Tanzanian Association Oslo

Jakaya Kikwete declines

to revoke title deeds

LEONARD MWAKALEBELA in Mvomero

Daily News; Saturday,December 06, 2008 @21:15

President Jakaya Kikwete has declared that he would not revoke any title deed whose land would subsequently be redistributed to big shots. He said this on Friday evening 

when receiving development report of Mvomero district. His said this after the District Commissioner, Ms Hawa Mughumbi, told him that the district authorities would seek the presidential revocation of 34 plantations so that the plots could be distributed to other people and prospective investors for cultivation. President Kikwete said he would not revoke ownership of the said plantations since they could only be redistributed to only 34 big shots.

He said he would only do so if proved that the land would be distributed to over 2000 poor and landless peasants and that his stand was similar throughout the country. He cited an example of Misenye ranch in Kagera region which was distributed to big investors in the area.

President Kikwete said he was dismayed by the action and said he was not ready to be part of similar decisions. He said of late there had been trends in which local authorities were pretending to redistribute land to peasants but the land was finally redistributed to big shots. President Kikwete also directed Morogoro Regional Commissioner to make sure that funds were made available to compensate people and allow them to start decent houses.

He said this at Dakawa Mvomero district after residents in the area complained that the district leadership ordered the people not to build new decent houses since 2003 until they were given surveyed plots for the purpose. The President also called on regional authorities in the country to create satellite towns in order to reduce congestion in cities and towns in their respective regions. He directed that the new cities should be supplied with all the necessary social necessities and that the focus should be on building the national economy.

The President said this in response to the report by Morogoro District Commissioner, Mr Said Mwambungu that the district had allocated 2000 plots to be developed on the outskirt of Morogoro town. He cautioned against committing the same mistake done in Dodoma and Mwanza where new areas were created without being supplied with such facilities and consequently the new sites have not reduced problem of congestion and overcrowding. Meanwhile, President Kikwete, was irked by the tendency of overstaffing teachers in some areas while other areas in the country faced acute shortage of teachers.

He told the Deputy Minister of education and vocational training, Ms Mwantumu Mahiza and other authorities to be serious on the allocation of teachers and ensure there was fair staffing of teachers throughout the country.