Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on 31 July 2024.
Presidential Commission on Tax Reforms announced
President Samia has put together a commission of nine experts to assess the Tanzania tax system.
The Commission will be chaired by the former Chief of Staff, Ambassador Ombeni Sefue. Other members of the commission include the Former Governor of Tanzania’s Central Bank, Professor Florens Luoga, Former Controller and Auditor General Professor Mussa Assad, Former Senior Partner of PWC, Leonard Mususa, Senior Lecturer at the Zanzibar University, CPA. Aboubakar Mohamed Aboubakar.
Others include Ambassador Mwanaidi Sinare Maajar, Tax Expert and Chairman of CEO Round Table David Tarimo, Ambassador Maimuna Kibenga, and the former TRA Commissioner Rished Bade.
The announcement comes following the Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC) meeting which was held on July 30,2024, where government committed to set a commission to assess the Tanzania tax system.
There has been continuous complaints from stakeholders of law and practices that threatens the existence of some businesses. Some of the recent complaints include the practice of the tax authority of closing or taking money from accounts of institutions and businesses, corruption in tax system, and exorbitant fines exercised on medium and small-scale businesses.
Human Rights Watch: Indigenous Maasai endure coercive relocation
Human Rights Watch has reported that the Tanzanian government is forcibly relocating Indigenous Maasai from their ancestral lands in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). The organization urges the authorities to restore essential public services and consult with affected communities for their free, prior, and informed consent before continuing further relocations.
The report, released on July 31, 2024 titled “It’s Like Killing Culture,” reveals that since 2022, the government has been relocating over 82,000 people from the NCA to Msomera village, about 600 kilometers away, to repurpose their land for conservation and tourism.
Essential public services such as schools and health centers have been significantly reduced since 2021. Coupled with restricted access to cultural sites, grazing areas, and a ban on crop cultivation, this has made living conditions unbearable, compelling many to move.
Human Rights Watch conducted interviews with nearly 100 people between August 2022 and December 2023, including current NCA residents, former residents now in Msomera village, and original Msomera residents and the interviews revealed violations of rights to land, education, health, and compensation, and included reports of attacks on critics of the relocation process.
Authorities have introduced new rules restricting movement in and out of the conservation area. Since 2022, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) security personnel have arbitrarily required residents to show various types of identification to verify their residence, denying entry or charging a tourist fee if specific IDs are not provided.
In Msomera, authorities have displaced residents to accommodate families from the conservation area, labeling them as “trespassers” and threatening them with arrest and eviction if they protest or speak to the media. Those who oppose the relocation, including residents and human rights defenders, face threats and intimidation from rangers and security forces, creating an atmosphere of fear.
On June 6, 2022, the government announced plans to demarcate 1,500 square kilometers of village land as a game reserve, prohibiting the Maasai residents of Loliondo division, Ngorongoro district, from living on or using the land for grazing or water. Community members stated they were not adequately consulted before the decision, as required by Tanzanian law.
Two days after the announcement, dozens of police, military personnel, and game rangers arrived in Loliondo to demarcate the proposed game reserve. Over several days, security forces arbitrarily arrested 10 community leaders and fired teargas and rubber bullets at protesters and bystanders, injuring at least 30 people, including women, children, and the elderly. Witnesses reported that an 84-year-old man was taken from his home by police and has not been seen since. Security forces also destroyed property and killed livestock, causing up to 2,000 residents to flee to neighboring Kenya for refuge and medical treatment.
Human rights defenders and community members who shared photos and videos of the violence on social media were also arbitrarily arrested and detained. Since then, security forces have continued abuses against Loliondo residents, including rape, other forms of sexual violence, nightly raids, and shootings into homes. Game rangers under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism have confiscated livestock that roamed into the game reserve, initially extorting high fees to return them and later auctioning them off.
Kilimanjaro police deny reports of child murders
The Kilimanjaro Regional Police Force has denied reports circulating in the media, including social media, claiming that eight children’s bodies with missing kidneys have been found in Njoro Forest, Moshi District, Kilimanjaro Region. Additionally, there were claims of widespread killings in Mabogini, Moshi Rural District.
In a statement issued on July 31 by Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander Simon Maigwa said that after an investigation and inspection of Njoro Forest, along with gathering information from various sources, it was confirmed that these reports are not true but rather unfounded rumors.
“The Kilimanjaro Police Force conducted an investigation, including inspecting Njoro Forest and obtaining information from various people, and it was established that these reports are not true but are falsehoods,” the statement read.
The statement also noted that the police have successfully apprehended and interrogated an individual (name withheld as other suspects are still being sought) suspected of spreading these false reports on social media. During interrogation, the suspect admitted to hearing these claims from a motorcycle (bodaboda) driver and had no verification of the information.
This is not the first time the police have refuted such reports. To date, the police and activists have differed on the extent of the issue concerning abductions and murders. However, reports of children going missing under suspicious circumstances continue to dominate headlines in the country, causing significant concern among parents and guardians about the safety of their children.
A parable of sacrifice for conservation
The governing council of a village planned a grandiose ceremony to attract more visitors to the area. The land surrounding the village abounds with wildlife that the communities had lived alongside and protected. It could be a source of revenue as tourists would come in droves, thought the council.
But the village priest, a much loved and respected village elder, had some serious concerns. Might plans to attract tourists adversely impact the lives of villagers and their relationship with nature? Will the villagers have a say in how the tourist income is used to benefit the community? Who will run the tourist tours?
The questions, however, remained unanswered. Instead, on the day of the ceremony, the priest was sent to collect flowers and herbs from the forest. Late evening, the news came: the priest had been eaten by a lion.
The news of the priest’s brutal death jolted the community. Distress compounded as news spread that the council now planned to offer the wealthy tourists a “serene savannah teeming with wildlife” experience. The villagers had become a hindrance and were to be moved elsewhere.
After a few months, the council again embarked on plans for the ceremony to boost tourism. The new priest was sent to the forest for the ceremony, painted as necessary for the larger common good. This priest, too, was eaten up by a lion.
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