Traditional elders in Tarime district calls for land Act review

AS the National Constitutional Review Commission team led by former Prime Minister, Judge Joseph Sinde Warioba is collecting people’s views for a new constitution from various parts in the country, traditional elders in some wards within Tarime district in Mara region have called for the amendment of the current land Act in the country Speaking in different interviews recently in Tarime district, they have said that, there is a great need to amend the existing land law Act of 1999 noting that it doesn’t give freedom and full right of land ownership to indigenous Tanzanians especially in rural areas when it comes to the issue of investments. The elders made their concern when met by this reporter at a prize giving ceremony during which fellow 19 elders from different wards in a district were awarded with cash and certificates for their active participation against war on crime which was organized by special police zone in the district. The elders with their representing wards in brackets are Mwita Kitosi (Nyanungu), Sinda Nyangore (Bukira), Nchagwa Mutongori (Bunchari), Samwel Magaigwa (Turwa) and Wambura Munanka (Nyandoto) According to them, they have suggested that, there should be an aspect of land ownership within the Act that would enable owners to possess national land title deeds as these documents certifies a planned area that guaranties immediate compensation whenever land is given to investors for development. Unlike at the moment whereby the majority uses village land permits which are unsurveyed.“Village land titles do not give full mandate in terms of ownership”, a situation which they have described as easily paves the way for land grabbers like investors who takes an advantage to acquire plots easily, thus resulting into endless land chaos in the country.

The current Director of Tarime District Council, Mr. Fidelis Lumato

Elaborating on the existing problem taking Tarime district as a case study, they have noted that, there has been certain minor problems which arises on land issues occasionally caused by district land officers. They claim that, they do not know clear demarcations of their lands which was issued by the colonialists to their Chiefs way back in 1947 when Tarime was first declared to be a district known by then as ‘North Mara district’. The name continued during post independence time up to 1972 when it was renamed Tarime district, and which half of its land has been partitioned by the government to form another district known as Rorya. The call by elders has come amid recent announcement by government through the Ministry of Local governments and Regional Administration which it issued during last year’s parliamentary budget session that, Tarime district has been upgraded and given the status of a town council. In the meantime, the newly formed town council is getting prepared to put in place a master plan that would outline various development initiatives to be run under various categories for social and economic gains of the people in a district, sources from the district have noted. Among such developments, the issue of land is among the key aspects to be put forward as already land in the surrounding villages of the five wards has been declared to be in the jurisdiction of the newly established town council. The five wards under which the council will operate are Nyandoto, Nyamisangura, Turwa, Sabasaba and Bomani. Investigation by this paper can reveal that, following the upcoming development changes, fear has amounted to villagers from Nyandoto ward whose land had not been surveyed even before the partitioning of the two district of Tarime and Rorya which came into being in 2008. The ward consists of four villages namely Gamasara, Mtana, Kemange and Nyagisya Interviewed district officials have disclosed that, new developments would take effect once a master plan for the district which currently is being worked upon is finished, and these would include the allocations of various social services and many others according to laws that govern town councils. Clarifying the matter, the current director of Tarime district council, Fidelis Lumato said in an interview that, the whole process will take longer as there are lots of preparations to be put in place and which requires huge sum of money depending on the national budget. However he couldn’t disclose how much will be used. “You know there are so many things such as infrastructure, social facilities like schools, police, hospitals and others like these which will be needed for expansion and promotion”, he said adding that it’s not an issue of today or tomorrow. An officer from the land department in the district Ruzama Misango said in an interview that, despite of being given a status of a town council, they are waiting for a certificate of approval from the government to start land surveying in appropriate areas to be designated later in a master plan. Tarime district was recently promoted into a status of being a town council following the partitioning of its division with Rorya district immediately when the fourth phase government of Jakaya Kikwete came in to being in 2005. The partitioning of the district was done so as to quicken the provision of both social and economic services for the development of the entire people. The newly formed town council according to district officials will be inaugurated towards the end of this year on a day yet to be established.