VP, PM condemn killings of researchers at Iringa Mvumi

DAILY NEWS Reporters

VICE- President, Ms Samia Suluhu Hassan.

THE Vice-President, Ms Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, and the Police Force have condemned the brutal killings of two researchers and a driver of the Selian Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) who were on official duty at Iringa Mvumi Village in Dodoma Rural District.

The VP made the condemnation in Dar es Salaam yesterday while opening the 30th Scientists’ Conference organised by the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR).

Ms Samia said the act was condemnable and assured researchers who participated in the conference that the government will take stern measures against all those who were involved in brutal killings.

“It is totally unacceptable for people to conduct such killings and let them go like that without taking stern measures to get rid of the behaviour,” she noted.

The researchers and a driver with the institute were hacked to death and their bodies burnt beyond recognition inside their vehicle. The deceased were identified as Teddy Lumanga, Fariji Mafuru and Nicas Magazine.

Addressing reporters in Dodoma, Premier Majaliwa said the murdered researchers and their driver, were in Dodoma following up on the government’s directives to conduct a survey on possible occurrences of earthquakes in the country. Premier Majaliwa said the government was saddened by the incident in which government officials were murdered while carrying out their duties.

“It is a very strange incident... we pray that their souls rest in peace and as a government, we will ensure everyone involved faces the full wrath of the law,” Mr Majaliwa stressed.

He said the researchers had been given directives by the government to conduct the study following the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Bukoba Municipality in Kagera Region on September 10, killing at least 17 and wounding 200 others.

“They were in Dodoma coming from Arusha to implement the government’s directives of carrying out further survey to find out if the earthquake would continue,” he explained.

The Premier revealed that the government had asked the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, through the Geological Survey of Tanzania (GST), to conduct the research and ascertain whether the earthquake will continue.

“Their work plan included visiting the Central Tanzania zone along the Great Rift Valley where they conducted their work for five days before meeting their deaths.

The police are still continuing with investigations,” Premier Majaliwa reported. He added that one of government’s responsibilities is to ensure those moving to Dodoma were safe as the region had never experienced such strange incidents before.

Moreover, the police yesterday issued a statement warning community members to bring to an end the behaviour of taking the law into their hands.

In a statement issued by the Police Spokesperson, ACP Advera Bulimba, the force declared zero tolerance on such acts, declaring that all involved will meet the full wrath of the law.