editor
Village and Hamlet Executives, Chairpersons, and members of Village Government Councils have been urged to stop the practice of selling land irresponsibly to the public in order to prevent conflicts that tarnish the government’s reputation.
This call was made by Assistant Land Commissioner of Morogoro Region, Mr. Idrisa Kayera, when he visited farms of farmers who claimed to have purchased land within areas designated as reserves and grazing lands in the villages of Msolwa, Kalengakelo, and Chisano.
One villager, identified as Utaisoma, explained that the land he had purchased from the village leadership was later included in the land use plan and designated as grazing land, which reduced his agricultural productivity.
Utaisoma blamed the village and ward leadership, claiming that he had owned the land for more than 16 years without having proper legal documentation of ownership.
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In response to these complaints, Kalengakelo Ward Councillor Martha Mkula said the land in question had been sold by the previous village leadership, whose term ended in 2014, and that the village executive was involved in the process.
Martha added that after designating the grazing land, they discovered that a farmer had cultivated crops in the middle of the grazing area. When she questioned the village chairperson, he admitted to receiving one million shillings from Utaisoma as payment for the land.
“I told the chairperson, ‘Don’t you see that this will cause conflict? We agreed that this area was for grazing, but you and your colleagues sold it to farmers. I advised you to return the money, but you didn’t listen. If you had followed my advice, we wouldn’t be here today,’” said Martha.
Leonard Kifanyi, a member of the Kalengakelo Village Government, added that the land had initially been under the Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) before it was returned to the village, after which they planned proper land use by allocating it to both farmers and livestock keepers.
Despite these plans, some citizens encroached on the grazing areas and began farming activities, which continued to spark conflicts, Kifanyi said.
