Abstract:
The population of beggars on our streets and public spaces is growing exponentially in
many urban areas of Tanzania. Today, their presence in the streets of urban areas of developing countries
is recognized to be a serious problem that requires urgent redress. This problem is becoming acute and
one of the development hindering factors in central zone Tanzania as compared to other zones. This
study explores the implications of demographic dimensions on the incidence of street begging in urban
areas of central Tanzania with Dodoma and Singida Municipalities as case studies. This study was
conducted on different days at different streets and public spaces in Dodoma and Singida Municipalities
to obtain data on incidence of street begging. A cross-sectional survey was employed involving 130 street
beggars, 60 focus group members and 30 key informants. Structured questionnaires were administered
on randomly selected beggars to obtain data on their demographic dimensions. Group discussions, key
informant interview, and observations were also used to collect data relevant for the study. The data
revealed high incidence of street begging on Friday and during public holidays. The demographic of
street beggars reflect that begging is more pronounced among natives or indigenous, physical disabled,
male, single, widowed, and Illiterates. Among others, the study recommends that deliberate efforts to
improve the socio-economic security of the families of street beggars through empowerment programmes
and to embark on public enlightenment on the negative consequences of begging on various dimensions
of development.
