National Service, villagers land dispute gets ugly

BY CORRESPONDENT

The unresolved land dispute pitting National Service JK 837 Chita Barracks and Chita villagers in Mngeta division, Kilombero district in Morogoro has resurfaced with villagers complaining of maltreatment and threats from the former including having shots fired at them and threatened that there are bombs planted in their farms.

Speaking at a meeting organized by the villagers without involving the local government, they said that the dispute has taken too long without any efforts of solving it, while leaders kept mum over the matter. They said the commanding officer of the military camp has been forbidding farmers to undertake any agricultural activities in the farms within the disputed and from time to time contingents of army personnel would be sent there to clear the farms and leave notices reading “bombs planted on this plot, it is strictly forbidden to undertake any activities.”

The villagers pleaded with the Prime Minister to step in and help them settle the matter given the fact that the village, district and regional leaders have failed to do so.

“We are afraid of tilling the land. We depend on agriculture to pay for our children's schooling and run our lives," said one Zabron Mpwag.

Furthermore, the villagers alleged that the camp commanding authority has been moving the border line from time to time, whereas the former one was on Lendi River but has been moved about four kilometers forward.

This reporter witnessed several documents which showed that the efforts to sort out the dispute was initiated way back in 2001 by the former Kilombero Member of Parliament, the late Abbas Gulamali, and when the efforts failed it was taken to the Councilors meeting and no progress has been made ever since.

Tryphone Mkumba, who is a member of the villagers' committee that the people formed to follow up on the dispute, said that the Chita army camp was established in 1977 and that it was the village authority that gave it the land but they kept extending its borders from time to time.

“We're charged 20,000/- per acre or a tin of rice or maize, and if you refuse you are arrested and taken to court," said Mkumba.

The District Commissioner, Hassan Masali, said he was aware of the dispute and that he has formed a team of experts to look into the matter and see that justice is served for both parties.

Masali said that once the probe team comes up with a report, it would be forwarded to the Regional Commissioner, Joel Bendera, for further action.

Furthermore, he said that in the preliminary report of the probe team, it was proposed that the requirement for land for both sides should be looked at closely.

“There have been complaints directed towards the camp's commanding officer saying that he has grabbed too big chunks of land for his personal use, however people should be patient," said Masali.

For his part, the Kilimbero MP, Abdul Mteketa said that he would follow up on the matter to ensure that an amicable solution would be found.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (04/10/2012): http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=46543