This article documents one of the most remarkable instances of rural political mobilization in post-Independence Tanzania: a tax revolt in 1998 in Arumeru District. The revolt coincided with the introduction of multi-party democracy and the promotion by donors of a governance agenda. The article analyzes the course of the revolt, arguing that it was heavily conditioned by elite interests, and should not therefore be taken as evidence of the kind of popular empowerment compatible with the aspirations of governance theorists. The revolt is explained as an instance of the ‘districtization’of Tanzanian politics, a phenomenon with important implications for future accountability and stability in the country.