Dar es Salaam. The government in Mara region is proceeding with the relocation of approximately 13,000 residents from Nyatwali ward in Bunda District to facilitate the creation of a wildlife corridor from Serengeti National Park to Lake Victoria.
However, residents have told The Chanzo that the exercise has been marred by numerous irregularities, including brutality and severe human rights violations.
Reliable information received by this publication reveals that on July 26, 2025, two vehicles carrying 14 armed officers from the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) arrived in two villages, Tamau and Serengeti.
The officers allegedly beat residents, burned their homes, destroyed cattle enclosures, and forcibly removed livestock, abandoning them in unknown locations, among other atrocities.
Mwita Mwikwabe Ng’alale, a resident of Tamau village, witnessed the events in his village and described what he saw to The Chanzo over the phone as “brutality” devoid of any regard for human dignity or rights.
“The enclosures are being burned, houses are being reduced to ashes,” Ng’alale, 58, recounted with pain and sorrow. “This is not justice at all. Some residents have lost more than 25 cattle, and to this day, they don’t know where they are.”
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Talugole Maingu, from Serengeti village, who is both a witness and a victim of these actions, compared the treatment of residents by the government and TANAPA officers to that of refugees from foreign countries. He called on the relevant authorities to intervene and stop these acts.
“Why should we leave when this is where our cattle are?” Maingu, 35, asked during an interview. “We’ve spent money; some are still building their homes. The compensation was too little. Where are we supposed to take our cattle now?”
‘They must leave’
Bunda District Commissioner Aswege Enock Kaminyoge justified these actions, telling The Chanzo that the residents had already been fully compensated and that all that remained was for them to vacate the area.
This would allow the government to create a suitable environment for wildlife from Serengeti National Park to migrate to Lake Victoria for water, he said.
According to the government, this measure is necessary because during the dry season, animals such as elephants are forced to cross the area to reach the lake, causing significant environmental damage and even destroying human settlements.
“The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has already disbursed all the funds,” Kaminyoge told The Chanzo in a phone interview. “There was a remaining balance of Sh172 million for 64 people; the government has paid them. What’s left is for the residents to move.”
However, residents interviewed by The Chanzo stated that their primary reason for refusing to leave is the government’s failure to provide them with alternative land for resettlement and their economic activities, such as livestock keeping.
Residents also claim that the compensation they received was far below what they deserved. Their land falls under the Bunda Municipal Council, where the standard compensation rate is Sh2,000 per square meter, but the government paid them only Sh490 per square meter. They argue that this amount is insufficient to restart their lives elsewhere.
‘We were threatened’
When The Chanzo asked why they accepted the compensation despite it being inadequate, the residents alleged that they were coerced. They said government officials arrived with armed officers, forcing them to sign agreements under duress.
“We were threatened—told that anyone who refused to accept the forms would not be compensated and would be left behind while others moved,” Ng’alale explained. “So people protested, but eventually thought, ‘What else can we do?’ They took the forms and accepted the compensation.”
However, Kaminyoge insisted that the residents must leave and can pursue their grievances after relocating. The government official emphasised that wildlife such as elephants, wildebeests, and zebras have already begun entering Nyatwali, and allowing cattle to graze alongside them could lead to disease outbreaks.
“TANAPA must ensure that cattle are no longer grazed here,” Kaminyoge stated. “Most of these cattle are from outside the area; they don’t belong here. This land is not for grazing. It’s not a pasture area.”
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These developments come as nearly 500 Nyatwali residents plan to sue the government for allegedly failing to protect them from the harm and violence they are enduring. They are seeking court intervention to halt the brutality and ensure the rule of law prevails.
Daudi Mahemba, the lawyer representing the residents, told The Chanzo that the case is in its final stages of preparation for filing. The goal is to obtain a court injunction to stop the ongoing actions against the residents and allow due process to take its course.
Joseph Kirati is a writer and content producer for The Chanzo based in Dar es Salaam. He can be reached at Jkiraty14@gmail.com.