Doomsday for land grabbers

ALVAR MWAKYUSA

• JPM goes to war against hoarding
• ....revokes title deeds of neglected farms

MUHEZA residents’ hearts possibly pounded with excitement as President John Magufuli yesterday ordered part of the neglected 14,000-hectare plantations be allocated to them, freely.

President Magufuli revoked the title deeds for the five agricultural estates, but warned that even the farms’ new occupants risk being evicted unless they develop them.

Dr Magufuli’s bold move comes amid complaints over limited land for the residents’ economic activities and yet few landlords have been hoarding tracts of land that they neither make use of nor allow citizens to work on.

In his first-leg of a five-day working tour of Tanga region, the president as well directed the National Service’s Mgambo Barracks in Handeni district to give back to neighbouring village 50 acres it has controlled for seven years without developing it.

“The so-called investors acquired farms in Muheza through privatisation but failed to develop them; what they did was to use the title deeds to borrow money from banks and divert it to elsewhere, turning these plantations into bushes.

“I will always stand for the poor; I have exercised my powers and revoked ownership of the farms. It is now up to the regional authorities to distribute the land portions free of charge to the people and the remaining chunk be allocated to serious investments and other uses,” directed the president.

During the day-long journey that saw him addressing public rallies at Mkata, Kwa Mkonga, Kabuku, Michungwani, Hale and Mkanyageni, the president was received with complaints from parliamentarians and residents on shortage of land for economic activities.

Dr Magufuli made the stops en route to Tanga where he is expected to host his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni to lay a foundation stone for the mega 1,425-kilometre crude-oil pipeline from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga port, tomorrow.

Speaking at Mkanyageni, Tanga Regional Commissioner Martin Shigella said regional authorities have recommended residents neighbouring the farms to get three acres, each.

At his first stop in Mkata, Dr Magufuli was informed that the National Service, JKT, had been given 30 acres on which it had planned to set up a factory seven years ago.

An army officer attached to JKT’s Mgambo Barracks, who was present at the rally, admitted before President Magufuli that they had been given the piece of land by the village to set up the factory but the plan did not materialise.

“Since you have failed to make good of your plan, give back the land to the village, effective today. The land should be given back to the village. If you still plan to have the factory then put it within the barracks,” Dr Magufuli instructed the army official.

At Hale area, Korogwe Rural MP Steven Ngonyani pleaded with President Magufuli to distribute the neglected Chavda owned Makinyumbi Sisal Estates Limited to wananchi.

Records show that the Tanzania Sisal Board sold the plantation to M/s Chavda dur ing the first privatisation of the sisal farms between 1985 and 1988 but it was reportedly abandoned since 1994.

Responding, Dr Magufuli assured residents that legal procedures to revoke the title deed were on the final stage as per Land Act number 4 of 1999, Village Land Act number 5 of 1999 as well as the Land Use Act of 2007.

“The owner was issued with a 90-day notice, which has expired. The Commissioner of Land is now working on the paper works after which recommendations will be made to the Minister of Land.

“I can assure you that once the files lands on my table, I will immediately revoke the ownership and order the farm distribution to wananchi,” Dr Magufuli told the cheering gathering at Hale and later at Mkanyageni.

Muheza MP Adadi Rajabu requested the Head of State to distribute to his voters over 10,000 hectares of land under JKT at Songa area and part of the 5,000 hectares of Muheza Estate owned by a private company, Agro-Tanga, charging that the two farms had not been developed.