Pastoralists
should own grazing land - PINGOS Forum
By Guardian on sunday correspondent
13th May 2012
A non- governmental organization
which stands for the rights of pastoralists in the country has appealed to the
recently appointed constitutional review commission to work on reviewing a
clause in the current Land Act to defend pastoralists and farmers in the
country.
The Executive Director of the Arusha
based PINGO’s Forum, Edward Porokwa said in an exclusive interview with The
Guardian on Sunday early this week that “there are various inhuman acts which
are frequently done to pastoralists as there is no specific law which defends
their right to land ownership.’
Mr Porokwa is of the view that the
current Land Act should be amended in order to give priority to indigenous
people especially pastoralists their right ownership of the natural wealth in
the country, despite that they do not have permanent places to stay.
However, he says there are some
clauses which do not defend the rights of pastoralists when it comes to land
transfer to other users, where traditional users in particular cattle herders
are subjected to mass eviction, which he described as abuse of human rights and
contrary to UN Habitat conventions.
He noted that issues that touch
pastoralists in the country are repudiated by government authorities at a
certain level in decision making, the most affected ethnic groups being those
living in bushes and feeding on wild fruits and meat from livestock or bush
animals.
According to him, little attention
is given to affected ethnic groups, mostly found in Arusha, Manyara and
Singida. These groups are not given special attention when it comes to land
ownership.
He further noted that the Village
Land Act of 1999 and policies of the land ownership introduced recently do not
empower pastoralists in the sense that the laws do not provide them with safety
whenever they need it as citizens.
The livestock policy set out in 2006
talks about products or commodities but doesn’t talk about better life for
pastoralists, He said, amazed to see that this is contrary to government policy
which requires better meat, hides and skins, where the benefits are enjoyed by
pastoralists who tender the livestock on which the country relies for meat and
milk.
“This is contrary to the
constitution of other countries such as Kenya and Uganda which go into details
about land ownership of people in their respective counties,” he ,noting
further that in Tanzania pastoralists are subjected to humiliations and denial
of rights to ownership.
Way back in 2006, the government
issued an eviction order on pastoral communities residing in Usangu basin
especially at Ihefu valley in Mbarali district, Mbeya region, a measure which
One Porokwa says was inhuman and affected many innocent people.
The eviction of pastoralists from
Usangu and elsewhere has always been executed violently without due regard and
respect to human rights and land rights of livestock owners.
It is amazing to note that the
victims of evictions have not been compensated. The government through the
Ministrry of Livestock Development admitted to have committed a mistake by not
providing alternative land for evictees. It was thus officially announced that
evicted pastoralists were to move to Lindi and Coast regions.
The inbuilt societal stereotypes and
negative perceptions over pastoralists in the country have often been the basis
of policies. Laws and orders directly affect the majority pastoral communities
and the wellbeing of their mode of livelihood.
Some of the basic perceptions
characterize them as destructive of environment, sources of animal disease, and
enemies of wildlife heritage, practicing an economically unreliable, even
wasteful mode of livelihood.
Worse enough, there are attitudes
that have been dogmatized in mainstream policies which are being applied
without being challenged even when they stand in sharp contrast with scientific
evidence.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
No comments:
Post a Comment