THE operation to deal with khat cultivation within Same District, Kilimanjaro region has caught up with four people who have since been jailed 30 years after they were convicted of involvement in the illegal trade.
Same District commissioner Ms Rosemary
Senyamule said here that the operation which started this year has seen
several others arrested and that seven people have their cases pending
in court.
The four men were sentenced to a total
of three decades imprisonment each after the court was satisfied by
evidence adduced before it and was not persuaded by the defence entered
by the accused persons.
The DC said the current exercise to
identify and expose the people who engage in the business or use of the
drug (khat) was catching up, and that a lot of khat had been destroyed
during the operation in the Chome Suji Ward which was notorious for
growing the illicit drugplant.
“We have decided to make this search
every month to determine quickly those who cultivate it, destroy the
plant and prevent further growth of its seedlings at early stages. We
uproot them and we need cooperation from the public in this war because
those involved in the illegal business live within the community,” the
DC stressed.
Mr Zephania Mndeme, a Same District
resident said the ongoing campaign would help change the performance of
students in schools because khat production was such a huge activity
that it involved them and was done even near schools and homes.
Another resident, Ms Glory Mchomvu
commended the government for efforts it has taken to ensure eradication
in cultivation of khat and illicit drugs generally. She appealed that
the operation be sustainable.
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