Ngorongoro, Arusha – Maasai residents of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in northern Tanzania have raised urgent concerns about the government’s continued failure to release the findings of two presidential commissions established to investigate land-related disputes and the controversial relocation exercise in the region.
In a public statement dated March 5, 2026, community representatives said the delay — now stretching nearly ten months past the expected deadline — has generated widespread fear, anxiety, and a deepening sense of betrayal among residents.
“The delay in releasing these reports has caused fear, anxiety, and loss of hope among our people, who eagerly await the reports to address the urgent issues we submitted to the commissions,” the statement read.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan officially launched the two commissions in February 2025, following a promise she made to Ngorongoro representatives during a meeting in Arusha.
The first commission, tasked with reviewing the land dispute, was placed under the leadership of Judge Dr Gerald Ndika. The second, focused on evaluating the “voluntary” relocation of residents, was headed by Engineer Musa Iyombe.
READ MORE: Two Presidential Commissions Launched to Address Ngorongoro Saga
Both commissions were given 90 days to complete their work and submit their findings to the public and the government — a deadline that was expected to be met by May 2025. As of the date of the community’s statement, neither report had been made public.
The community said the creation of the commissions was itself a direct outcome of six days of mass protests that took place between August 18 and 23, 2024, during which NCA residents demonstrated against what they described as discriminatory policies, land restrictions, and poor service delivery.
Grievances on ground
The community’s statement outlined a series of ongoing violations they say have continued unabated even as the commissions’ findings remain withheld. These include restrictions on access to key grazing areas such as Ndutu, Ormoti, Embakaai, and the Northern Highland Forest.
NCA officials have also been accused of confiscating livestock, demolishing homes, and blocking cattle from reaching water sources, pasture, and salt licks.
Residents also raised alarm over what they described as the encroachment of community land in the Loliondo area to establish the Pololeti Game Reserve, and the harassment of community members within the Ngorongoro and Loliondo wards, including the Sale area.
The community further expressed concern that Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) officials had been telling residents that their views had been disregarded by the commissions, and that the commissions had instead recommended the relocation of residents and a land-use plan that would permanently bar them from critical grazing zones.
“We are deeply concerned that the commission reports and recommendations will ignore the views and needs we submitted to them,” the statement said.
UNESCO pressure mounts
The community’s concerns come against the backdrop of a report submitted to UNESCO on February 1, 2026, which indicated that the Tanzanian government intends to continue with the relocation of people from the Ngorongoro area.
The report also noted that no progress had been made on the development of a new General Management Plan for the site, and that a tourism feasibility study recommended by UNESCO had yet to be conducted.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a status that places it under international scrutiny regarding the treatment of its indigenous inhabitants. The government has long justified the relocation as necessary to protect the conservation area, insisting that the process is voluntary — a claim that human rights organisations and residents have disputed.
READ MORE: What You Need to Know About the Ngorongoro Maasai Demonstrations in Tanzania
The government’s relocation programme, which began in 2022, targets the resettlement of tens of thousands of Maasai to Handeni district in the Tanga region. Human Rights Watch has described the exercise as a “forced eviction,” with long-standing tensions between authorities and the nomadic community having at times resulted in deadly clashes.
Community demands
The Maasai community has laid out a set of demands directed at both the commissions and the government. They are calling on the commissions to ensure that their reports accurately reflect the testimonies and evidence submitted by the community, and to make all evidence and proceedings publicly available for scrutiny.
They are also demanding that the government immediately halt any further relocation of people from Ngorongoro and restore land designated as the Pololeti Game Reserve to the community. The community further insists that no further decisions or policies on their land be made without their participation and consent.
The community invoked multiple international legal frameworks in support of their position, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which prohibits the forcible removal of indigenous peoples from their lands without their free, prior, and informed consent.
They also cited the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the right to property and the right of peoples to freely use their natural resources.
“We stand firm in our resolve to use all lawful means — locally, nationally, and internationally — to protect our land, our dignity, and our future,” the statement concluded.
The Ngorongoro land dispute has been a subject of national debate for more than 30 years, with human rights activists consistently raising concerns about the violations faced by residents. Relevant authorities have been reached for comment.
