Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete made has clarified that the referendum on the proposed new constitution will be held on April 30, 2015. The Head of State also said that the campaign period for the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ camps would be 30 days, and not 60 days as currently believed.

He revealed for the first time that he had on October 10 signed into law the gazzetement of April 30 as the official referendum date.

“The law on the referendum also gives the president the power to determine the days for the campaign,” he said in a televised speech from the city of Dodoma. President Kikwete was addressing elders drawn from the wider Dodoma Region.

He said after consultations with legal advisors, he realised that it was in his mandate to set time for the campaigns, a move that is likely to draw the ire of those who have insisted the review act envisaged a minimum of two months for the referendum campaigns.

“I know that there was the notion that the campaign period would be 60 days, but it came to my attention that I’m the one who is supposed to set the number of days that the referendum will last,” he said.

The fixed date will intensify pressure on the country's cash-strapped National Electoral Commission, which is expected to electronically register some 23 million Tanzanians in readiness for the referendum and the 2015 General Election. The electoral body is struggling to secure biometric voter registration (BVR) kits from South Africa to launch the exercise as less than Sh20 billion of the total Sh290 billion is needed.

President Kikwete, however, said that he had been assured that NEC would complete the voter roll update by March to pave the way for the referendum campaigns. He did not comment on the funding crisis.

He said Tanzanians should in the meantime thoroughly read the proposed constitution and make sure they make an informed decision when they vote. He also cautioned groups that were already in campaign mode to take note that the time for such activities had not come yet.