Govt to build ranches for rich pastoralists.

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The Minister for Livestock, Fishing and Agriculture, Mwigulu Nchemba

The government has finally come up with what it believes would be a lasting solution to the long standing violent conflicts between pastoralists and farmers that had cost hundreds of lives, through launching special ranches for livestock keepers.

 

In an interview with ITV in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Minister for Livestock, Fishing and Agriculture, Mwigulu Nchemba said the government was working out plans to introduce ranches across the nation to enforce keepers of huge livestock into shifting to the specially designed areas. 

 

 He said the government will sort pastoralists into ownership categories based on the magnitude of their livestock and locate them in ranches in per with the number of livestock.

 

 “The amount of livestock one has will help us to determine the grade of a pastoralist. Those having livestock below 50 will be allowed to stay off-ranch in their respective villages,” but those qualifying for the ranch allocation will be required to develop all infrastructures on their own, he said.

 

“We need pastoralists to adopt the modern way of raising their livestock. The government will provide them training over how best to benefit from ranches,” he said about the measure to stop pastoralists from pasturing in farm lands.

 

Meanwhile, minister Nchemba downplayed claims by farmers involved in livestock slaughter in Mvomero District, Morogoro Region that the animals had damaged their crops, saying it was a hate motivated crime.

 

He said a group of farmers in the village had conspired a money extortion scheme from the victimized pastoralist Christina Nuru, but resorted to looting and killing her livestock after the farmer resisted financial extortion.

 

The pastoralist had offered Sh3.5m in vain, the farmers who had paid her a visit at her home demanding Sh10m as a compensation for damages on their crops caused by the former’s cattle grazing. 

 

The livestock owner later decided to report the incident to the village authorities, but the farmers invaded her home, attacked her and maimed the animals and looted some, even before the authorities were yet to attend to the matter.

 

While at the scene of the incident in the village of Mwano, Minister Nchemba urged  the village authority to form the relations committee to help build a bridge between the rivaling factions.