchy is decreas ­ing… We are inspired by our first female president and fe ­male speaker of parliament.” 2.3 Women’s Solidarity and Mutual Support Networks Collective initiatives for women to support each other and shared campaign symbols, strengthened women’s mobili ­sation. As one participant put it,“When women support each other, we win.” 2.4 Presence of Reserved Seats The one-third gender rule placed women firmly within the electoral landscape by guaranteeing their representation in street committees. This structural requirement served as a crucial enabling factor, ensuring that women were not ex ­cluded from the electoral process even where competition for open seats remained male-dominated. As one partici ­pant explained,“These reversed seats gave us a chance, even for those of us who could not gather the courage to contest for competitive positions.” 3.3 Factors that Hindered Women from Getting Nom ­inated 1. Electoral Gender-Based Violence Despite the electoral laws criminalising gender-based vio ­lence, women continued to face intimidation, destruction of campaign materials and verbal abuse, which under ­mined their willingness to compete. As one participant not ­ed,“Violence was directed not only at the women candi ­dates but also at their families.” 2. Gendered Stereotypes and Moral Policing of Women Candidates Women were judged based on“acceptable” behaviour rath ­er than capability, reinforcing discriminatory norms. As a participant remarked,“Women who are loose… they can’t be nominated. They need to keep themselves as modest women to be able to lead others.” 3. Beliefs that Women Cannot Lead an Entire Street Committee Some streets limited women’s leadership by allocating all mixed-member positions to men whenever a woman con ­tested for chairperson. This practice effectively blocked ad ­ditional women from contesting. As one participant ex ­plained,“They said a street cannot be led by a committee made up entirely of women… so other qualified women were disqualified simply because one woman was already contesting for chairperson.” 4. Minimum Financial Support During Nominations Candidates were expected to provide refreshments and hold celebrations to the voters, which disadvantaged wom ­en. A female aspirant explained,“The party doesn’t provide any financial support for women aspirants and candidates yet there are so many things to spend money on.” 5. Fear of Competing with Men in Open Seats Many women withdrew due to fear of confrontation or family pressure, opting for special seats considered safer. One participant shared,“You don’t have to fight with so many people if you vie in women-only seats… sometimes it’s the instruction from the party.” Advancing Women’s Political Participation 3