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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Meru land crisis takes deadly turn

Meru land crisis takes deadly turn


IGP forms probe team



By Happy Lazaro and Staff reporter



Invasion of large scale farms in Meru took a deadly turn last Saturday when a villagers attempt to seize a large scale farm left one person dead and several injured.



Villagers from Poli and Seela Sing’isi in Meru district invaded Mito Miwili Farm owned by Pulses and Agro Commodities Company but armed guards fought them off leaving one person Noel Godson (32) from Sing’isi Ward dead after being shot. Another person Godlove Laeli (24) also suffered gunshot wounds and he is admitted at the Mount Meru regional hospital.



Arusha’s Regional Police Commander Thobias Andengenye confirmed the incident which happened on the night of April 28 adding that the about 40 invaders armed with bows and arrows, bush knives, double edged simes, spears and axes destroyed several items in the farm.





A wave of farm invasions has hit Arumeru district where there are about 20 large scale farms

owned by investors. Above villagers of Maroroni and Maji ya Chai listening to Arusha Regional

Commissioner Magessa Mulongo (not in the photo) who last week urged them to

stop the criminal actions. (Photo by Filbert Rweyemamu)







They set fire on four tractors and a storage house that had fertilizers and an assortment of seeds. As they wrecked havoc to the properties, they also stole whatever they could lay their hands on. By the time we went to press the value of the property that had been destroyed or stolen had not been



Mito Miwili farm invasion by villagers is the third in less than one month. In recent days Dolly Estate in Maji ya Chai saw its gate and part of an electric fence ripped apart by hordes of neighbouring villagers claiming that land belonged to them. Also on April 22 armed villagers of Nduruma, Nkoanrua and Akheri invaded a farm belonging to Machumba Estate and attempted to divide it among themselves. The process was stopped by riot Police.



The invasions are blamed on political parties’ politicians who during their Parliamentary campaigns during the by-elections in April this year promised land to the landless, apparently eyeing large estates within Meru district.

Meanwhile, The Inspector General of Police, Mr Said Mwema has commissioned a special team to pitch camp in Meru District, investigating the ongoing wave of estate invasions .



The delegation, led by the assistant commissioner of police, Mr Issaya Mngulu has already started work in Meru in association with the Regional Security Committee. However Mr Mngulu did not devulge how many people will be forming his team.



After the recent polls in Arumeru-East constituency in Meru District, irate villagers have been breaking into large scale farms in the vicinity claiming that they were promised during the preceding campaigns that they would be given land.



“We are going to stay here indefinitely,” said Mr Mngulu, explaining that there is no limit to the number of days that the team is required to accomplish the task but will only leave once the problem has been solved.





Assistant Commissioner of Police who is in the team, Mr Engelbert Mkoko stated here that theirs will be a professional undertaking which is going to leave no stone unturned.



“There are speculations that the farms invasion are being incited by politicians but our team will decide if that is the case or there are other deep rooted motives,” said the Police officer.



Meru District has a total of 20 large estates belonging mostly foreign investors.



“Our investigations will go hand-in-hand with mass education, teaching and advising local residents in Meru not to take seriously all politics or politicians that drive them into riots and other acts of peace breaching,” said Mr Mkoko.



The IGP team comes into Arusha just a week after the Regional Commissioner formed his own investigating committee to work on the Meru farm invasions.

Chadema waisambaratisha ccm Arusha

MBOWE ASEMA MAWAZIRI 7,WABUNGE 70 WAOMBA KUJIUNGA,10,000 WAKABIDHIWA KADI ARUSHA


Peter Saramba, Arusha

MWENYEKITI wa Taifa wa Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), Freeman Mbowe amesema kuna zaidi ya wabunge 70 kutoka Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), wameomba kujiunga na chama hicho cha upinzani.



Akihutubia mkutano mkubwa wa hadhara uliofanyika kwenye Viwanja vya NMC, Unga Ltd, jijini Arusha jana, Mbowe alisema katika orodha hiyo, wamo mawaziri saba waliotajwa katika Baraza lililotangazwa juzi na Rais

Jakaya Kikwete.



“Sasa wanaowataja akina Ole Millya, Bananga na wengine watashangaa kusikia orodha na majina ya wana CCM watakaojiunga Chadema,” alisema Mbowe.



Alitumia mkutano huo kuwatoa hofu wana Chadema wanaotilia shaka wimbi la viongozi na wana CCM wanaojiengua na kujiunga na chama hicho kikuu cha upinzani kuwa Chadema iko imara na hakiwezi kuhujumiwa wala kupenyezewa mamluki kama baadhi wanavyodhani.



Mbowe alitamba kuwa ameongoza harakati za upinzani kwa zaidi ya miaka

20 sasa ambayo imeanza kuzaa matunda kwa Watanzania kukiamini Chadema hivyo hawezi kukubali kuruhusu mtu yeyote yule anayetumia njia ya wazi au ya kificho kukidhoofisha.



“Kuna watu walipata hofu na kunitumia hadi sms kuhoji iwapo akina Ole Millya wametumwa na Lowasa (Edward Lowasa, Mbunge wa Monduli) kuja kukipeleleza Chadema, najua baadhi mko hapa na ninawatoa hofu kuwa

chama chetu ni taasisi imara isiyoweza kuhujumiwa na mtu au kundi la watu kwa nguvu wala mbinu yoyote,” alitamba Mbowe.



Aliwataka wanaofikiri Lowassa na wengine wenye ukwasi kuweza kununua viongozi wa Chadema kujiuliza kwanini hawakuweza kufanya hivyo kipindi chote walichokitumia kukijenga chama hicho ambacho ni tishio kwa CCMna mafisadi wote nchini.



Mbowe alitumia fursa hiyo kuponda uteuzi wa Baraza la Mawaziri akisema Rais Kikwete amevunja katiba kwa kuwateua watu ambao hawajaapishwa kuwa wabunge kushika nafasi za uwaziri.



Licha ya kuvunja katiba kwenye uteuzi, Rais pia amekiuka kwa kuwateua Wazanzibari kwenye wizara ambazo siyo za Muungano kama Afya aliyokabidhiwa na Dk Husein Mwinyi.





Makada wapokewa



Waliokuwa makada wa CCM waliojiengua na kuhamia Chadema walipokelewa na wote kuahidi kutumia uzoefu, juhudi na maarifa yao kisiasa kukijenga chama chao kipya kwa kushirikiana na wanachama na viongozi

wote.



Ole Millya aliahidi kudhihirisha kuwa hakua mzigo CCM kama wanavyodai baadhi ya viongozi mara alipotangaza kujiunga upinzani kwa kukifanyia chama hicho kitu ambacho hakitasahaulika milele akianzia na kuipenyeza

Chadema kwa jamii ya Wamaasai.



“Vijana wengi walioko ndani ya CCM wanaishi kwa matumaini ya kupewa vyeo kama ukuu wa wilaya na nyadhifa mbalimbali badala ya kusimamia haki na ustawi wa taifa,” alisema Ole Millya



Mila na laana kwa Ole Millya akigeuka



Kabla ya viongozi kuanza kuhutubia, wazee wa kimila wa jamii ya Wamaasai waliendesha sala ya Mila hiyo kwa kumkalisha kwenye kigoda Ole Millya na kumpa laani iwapo atageuka na kukisaliti Chadema.



“Mungu amekutuma wewe Ole Millya kuwakomboa Wamasaai kutoka kwenye utumwa waliokaa nao kwa miaka 50 kama ambavyo alimtuma Mussa kuwakomboa Waisraeli kutoka kwenye utumwa wa miaka 40 Misri. Usiwe

kinyonga kwa kugeuka, angalia huu umati ulioko mbele yako,” alisema Mzee Naftali Mollel



Kwa upande wao aliyekuwa Diwani wa Kata ya Sombetini, Alphonce Mawazo na Ally Banganga aliyekuwa mjumbe wa Mkutano Mkuu wa CCM waliojiunga Chadema walisema chama hicho tawala tayari imekufa na kinasubiri kuepelekwa chumba cha kuhifadhia maiti kusubiri mazishi.



“Wanaohoji kwanini tumetoka CCM kwanza watueleze hicho chama kilipo kwa sababu tayari kimekufa mioyoni mwa wa Watazanania,” alisema Mawazo huku akishangiliwa



Akihutubia mkutano huo uliohudhuriwa na umati mkubwa wa wananchi, aliyekuwa Mbunge wa Jimbo la Arusha, Godbless Lema aliwataka wanaCCM wanaotaka kukihama chama hicho na kujiunga Chadema kufanya haraka kwa

sababu mlango wa ‘neema’ unakaribia kufungwa.



“Kuna kipindi kinakuja siku siyo nyingi ambapo kujiunga Chadema itakuwa dili. Wanaotaka kuja na wafanye hivyo sasa kabla hatujafunga milango,” alisema Lema



Katibu wa Chadema Mkoa wa Arusha, Amani Golugwa, alisema moto uliowashwa na Operesheni ‘Vua gamba, vaa gwanda’ ulioanzia Arusha, sasa umeanza kuenea nchi nzima akitaja matukio ya madiwani na wanachama

kadhaa kutoka mikoa ya Kanda ya Ziwa kuhamia Chadema.



Golugwa alisema baada ya mkutano wa jana Jijini Arusha, mikutano ya Operesheni ya Movement for Change inahamia wilaya za Longido, Ngorongoro, Simanjiro na kumalizikia Monduli.



Katika mkutano huo, Mbowe alikabidhi kadi za uanachama kwa Ole Millya, Bananga, Mawazo na viongozi kadhaa wana CCM waliojiunga Chadema ambapo kwa niaba ya wenzao.



Hamasa kubwa iligubika umati uliohudhuria baada ya mwana CCM mwenye asili ya kiasia aliyejitambulisha kwa jina la Adil Dewji alipopanda jukwani kurejesha kadi ya CCM na kujiunga Chadema.



Wengine waliojiunga Chadema kutoka CCM ni pamoja na wenyeviti kadhaa wa Serikali za mitaa kutoka Wilaya za Arusha, Monduli, Arumeru, Ngorongoro na Longido ambao waliwakilishwa na Ignas Mfinanga aliyekuwa Mwenyekiti wa Mtaa wa Themi, jijini Arusha.



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